OK, so which one of you is Guy Raz?

[Qui-Gonzalez]

Just my 2 cents, since we do not have a fool proof method to screen and prevent entry;

1. How about issuing a notice to all members not to reveal their gender and age to any one on forums.

2. Put a notice on the PM interface to remind again.

3. Birth dates should not be required at registration?

As far as I know, in his tenure, Raz did not try this on RPF members/families. So, this reaction would not solve anything in regards to his presence here. Your method sounds nice, but it is only a means to stop a predator AFTER he is here.

I know we are all looking for ways to be proactive, but in this, I don't think proactive is a possible course of action. We just have to stick to our guns being quickly reactive. We now know he is back, and now the mods have to step up to the bat, like they have in the past, and show him out once again.

 

[Darth Clouds]

As far as I know, in his tenure, Raz did not try this on RPF members/families. So, this reaction would not solve anything in regards to his presence here. Your method sounds nice, but it is only a means to stop a predator AFTER he is here.

I know we are all looking for ways to be proactive, but in this, I don't think proactive is a possible course of action. We just have to stick to our guns being quickly reactive. We now know he is back, and now the mods have to step up to the bat, like they have in the past, and show him out once again.

I hear you :thumbsup and I am not trying to push my idea; but for the benefit and prevention of any damage to members I want to clarify the object of my proposal, hope you understand....

It is more for the younglings in this forum. Being mature adults, we may know how to be proactive and quickly reactive when we think we smell a rat, but I feel that the younger ones needs to be reminded every now and then because they may not have gone through the school of "hard knocks". As I said my 2 cents.:thumbsup

 

[Too Much Garlic]

I never dealt with this guy, but was there when he was banned the second time. I'm honestly surprised that anyone is surprised at the possibility that banned members are still members. Hell, reading the banned members list and you'll see post after post of repeat offenders. They come back for the sport of it and because they can't help themselves. You can't stop them, you can't flush them out unless they accidentally outs themselves openly in a thread or to someone who then reports them to the staff.

Checking IP addresses!? I can tell you... it's a PITA and proves nothing. Since some companies still provide random IP addresses for people's connections... well... kills the purpose of checking and banning IP addresses, right!?

Some of the ideas about hiding the board and questionnaires and other people vouching for you is no solutions that'll stop anything. They are a waste of time. Yes, you can stop people from reading the forum if they are not a member, but other than that you are not accomplishing ANYTHING.

In fact, I find some of the ideas very intrusive on my right to privacy. You can lie when signing up - who's to stop you? There's no control possible for things like that. Also not everyone wants to meet other "proppers" IRL. I'm a very private person and I suspect that many others are as well - I don't know or have met anyone in real life that are on any of the forums I visit as I don't need that extra dimension to my collecting habits. All these ideas only hurt innocents and will have absolutely no affect at all on catching and preventing those - the ideas were intended for - from joining and being a member.

I have seen no real solutions offered to finding and removing such people - because there ARE NONE... other than people reporting him to the staff there really IS no way of finding him. And if he is a member and reads this thread, then he now knows that he's been "outed" and will just play it even more safe and low-key than before - the sad "bonus" of bringing awareness to people that he might be around will also now make it harder to spot him, unless he's already been pin-pointed to a specific account.

Just my two cents.

 

[Too Much Garlic]

Also, it seems that some have a really skewed idea of what the staff is actually really capable of, putting unnecessary pressure on them to come up with solutions to impossible and unreasonable expectations.

 

[PHArchivist]

I never dealt with this guy

That you know of...

Here's a real-life solution (or recommendation):
We all gotta be a lot more careful when planing SoCal prop parties.

 

[hydin]

Also, it seems that some have a really skewed idea of what the staff is actually really capable of, putting unnecessary pressure on them to come up with solutions to impossible and unreasonable expectations.

I agree with the last few posts.

On one hand it's sort of pointless to expect the mods or admins to do anything about this without giving them the information, but on the other hand it's nice to let the public know that there IS a problem person out there.

As a general rule of thumb, I just accept that any banned member automatically creates a new account or 5 when the open registration comes along.

We are the most popular board on the net for this hobby, so it's pretty much a given that anyone and everyone (from banned to "Self imposed exile" to repeat offenders) that has been "shown the door" has made their way back over.

There is literally no way to keep people out of the board, and while that sucks, its just how the world works. There isn't an id check we can do to narrow it down, and if there is a question and answer page I doubt we can really expect it to foil people who really want to get back in.

I think a good thing to do is pop up a "******* Town" link somewhere on the main area that is constantly updated. Lets everyone know who is banned for what, and it's something that you can easily get to. That way the newbies can keep track of who is NOT a good person to deal with, and who to avoid.

The mods are caught between a rock and a hard place on this kind of situation, and I feel bad for em. I think this thread (so far) has done a great job of letting people know who to watch out for, and educating the newbies on what type of people are on the net regardless of the hobby.

Sorry if I am less than eloquent but I am at work . Expect clarity when I heat up a bit and get some caffeine in me.

 

[gjustis]

I also agree with the last few, particularly NHM's posts. Enforcement through punitiveness and over-reaching never works.

That said, I think this idea:

I think a good thing to do is pop up a "******* Town" link somewhere on the main area that is constantly updated. Lets everyone know who is banned for what, and it's something that you can easily get to. That way the newbies can keep track of who is NOT a good person to deal with, and who to avoid.

while good in theory, could end up being a bit tricky.

Ex: Not so very long ago, I was jumped-on for criticizing current sex offender notification policies. Now, despite the fact that I was posting in what I thought was a productive way (drawing from the most recent and most valid criminological research, as that's my chosen field), I was STILL branded a "bad guy" of sorts. My question is, how long would it have taken me to be locked into ******* Town?

I know that's not really what you're aiming for, but my concern is subjectivity...some guys gave me virtual high-fives, some guys spoke publicly of wanting to do harm to myself and/or my family. The question is, which of these groups does the judging? :redface

 

[hydin]

Honestly I wasn't referring to the town as anything but a way to publicly keep track of people who were banned for problems. Recasters, thieves, etc. Not a public opinion grouping at all.

I guess I could have been a little clearer on that point. Sorry bout that

 

[gjustis]

Honestly I wasn't referring to the town as anything but a way to publicly keep track of people who were banned for problems. Recasters, thieves, etc. Not a public opinion grouping at all.

I guess I could have been a little clearer on that point. Sorry bout that

Ah, makes sense. Clarification noted.

 

[Too Much Garlic]

Honestly I wasn't referring to the town as anything but a way to publicly keep track of people who were banned for problems. Recasters, thieves, etc. Not a public opinion grouping at all.

There already IS a banned members list... I don't understand what you're wanting to do more.

 

[SurferGeek]

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This is a touchy subject, members with children will be affected more so than others... feelings are strong to the point of being raw and tempers boil over quite easily. Take this into account when responding here. You may feel differently or many not agree with everything said but let's not let Guy Raz pull this board down any further through infighting.
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Information is never a bad thing, only what you do with it. I think that if you dig carefully through this thread you will be able to glean some great information that will aid you in keeping you (and your young ones) safe from Guy Raz and people like him on this board.

That said, it's almost impossible to identify a POS that wishes to remain hidden and puts an effort into remaining hidden. It's only when they fall back onto their old posting habits or renew attacks on "old enemies" that they out themselves. The board is open to the public, other than the OT, so that the only draw for banned members is being able to post here again. It's usually easy to see trends in posting habits as everyone has preferences to what they collect, the movies they like and their particular skills when helping on research threads such as Guy's skill at Autocad. All these things come together to give vigilant, attentive members a chance to identify them.

The easiest sock puppets to find are those of members trying to sell certain products as they can change their name but it's easy to connect a different member that is selling the exact same items, TheaterofPuppets being a good example. If he were to come back under any other name it would be a snap figuring out who he was. Doesn't mean he's not here under a SP but he can never sell his wares here again without showing his hand.

The mods are not "all knowing" and we do rely on members to report things or to bring them to our attention. We also network with other board admins to share information about people like Guy Raz to increase our chances of keeping them out. As was noted earlier, we've discussed many ways of trying to protect the membership and especially those who are under age. Most of the methods would be far too intrusive from a privacy standpoint and even those are easily bypassed or thwarted by anyone who is determined. Copies of IDs, questionnaires, credit card transactions, current member recommendations, signed/notarized affidavits... they either can be fooled or can place the RPF in a possible legal dilemma for even having this personal data.

Some good tips:

- Use different passwords for the different forums you are a member at.
- Change your password a couple times a year at a minimum.
- If you are under age, NEVER share personal information via PMs or even email without asking your parents first.
- NEVER post information or especially pictures of yourself without understanding that it can be saved, shared and possibly used against you at a later date.
- Use secure methods to buy and sell online. Money transfer accounts rather than bank checks or credit cards, PO Boxes rather than home addresses, etc.

Keep yourself safe. Even without having to consider sexual predators there will always be scam artists and shady members looking to make a quick buck from unsuspecting members. This is a hobby and many become quite passionate about their collections and it's easy to forget to protect yourself.

 

[voice in the crowd]

For those of you who have info on Raz, I encourage you to forward it to the moderators.

During the Prop Runner sockpuppet times I bought one of the King Kong gas grenades from GR.

The Paypal account name was something like 'proprunner' (or whatever I cannot remember) but if you click on 'details' on the transaction the actual credit card holder name comes up - Guy J. Raz. Unfortunately at the time I had no idea of who GR was and what he had done but had I known I could have identified him on the RPF months before he was again exposed.

If GR is on the forum and he has sold anything to anybody I would encourage them to take the time to look at 'details' in their Paypal accounts a certain name might just pop up.

Chris

 

[MattMunson]

Good summary SG. I concur wholeheartedly.

One of the things that sits ill with me is the fact that GR still has supporters on this forum, and not just that user who posted earlier in this thread. There are supporters/friends of his who have not posted to this thread. Reasons seem obvious. As witnessed earlier in this thread, when a supporter goes public, there is a reaction. People don't want to deal with supporters. Stench by association. So imagine if you were running an expensive project on this forum, with Raz as your behind-the-scenes designer. If this person were outed, they stand to lose a lot of money and time invested in the project. There's many reasons for his supporters to stay quiet.

Would YOU want to buy something from an RPEffer in good standing whose product was engineered or built by Raz?? Would it change your opinion of said RPEffer if you learned that they were working with Raz in secret? It sure would freak me out.

There's a few projects that Raz is absolutely addicted to. A couple tomb raider props come to mind. Over the years, ANY TIME a thread comes up on one of those, I keep an eye on it. Moth to a flame, I tell ya... he cannot resist. There's plenty of other projects he was always interested in, and a little detective work will often help reveal where he's working, either behind the scenes or not. If you keep vigilant, and keep your eyes open, the whole "hiding in plain sight" game that he loves to play so much eventually unravels. It's just a matter of time before he has another public melt down, challenges me to a fist fight in a parking lot, and gets himself into more trouble with the law.

And what's up with always wanting to meet people in parking lots? SheesH!!!!

 

[Skee]

As someone who's been around here for a looong time, left for a few years to cool off and rethink things trough, and is now back again on at least a temporary basis, I will say that Guy has been in and out of this place several times since I first started lurking about here back in 1999-2000

I think at this time, that adding any additional steps to registration or membership will do little to discourage/dissuade/prevent him from posting/lurking here, as he's found ways around other registration "stopgap" measures before.

There's one immutable truth to Guy though:

He ALWAYS hangs himself in the end, and he ALWAYS gets caught eventually.

I guess all I can says is don't worry about it too much, just keep it in mind when you deal with people here you don't know, or don't know very well.

Deal with the people you know, really know, and do research on those you don't know. The guy is nuts, to be sure, but unfortunately he's rather intelligent too. He's always been pretty good at covering his tracks in the past, and each time he's sockpuppeted back here, he gets better an better. (unlike Spanky, who simply made it too much fun to call out. I think he secretly enjoyed the attention, or maybe he really WAS simply just an idiot)

So Matt, I read the whole thread, and I'm wondering what sent out the vibe that he was back? I knew that part of his parole terms back when he was busted for his attempt to meet up with a minor stated that his Internet privileges be removed, but that was a few years back.

God, I miss the days of him and John verbally sparring though. Those were some truly interesting exchanges, and I was always happy to interject with a Rocky Balboa screencap here and there during the course of said altercations. ^_~

- Dan

 

[doody]

About 5 yrs. ago I was a victim of a stalker that used to hang out on the BOTB. It was a nightmare. About 3-4 phone messages a day, and 4-5 emails a day 7 days a week. Usually starts out innocent enough, then soon builds into you trying to remove yourself from some really sick individual. One thing I came to appreciate was that someone mentally disturbed can also be incredibly smart, and clever. He/she can really make your life totally miserable in ways you can't imagine. It is a dangerous world out here.

 

[giric thren]

How about having to use a credit card, charge it one cent. Or maybe sending in a scanned I.D. for certain posting privileges? Too invasive maybe? I dont know, but I cant say that I would necessarily be against it.

Anyone with 20 bucks can get a visa from the grocery store. you can even get ones in your name/address now.

i had to get one when my card was eaten by an ATM and when i bought a prepaid from wally world, i HAD to give my social security # and show proof of id, U.S. Govt law..... thats what i was told

 

[MattMunson]

So Matt, I read the whole thread, and I'm wondering what sent out the vibe that he was back? I knew that part of his parole terms back when he was busted for his attempt to meet up with a minor stated that his Internet privileges be removed, but that was a few years back.

I'm not sure that having interenet access revoked was part of his parole. It may have been, but I'm not sure of it. If that was the case, I'm sure his PO would have totally slammed him once it was revealed that it was him. I don't think it was being on the internet that was the problem, it was posting under a false identity. I'm not talking about a cryptic user name either. I'm talking about lying about your real identity. But I don't know as a fact that this is the case. If anyone is really curious, as quick call to his PO should answer that.

As for me, I've believed in my heart that GR never left. he's not capable of that, as he's proven time and time again. If I had a nickel for every time he posted "this will be my last post" or whatever, I'd have at least 50 cents by now What really got things churning lately is a few things. Not only are there projects on the RPF and other forums that he's particularly passionate about, but things are happening in those projects that have happened in the past, under Raz's "administration". This got me really curious about a month ago, so I started sniffing around. Sure enough, the proof I needed eventually came to the surface. It's also coming up in other forums, which a little poking around will reveal.

So for example, I know AS A FACT that he's reading this thread. What I don't know is what method he's using to do it. Does he have a sock puppet account? Is a friend letting him use his account? Is someone sending him copies of the thread? Is it a combination? I don't know.

What I can say with utter certainty is that he's heavily involved in at least one project on the RPF. Makes me totally want to puke that people WHO KNOW WHO HE IS still choose to deal with him. But then, that's their choice. They're free to choose their friends as they see fit. Some people weigh contribution over personality. Its not uncommon. You know, someone who is completely disreputable comes here with something to sell, and people gobble it up. Mike tait, anyone?? We all see it coming from a mile away, and when it blows up in everyones faces, they all act surprised. So, to those that are supporters of Raz, I hope this thread puts you all on notice that it's just a matter of time before he turns on you.

Who knows, maybe YOU'LL be the next person challenged to a fist fight in a parking lot "old-school satisfaction" indeed.

 

[Skee]

I'm not sure that having interenet access revoked was part of his parole. It may have been, but I'm not sure of it. If that was the case, I'm sure his PO would have totally slammed him once it was revealed that it was him. I don't think it was being on the internet that was the problem, it was posting under a false identity. I'm not talking about a cryptic user name either. I'm talking about lying about your real identity. But I don't know as a fact that this is the case. If anyone is really curious, as quick call to his PO should answer that.

As for me, I've believed in my heart that GR never left. he's not capable of that, as he's proven time and time again. If I had a nickel for every time he posted "this will be my last post" or whatever, I'd have at least 50 cents by now What really got things churning lately is a few things. Not only are there projects on the RPF and other forums that he's particularly passionate about, but things are happening in those projects that have happened in the past, under Raz's "administration". This got me really curious about a month ago, so I started sniffing around. Sure enough, the proof I needed eventually came to the surface. It's also coming up in other forums, which a little poking around will reveal.

So for example, I know AS A FACT that he's reading this thread. What I don't know is what method he's using to do it. Does he have a sock puppet account? Is a friend letting him use his account? Is someone sending him copies of the thread? Is it a combination? I don't know.

What I can say with utter certainty is that he's heavily involved in at least one project on the RPF. Makes me totally want to puke that people WHO KNOW WHO HE IS still choose to deal with him. But then, that's their choice. They're free to choose their friends as they see fit. Some people weigh contribution over personality. Its not uncommon. You know, someone who is completely disreputable comes here with something to sell, and people gobble it up. Mike tait, anyone?? We all see it coming from a mile away, and when it blows up in everyones faces, they all act surprised. So, to those that are supporters of Raz, I hope this thread puts you all on notice that it's just a matter of time before he turns on you.

Who knows, maybe YOU'LL be the next person challenged to a fist fight in a parking lot "old-school satisfaction" indeed.

Well, Spanky at least has threatened me with "being carefull when walking down dark alleyways" blah blah blah already, so I'm used to it. Course', that was on the OT forum, where stuff is a little more unrefined, but yeah.
Guy never paid me much mind except for threatening me with so-called libel suits (don't know how when the "libel" against him was true, but whatever.)

Anyways, yeah. Sorry that this is all coming back to you Matt. That's a real bummer.

 

[PHArchivist]

As someone who's been around here for a looong time, left for a few years to cool off and rethink things trough, and is now back again on at least a temporary basis, I will say that Guy has been in and out of this place several times since I first started lurking about here back in 1999-2000

I think at this time, that adding any additional steps to registration or membership will do little to discourage/dissuade/prevent him from posting/lurking here, as he's found ways around other registration "stopgap" measures before.

There's one immutable truth to Guy though:

He ALWAYS hangs himself in the end, and he ALWAYS gets caught eventually.

I guess all I can says is don't worry about it too much, just keep it in mind when you deal with people here you don't know, or don't know very well.

Deal with the people you know, really know, and do research on those you don't know. The guy is nuts, to be sure, but unfortunately he's rather intelligent too. He's always been pretty good at covering his tracks in the past, and each time he's sockpuppeted back here, he gets better an better. (unlike Spanky, who simply made it too much fun to call out. I think he secretly enjoyed the attention, or maybe he really WAS simply just an idiot)

So Matt, I read the whole thread, and I'm wondering what sent out the vibe that he was back? I knew that part of his parole terms back when he was busted for his attempt to meet up with a minor stated that his Internet privileges be removed, but that was a few years back.

God, I miss the days of him and John verbally sparring though. Those were some truly interesting exchanges, and I was always happy to interject with a Rocky Balboa screencap here and there during the course of said altercations. ^_~

- Dan

Did we know you by a previous screen name?

Your sense of history combined with some of the concepts you offer in your first post seem a tad incongruous with your post count and registration date.

Understanding the dynamic of lurking, in the absence of another screen name, 7-8 years is a long time to lurk.

I hope you don't take offense to me asking.

 

[Skee]

Did we know you by a previous screen name?

Your sense of history combined with some of the concepts you offer in your first post seem a tad incongruous with your post count and registration date.

Understanding the dynamic of lurking, in the absence of another screen name, 7-8 years is a long time to lurk.

I hope you don't take offense to me asking.

Not at all. The fact that my first posts here in such a thread SHOULD raise eyebrows, so no worries.

My previous screenname was Motorfish, and I left willingly a few years ago to pursue some other interests at the time, and the fact that I was fighting for something that I really had no vested interest in. I started to tarnish my name and credibility for the sake of standing up for what I believed in, and I decided to cut my losses where they were, and left.

I haven't reactivated my old account because I lost the password, and I think I deleted my email address from my profile, so I couldn't get a new password sent to me. Basically, I killed my old account. I wasn't banned, so my being back here doesn't violate any TOS that I know of. (hopefully)

Some of you may remember me being caught up in the unpleasantness of the AA Trooper fiasco, which I no longer have any care to be a participant in or discuss anymore. I'm back to being what I was when I first came here. A guy who likes to participate in a project from time to time, chat about Boba Fett stuff, work on my animation projects, and maybe I'll even offer up another X-Wing helmet for a pizza again! ^_^

- A happier, mellower, Dan