That's him and is website there is equally interesting. A lot of Hyperbole and perhaps some exaggeration, free use of words like accredited, certified, and registered.
Fake USCG Registration
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That's him and is website there is equally interesting. A lot of Hyperbole and perhaps some exaggeration, free use of words like accredited, certified, and registered.
psneeld
Guru
My Google search popped up a lawsuit I think between him and his Web designer.
I didn't have time or really the interest to go further...there were more hits than the website and this case.
Would be interesting to see if there are any patterns.
I didn't have time or really the interest to go further...there were more hits than the website and this case.
Would be interesting to see if there are any patterns.
I'll just say his resume and his web site don't fit together very well.
There's more. He claims to be a registered, certified, and everything else surveyor, he's only listed as an associate. He claims to be able to move mountains and all the experience, but 2007-2011 FIT Mechanical Engineering, 2013-2015 Paralegal Degree from San Antonio, 2015-2018 California Maritime. Look at those dates carefully. Also, it's in Vallejo and his business in Long Beach. Long commute. His website tries much like his documentation site to give the impression of something big, but it's clearly not anything like it portrays.
Spottsville
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I'll tell my story
I looked on the USCG doc website....no way I could see to reach a Rep?
I looked on the USCG doc website....no way I could see to reach a Rep?
sailerman
Member
A more recent 46 CFR 67.500 where part (d) became part (e)
46 CFR Sec. 67.500
TITLE 46--SHIPPING
CHAPTER I--COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY
SUBCHAPTER G--DOCUMENTATION AND MEASUREMENT OF VESSELS
PART 67--DOCUMENTATION OF VESSELS
Subpart Y--Fees§67.500 Applicability.
(a) This subpart specifies documentation services provided for vessels for which fees are applicable. No documentation service for which a fee is applicable will be performed until the appropriate fee has been paid. Fees are contained in Table 67.550.
(b) There is no fee for the annual renewal of endorsements upon the Certificate of Documentation, unless renewal is late.
(c) There is no fee for replacement of a Certificate of Documentation due to a wrongful withholding.
(d) The Director, National Vessel Documentation Center may waive collection of fees applicable under this subpart for a service provided to a Federal agency when the fee would be directly paid with federally-appropriated funds by a Federal agency acting in its own behalf.
(e) Application fees under this subpart are not refundable
46 CFR Sec. 67.500
TITLE 46--SHIPPING
CHAPTER I--COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY
SUBCHAPTER G--DOCUMENTATION AND MEASUREMENT OF VESSELS
PART 67--DOCUMENTATION OF VESSELS
Subpart Y--Fees§67.500 Applicability.
(a) This subpart specifies documentation services provided for vessels for which fees are applicable. No documentation service for which a fee is applicable will be performed until the appropriate fee has been paid. Fees are contained in Table 67.550.
(b) There is no fee for the annual renewal of endorsements upon the Certificate of Documentation, unless renewal is late.
(c) There is no fee for replacement of a Certificate of Documentation due to a wrongful withholding.
(d) The Director, National Vessel Documentation Center may waive collection of fees applicable under this subpart for a service provided to a Federal agency when the fee would be directly paid with federally-appropriated funds by a Federal agency acting in its own behalf.
(e) Application fees under this subpart are not refundable
ulysses
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sunchaser
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With our ongoing fascination of doing financial and purchasing things on the Internet a different set of BS filters is required. Crooks, thieves, charlatans and evil doers abound. Look no further than the thread regarding trashing the Cordero Lodge, the old fashioned muck abouts do still exist though.
Our increasing refusal to use the mails (egads, checks can be stolen) has led to a much higher loss ratio according to the FBI, via online theft and gouging. Same old thing, be a careful skeptic. Maybe this USCG document thread will lead to some problems for the "surveyor." Hope so.
Our increasing refusal to use the mails (egads, checks can be stolen) has led to a much higher loss ratio according to the FBI, via online theft and gouging. Same old thing, be a careful skeptic. Maybe this USCG document thread will lead to some problems for the "surveyor." Hope so.
No "U.S. mail" refusal from this corner - I'm Careful Here: Still use paper checks. Receive USPS 1st Class mail as well as sending (100 count roll of "Forever Stamps" in my ornate desk dispenser with box of #10 envelopes alongside). Have plenty charge cards with umpteen thousand $$ credit lines... use seldom, when used pay in full by U.S. mail or by phone - not email. Don't need nor use debit card. Don't ever use ATM. Work with cash... when out n' about!! Being a decades trained defender/fighter, in good condition... would be interesting for some thug to accost me... I'd practice on his throat, eyes, upper nose, elbows, wrists and knees. O' Ouch!!
BTW: Wife uses the new-age ways of capital transfer - She's run into theft problems couple times over the last decade. And, then had lingering problems clearing things up. By me plying the "old-boy" rout of little as needed new-age capital-transfer-BS I have never had any problem! Wifie often mentions to me I should do it the new-age way. Due to problems she's had... I respectfully say "No Thanks", not till it becomes secure. Just Sayen!
PS: Was a funny thing... couple weeks ago I was in bank and young teller waited on me. I had him deposit a paper check into one of my accounts and then had him count out couple grand in cash from another account. I could see his nose wrinkle at the way I did biz; sort of looked like he smelled something bad. So... I asked, what's your feelings on these two transactions? His answer: This is so antiquated. Nearly no one does it this way any more. I said: You got that right! Good bye!!
Art, all the dangers you think you're avoiding, I'm afraid you once might have been but aren't now. You write me a check and all sorts of things bad can happen. I've known many to have to close and reopen accounts. On that check you're giving me the routing and account number, the name, and some even unwisely put the DL number. I can take that and create checks with other names but your coding and write them on your account, I can take that and use it to pay by check online. Apartment complexes have faced huge problems with checks and some have had every person paying by check compromised. Checks get handled by many. Look now to where we can make deposits of checks on our smart phones.
It's not the media of the transactions. It's the overall exposure and availability of methods to compromise. It's the number of transactions. Most checks today are processed electronically, no different than credit cards. Use a check in Walmart or Target, and it's just the numbers being used, not the paper.
Now, where the internet has entered into the world of theft and deception is that anyone can create the appearance of legitimacy. In times past, the equivalent was the person with the nice truck with the company name on the side, wearing professional uniforms, who walked up to your front door and appeared legitimate. Now it's the website.
However, the good news is that the educated and careful consumer can also find out the other side. You see a product pushed online and you can quickly google. You can get reviews of sites.
Now, the other difference is that at one time the scam artist could only do local damage. The unscrupulous lawyer only could take advantage of local customers, now they can go nationwide. The surveyor could approach people locally and do damage, now able to reach a broader group.
People now invest money with people they've never met, but then they weren't so good in the past at vetting the local person they invested with. In fact, the biggest number of major scams is still by those known face to face. Ponzi schemes are built on that kind of trust. A friend of a friend kind of thing.
So, don't for one second think the old fashioned way is secure. It isn't. Many using it have been stolen from and slow to find out. Security is a matter of degree and methods. We do everything electronically, but we have alerts set on every account and we review transactions daily. Yes, we've had to change credit cards from seeing suspicious attempts to authorize a penny or dollar to fish an account, but we've not yet lost a penny due to electronic banking.
It's not the media of the transactions. It's the overall exposure and availability of methods to compromise. It's the number of transactions. Most checks today are processed electronically, no different than credit cards. Use a check in Walmart or Target, and it's just the numbers being used, not the paper.
Now, where the internet has entered into the world of theft and deception is that anyone can create the appearance of legitimacy. In times past, the equivalent was the person with the nice truck with the company name on the side, wearing professional uniforms, who walked up to your front door and appeared legitimate. Now it's the website.
However, the good news is that the educated and careful consumer can also find out the other side. You see a product pushed online and you can quickly google. You can get reviews of sites.
Now, the other difference is that at one time the scam artist could only do local damage. The unscrupulous lawyer only could take advantage of local customers, now they can go nationwide. The surveyor could approach people locally and do damage, now able to reach a broader group.
People now invest money with people they've never met, but then they weren't so good in the past at vetting the local person they invested with. In fact, the biggest number of major scams is still by those known face to face. Ponzi schemes are built on that kind of trust. A friend of a friend kind of thing.
So, don't for one second think the old fashioned way is secure. It isn't. Many using it have been stolen from and slow to find out. Security is a matter of degree and methods. We do everything electronically, but we have alerts set on every account and we review transactions daily. Yes, we've had to change credit cards from seeing suspicious attempts to authorize a penny or dollar to fish an account, but we've not yet lost a penny due to electronic banking.
Spottsville
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Documented vessels beware
DOCUMENTED VESSEL Owners BEWARE
Received an official looking letter from US Documentation. The letter and website is made to look like its the Coast Guard. They even have USCGdocumentation.us as their email address (bet they thought that was clever) also Coast Guard links and videos that look like you are navigating within the Coast Guard adorn the website. They charge $75 to renew your annual Documentation and you can select to renew up to 5 years (Coast Guard charges $26 and you can do it in 5 minutes online EFT from your checking account or use a Credit Card here: https://www.pay.gov/public/form/start/1175233 ). I attempted to cancel three minutes after the transaction hit and you get a very long email full of legalese telling you you are not able to cancel. I protested in additional emails and left Voice Mails and only get other email threatening if you dispute the charge on your credit card that they will file a lien on your boat. The email came from"Captain"John Soria, again an attempt at clever.
So beware and spread these words of information and caution to your boating friends. Overpaying by 300% is like missing a marker and running aground. Please warn others of this Navigation hazard!!
DOCUMENTED VESSEL Owners BEWARE
Received an official looking letter from US Documentation. The letter and website is made to look like its the Coast Guard. They even have USCGdocumentation.us as their email address (bet they thought that was clever) also Coast Guard links and videos that look like you are navigating within the Coast Guard adorn the website. They charge $75 to renew your annual Documentation and you can select to renew up to 5 years (Coast Guard charges $26 and you can do it in 5 minutes online EFT from your checking account or use a Credit Card here: https://www.pay.gov/public/form/start/1175233 ). I attempted to cancel three minutes after the transaction hit and you get a very long email full of legalese telling you you are not able to cancel. I protested in additional emails and left Voice Mails and only get other email threatening if you dispute the charge on your credit card that they will file a lien on your boat. The email came from"Captain"John Soria, again an attempt at clever.
So beware and spread these words of information and caution to your boating friends. Overpaying by 300% is like missing a marker and running aground. Please warn others of this Navigation hazard!!
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River Cruiser
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A friend of mine got bit by this thief and warned me about it a week ago.
BruceK
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Unless the send is random, the author of the subject letter must have access to official lists of documented vessels. How can that be? Could be a good starting point to stop the mischief.
RT Firefly
Enigma
Greetings,
Mr. BK. Vessel documentation lists are public. Anyone can access them.
Mr. BK. Vessel documentation lists are public. Anyone can access them.
markpierce
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Only deal directly with the USCG. Its documentation staff is friendly and highly responsive. The only complication in applying was to determine the measurement statistics for the initial application, which my builder readily provided. The USCG mails you a reminder for periodic renewal.
markpierce
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RT Firefly
Enigma
Greetings,
Mr. mp. That's the one.
Mr. mp. That's the one.
And here is how to get the entire list.
Contact the USCG Vessel Documentation Center for vessel title and lien information. If you would like to obtain a copy of the USCG's list of documented vessels, "Merchant Vessels of the United States," purchase information is listed in the "Frequently Asked Questions " at the documentation center's web site.
Ultimately it leads you here:
https://homeport.uscg.mil/mycg/port...ch=yes&contentType=EDITORIAL&contentId=166847
386,161 listings.
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BruceK
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That could facilitate copy cat renewal offers at profit inflated cost.
markpierce
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Al, USCG records show your boat is forty years old! 
The boat surely doesn't show its age.
The boat surely doesn't show its age.That's a problem with public records. Deeds at your local courthouse get searched. Court records all public. In many states, driver's license lists are sold. It's a reason many don't put items in their name with their home addresses.
markpierce
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With remote cameras and face-recognition software becoming more common, as well as multiple person information sources available, one's life has become an open book.
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Al, USCG records show your boat is forty years old!
Yup. She turns 40 this month. (0277 in the HIN)
She's had a facelift, her makeup is streaky and her butt sags a bit but she's all mine!
I think it's a scam in my personal classification system. They are as close to misrepresentation as they can get, while getting away with it. It's obviously designed to mislead and fool you into thinking you are dealing with the Coast Guard Documentation Center.
twistedtree
Guru
And what about the 5 year renewal option? The USCG doesn't offer that, so you would be depending on scam-man to file and pay your renewal each year for the next 5 years. What do you think the chances are of that happening?
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