The rumors of Tim Mastin's demise may have been wildly exaggerated...ALL REFUNDS SENT!!
gumbyfan
Posts: 5,159 ✭
A number of inconsistencies with the news of Tim Mastin’s death were brought to light earlier this week. A couple of other board members and I did a bit of investigating and we have not been able to verify the details of his passing. In fact, it seems as though he is alive and well. Before anyone worries, we had initial information on Tuesday, so the money was not sent out. I still have everyone’s donations and will be refunding every penny shortly after this message is posted.
Here are all of the details, so I can be completely transparent in my description of the events that occurred, so that everyone is clear with where I stand on this.
While raising the money for Tim’s family, a couple people asked me if I was sure the story was legit. I had done a cursory search and found an obituary for a Tim Mastin and was satisfied. However, when the amount of our collected gift got so large, I became concerned and wanted to be 100% certain.
Late monday night, I noticed that erinstubby was logged in on CU. This surprised me, but I was able to rationalize it by remembering that it was Tim’s wife who informed FavreFan1971 of his passing through a PM. Still, I enlisted a couple of board members to help me verify the story.
One board member contacted the person who ran the charity fundraiser for Tim’s family in 2006. Here is that person’s response:
<< <i> I haven't talked with him in a very long time either. We were having a little trouble reaching he and Erin to invite them to a Christmas party. My mother said she just got a hold of Tim a few days ago and that they were doing ok. I don't have an email address to reach them but when I see him, I'll tell him you were trying to reach him.
Kind Regards,
Ryan >>
Now, “a few days ago” could be different for everyone. Tim reportedly passed away on 12/12. That message was sent on 12/23.
That same board member called Erin to speak with her and get a “feel” on the situation. Here is how the conversation went:
<< <i>Sad to say I believe we have a scam going on. I called and got Erin. I let her know who I was and told her we at PSA had a nice donation going for her and her kids. I told her I was very sorry to hear about Tim but for some reason she did not sound sad at all. Not even close.
First problem: I asked her "have you been logging into PSA?" her answer: "no I have not" for some reason she said it emphatically.
After I told her the donation was up to 5 grand she said..."can I call you back?" I said sure and gave her my number.
Second problem: I asked what exactly happened with Tim and she cut me off and said I’ll have to call you back.
Third problem: I heard a man's voice in the background. Of course it may not have been Tim but who knows?
Erin was not sad, her voice did not change at all.
She seemed to be rushing me off the phone to tell someone (Tim) what was going on. >>
Regarding the question of whether or not she’s been logging into PSA. She said no, but then who has? Since Monday night, someone has been logged into that account daily, with the exception of yesterday. Also, no return calls have been received from Erin since that conversation on Tuesday evening.
Moving on…I had also noticed that Tim still had items for sale on eBay, so I asked another board member to contact him through eBay to ask a question about a particular card. He received a response on 12/24. A follow-up question was asked and I do not know if a response was given.
Lastly, and probably most importantly, calls to the local police in Tim’s area as well as to the Department of Vital Records turned up no record of death. I have spent a number of hours scouring the internet for a death notice or an obituary of any kind and have come up empty handed. Unfortunately, as I mentioned earlier, I did find an obituary for Tim Mastin in my initial search last week Thursday. Sadly, I did not notice at the time that it was a different Tim Mastin who passed away in 2005.
In the end, something isn’t right here. This no longer passes the smell test and I think it would be best for me to refund everyone’s money. I would have done so sooner, but there were a few obstacles in that:
First, due to the sensitive nature, I wanted to cross my t’s and dot my i’s before posting this message. I believe that has been done.
Second, since I was withdrawing the money from PayPal to my checking account so I could send a check, a large chunk of money from what was donated on Monday was still in PayPal-to-Checking Account limbo until this morning.
Third, this is not the type of information I wanted to share with everyone on the days leading up to Christmas…and especially not ON Christmas.
I am going to begin refunding everyone’s money right now. I believe PayPal puts a hold on refunds for a few days, so I apologize if the money won’t be immediately in your accounts when I refund it. You should receive an email that the refund is initiated.
Thanks again to everyone who so generously gave. I apologize that this did not turn out the way everyone expected.
Sincerely,
Craig
(edited to fix title)
Here are all of the details, so I can be completely transparent in my description of the events that occurred, so that everyone is clear with where I stand on this.
While raising the money for Tim’s family, a couple people asked me if I was sure the story was legit. I had done a cursory search and found an obituary for a Tim Mastin and was satisfied. However, when the amount of our collected gift got so large, I became concerned and wanted to be 100% certain.
Late monday night, I noticed that erinstubby was logged in on CU. This surprised me, but I was able to rationalize it by remembering that it was Tim’s wife who informed FavreFan1971 of his passing through a PM. Still, I enlisted a couple of board members to help me verify the story.
One board member contacted the person who ran the charity fundraiser for Tim’s family in 2006. Here is that person’s response:
<< <i> I haven't talked with him in a very long time either. We were having a little trouble reaching he and Erin to invite them to a Christmas party. My mother said she just got a hold of Tim a few days ago and that they were doing ok. I don't have an email address to reach them but when I see him, I'll tell him you were trying to reach him.
Kind Regards,
Ryan >>
Now, “a few days ago” could be different for everyone. Tim reportedly passed away on 12/12. That message was sent on 12/23.
That same board member called Erin to speak with her and get a “feel” on the situation. Here is how the conversation went:
<< <i>Sad to say I believe we have a scam going on. I called and got Erin. I let her know who I was and told her we at PSA had a nice donation going for her and her kids. I told her I was very sorry to hear about Tim but for some reason she did not sound sad at all. Not even close.
First problem: I asked her "have you been logging into PSA?" her answer: "no I have not" for some reason she said it emphatically.
After I told her the donation was up to 5 grand she said..."can I call you back?" I said sure and gave her my number.
Second problem: I asked what exactly happened with Tim and she cut me off and said I’ll have to call you back.
Third problem: I heard a man's voice in the background. Of course it may not have been Tim but who knows?
Erin was not sad, her voice did not change at all.
She seemed to be rushing me off the phone to tell someone (Tim) what was going on. >>
Regarding the question of whether or not she’s been logging into PSA. She said no, but then who has? Since Monday night, someone has been logged into that account daily, with the exception of yesterday. Also, no return calls have been received from Erin since that conversation on Tuesday evening.
Moving on…I had also noticed that Tim still had items for sale on eBay, so I asked another board member to contact him through eBay to ask a question about a particular card. He received a response on 12/24. A follow-up question was asked and I do not know if a response was given.
Lastly, and probably most importantly, calls to the local police in Tim’s area as well as to the Department of Vital Records turned up no record of death. I have spent a number of hours scouring the internet for a death notice or an obituary of any kind and have come up empty handed. Unfortunately, as I mentioned earlier, I did find an obituary for Tim Mastin in my initial search last week Thursday. Sadly, I did not notice at the time that it was a different Tim Mastin who passed away in 2005.
In the end, something isn’t right here. This no longer passes the smell test and I think it would be best for me to refund everyone’s money. I would have done so sooner, but there were a few obstacles in that:
First, due to the sensitive nature, I wanted to cross my t’s and dot my i’s before posting this message. I believe that has been done.
Second, since I was withdrawing the money from PayPal to my checking account so I could send a check, a large chunk of money from what was donated on Monday was still in PayPal-to-Checking Account limbo until this morning.
Third, this is not the type of information I wanted to share with everyone on the days leading up to Christmas…and especially not ON Christmas.
I am going to begin refunding everyone’s money right now. I believe PayPal puts a hold on refunds for a few days, so I apologize if the money won’t be immediately in your accounts when I refund it. You should receive an email that the refund is initiated.
Thanks again to everyone who so generously gave. I apologize that this did not turn out the way everyone expected.
Sincerely,
Craig
(edited to fix title)
0
Comments
I can't speak for everyone, but we should at least discuss the interest of people in sending that money to a worth charity. People are, of course, entitled to refund if they so desire, but if some are interested in sending it to a worth charity, I would be on board.
EDITED for spelling
My Podcast - Now FEATURED on iTunes
edit: Just looking at this to make it easy for Craig.Even so, it's gonna be some work for him.
1994 Pro Line Live
TheDallasCowboyBackfieldProject
At least we know the true story and can deal with the circumstances.
The thought was obviously a great showing of generosity from all involved and will remain a positive mark for the board.
However I think some will like to hear how this was allowed to continue without the truth being told before the donations ended. It was not something done in secrecy. Anyone who knew the truth should have spoken up.
Kudos to the OP who coordinated the donations. No one can fault you for it.
Keith
Gumbyfan, I really appreciate you taking the time to research this and uncovering the inconsistencies in the story prior to handing over $5,000 to the Mastin family.
I am sure I will have more to add after I actually process this!
<< <i>Wow.
I can't speak for everyone, but we should at least discuss the interest of people in sending that money to a worth charity. People are, of course, entitled to refund if they so desire, but if some are interested in sending it to a worth charity, I would be on board.
EDITED for spelling >>
Nice thought, but given the circumstances I would like a refund to do with as I wish.
I have to refund part of it back to a buyer who was nice enough to donate extra as part of a sale.
Sheeesh. This is friggin' wild.
<< <i>However I think some will like to hear how this was allowed to continue without the truth being told before the donations ended. It was not something done in secrecy. Anyone who knew the truth should have spoken up. >>
Truth be told, brianwintersfan raised the question on the donation thread and was immediately chastised by the people that saw it. I think the only person who was certain of the truth while the donations were flowing in was erinstubby.
There were subsequent fundraisers started after the Monday night cutoff and I did my best to contact those individuals quickly to ask them to remove Tim's name from the beneficiaries of their collections until I had finished looking into the information that began rolling in on Tuesday morning.
<< <i>I would like a refund to do with as I wish. >>
I agree, I would like to use the refund to replace my Jack Nicklaus Barratt and Co card that I sold on behalf of Mr. Mastin.
I was really trying in a nice way to say "why did anyone close to eristubby not speak up while this was happening."
If that was the case then I'm really speechless like everyone else. We'll all certainly listen to explanations but these may be hard to take.
Again, no offense to you Craig. You handled all of this in the right manner.
Keith
<< <i>Not meant to target you Craig. In fact my last comment was meant to try and deflect attention from you.
I was really trying in a nice way to say "why did anyone close to eristubby not speak up while this was happening." >>
He really wasn't....I should say ins't close to anyone on the boards. That was one of the problems.
1994 Pro Line Live
TheDallasCowboyBackfieldProject
Investigative minds on here are always out to bust a scam. Good to hear we know the truth now. As for everyone that pitched in, I believe what goes around comes around, both good and bad. It still makes me pround to know there are still wonderful people in the world like those willing to help out here.
As for the other side of things, I'll keep those words to myself.
<< <i>
<< <i>Not meant to target you Craig. In fact my last comment was meant to try and deflect attention from you.
I was really trying in a nice way to say "why did anyone close to eristubby not speak up while this was happening." >>
He really wasn't....I should say ins't close to anyone on the boards. That was one of the problems. >>
Well I did everything but say this, which is really what I wanted to say. I'm trying to temper my comments but guess it's not working.
If anyone from this family was aware of the donation effort and said nothing then this a a real problem. I don't want to jump to conclusions and make accusations but the obvious is beginning to shine clearly here.
tim- me thinks you got some splainin to do with the quickness being how youve logged on since then and bought stuff buy it now on ebay since the 12th
yer right- he aint dead, i can find a obit on anybody in 5 seconds, is how i find people i send stuff to to auto from war stuff ttm, only tim mastin that shows is 2005 on everything i just looked thru, guess thats what we get for trying to do something good
Matt,
Since I'm the one that bought the Nicklaus card from you, if you need it back, just let me know and I'll sell it back to you for the same price I bought it from you for.
Take care,
Mike
<< <i>geez-898$ of that was mine too, alot of it was just free $ sent, but alot of it was stuff bought too, i guess just keep your stuff, cause ill be way confused
tim- me thinks you got some splainin to do with the quickness being how youve logged on since then and bought stuff buy it now
I forgot to mention that. Another thing we noticed was a handful of 1974 Topps Football cards that were bid on and won by his ebay ID a few days after his wife said he had died.
<< <i>
Since I'm the one that bought the Nicklaus card from you, if you need it back, just let me know and I'll sell it back to you for the same price I bought it from you for.
Take care,
Mike >>
I would hold off sending anything back to anyone or exchanging money. Let Craig do all the refunds then guys that actually did sell cards can just get them back from the guys that bought them. It will get way too confusing for Craig if everyone starts doing their own exchanges , sales or refunds.
1994 Pro Line Live
TheDallasCowboyBackfieldProject
I can honestly say, I have never bumped Randy!
I hope the "Coin guys" who donated, will forgive me?
rd
Don't Eat The Yellow Snow - FRANK ZAPPA
Quicksilver Messenger Service - Smokestack Lightning (Live) 1968
Quicksilver Messenger Service - The Hat (Live) 1971
-Bill Gates,1981
"With hurricanes,tornados, fires out of control, mud slides, flooding, severe thunderstorms tearing up the country from one end to another,& with the threat of bird flu and terrorist attacks,"Are we sure this is a good time to take God out of the Pledge of Allegiance?"" Jay Leno 2006
<< <i>well-we did good anyways
As I told Craig, at least those kids still have a father, scoundrel or not.
I think that would be the cleanest way to handle it. I'm sure those who got cards will send them back. Besides, I think Rube got them all.
Brian
<< <i>
<< <i>well-we did good anyways
As I told Craig, at least those kids still have a father, scoundrel or not. >>
If this scam is what it seems, then those kids don't have a chance.
Well, on the bright side for me and the others, we felt good about what we were doing.
WOW Rube, you really are the greatest.
<< <i>
That same board member called Erin to speak with her and get a “feel” on the situation. Here is how the conversation went:
<< <i>Sad to say I believe we have a scam going on. I called and got Erin. I let her know who I was and told her we at PSA had a nice donation going for her and her kids. I told her I was very sorry to hear about Tim but for some reason she did not sound sad at all. Not even close.
First problem: I asked her "have you been logging into PSA?" her answer: "no I have not" for some reason she said it emphatically.
After I told her the donation was up to 5 grand she said..."can I call you back?" I said sure and gave her my number.
Second problem: I asked what exactly happened with Tim and she cut me off and said I’ll have to call you back.
Third problem: I heard a man's voice in the background. Of course it may not have been Tim but who knows?
Erin was not sad, her voice did not change at all.
She seemed to be rushing me off the phone to tell someone (Tim) what was going on. >>
Regarding the question of whether or not she’s been logging into PSA. She said no, but then who has? Since Monday night, someone has been logged into that account daily, with the exception of yesterday. Also, no return calls have been received from Erin since that conversation on Tuesday evening.
>>
This is the most disturbing part of the whole thing. Sounds like Erin is less than honorable. Much less.
The fact that someone has been logging on with his CU account, and his ebay account doesn't really hold water, because if I had passed away, my brother would be doing that, to make sure all of my loose ends were tied up. Granted, if he saw a thread like the fund raiser for Tim, he would have said something.
Is this the Tim Mastin from Fort Thomas, Kentucky? You can find their contact info on www.whitepages.com, with their phone number. Maybe someone should give them a call?
<< <i>I'm kind of thrown back by this... I don't know what to say.
The fact that someone has been logging on with his CU account, and his ebay account doesn't really hold water, because if I had passed away, my brother would be doing that, to make sure all of my loose ends were tied up. Granted, if he saw a thread like the fund raiser for Tim, he would have said something.
Is this the Tim Mastin from Fort Thomas, Kentucky? You can find their contact info on www.whitepages.com, with their phone number. Maybe someone should give them a call? >>
Please read the initial post and all your questions will be answered.
<< <i>Please read the initial post and all your questions will be answered. >>
I read it a couple times, I guess I'm just in shock by all this.
Craig, you're a great person for all of the effort you put forth in this mess. Thank you.
<< <i>I would hold off sending anything back to anyone or exchanging money. Let Craig do all the refunds then guys that actually did sell cards can just get them back from the guys that bought them. It will get way too confusing for Craig if everyone starts doing their own exchanges , sales or refunds. >>
Thanks, Matt.
I am about 40% done with refunds at this moment. Once all of the refunds are processed (and PayPal releases their hold), anyone that sold items for the purpose of helping raise funds can then simply refund the money through PayPal. I will ask that everyone who made purchases or offered up items for sale or for donations through this to please work together to come up with the best solution that fits each individual situation.
Most importantly, before exchanging any additional monies, I would strongly urge everyone to wait for your refunds and then initiate refunds through PayPal rather than sending a separate payment. There's no reason for PayPal to make extra $$ from fees on this situation!
<I think Rube got them all>
yeah- everybody keep your stuff, and if its sent already, ill send it back, no biggie
I still deal with this phenomenon in the same business but for a government agency. People want to help. They want to do whatever they can. They only need to be asked.
You just need to ask for the right stuff or you'll wind up with a warehouse full of left footed shoes.
Some will take advantage of the kindness of others. Hopefully this is dealt with in it's own way at the time chosen by whatever being guides us all.
We were asked and we responded. That is the true nature of the story and this will not change. A great effort by all.
<< <i>I'm going to the Bengals game this weekend, which is only 4.2 miles away from his house, would you like me to stop by and find out what's going on? >>
You shouldn't have said this publicly because they won't be anwering their door now.
1994 Pro Line Live
TheDallasCowboyBackfieldProject
<< <i>Refund received, what's this Tim Mastin's ebay name? >>
cincy_celts
unfreakin believable.
rd
Frank Zappa - Bobby Brown
Quicksilver Messenger Service - Smokestack Lightning (Live) 1968
Quicksilver Messenger Service - The Hat (Live) 1971
<< <i>never flip a booger in the wind
I just pick em', I don't spell them!
rd
Don't Eat The Yellow Snow - FRANK ZAPPA
Quicksilver Messenger Service - Smokestack Lightning (Live) 1968
Quicksilver Messenger Service - The Hat (Live) 1971
My Registry Sets