Quoted from Miguel351:That may be, but I never suggested they contact the FBI, only the Secret Service based on what my friend who's actually in the Secret Service suggested.
Well hell, I don't think anyone in the SkitB thread contacted them. They did contact the FBI and that went nowhere.
People including myself did relay the secret service information from here to some of the victims on the arcade-museum forums so it's likely that at least one of them went down that route. Then again Steven started doing partial payouts around that time so maybe they just took what they could get and dropped it.
Quoted from Anony:People including myself did relay the secret service information from here to some of the victims on the arcade-museum forums so it's likely that at least one of them went down that route. Then again Steven started doing partial payouts around that time so maybe they just took what they could get and dropped it.
I contacted the admin of that website that details the whole scam and he mentioned that nobody really contacted the SS as far as he knew. I think Steven started making "restitution" simply due to the local police knocking on his door, according to the website. If that's true, I imagine he might have actually made things right across the board if the SS were to have payed him a visit.
Quoted from Roostking:Why would the secret service be involved in this at all?
https://www.secretservice.gov/investigation
The U.S. Secret Service has a long and storied history of safeguarding America’s financial and payment systems from criminal exploitation. The agency was created in 1865 to combat the rise of counterfeit currency following the Civil War. As the U.S. financial system has evolved - from paper currency to plastic credit cards to, now, digital information - so too have our investigative responsibilities.
Today, Secret Service agents, professionals, and specialists work in field offices around the world to fight the 21st century’s financial crimes, which are increasingly conducted through cyberspace. These investigations continue to address counterfeit, which still undermines confidence in the U.S. dollar, but it is credit card fraud, wire and bank fraud, computer network breaches, ransomware, and other cyber-enabled financial crimes, that have become the focus of much of the Secret Service investigative work.
Quoted from thirdedition:https://www.secretservice.gov/investigation
The U.S. Secret Service has a long and storied history of safeguarding America’s financial and payment systems from criminal exploitation. The agency was created in 1865 to combat the rise of counterfeit currency following the Civil War. As the U.S. financial system has evolved - from paper currency to plastic credit cards to, now, digital information - so too have our investigative responsibilities.
Today, Secret Service agents, professionals, and specialists work in field offices around the world to fight the 21st century’s financial crimes, which are increasingly conducted through cyberspace. These investigations continue to address counterfeit, which still undermines confidence in the U.S. dollar, but it is credit card fraud, wire and bank fraud, computer network breaches, ransomware, and other cyber-enabled financial crimes, that have become the focus of much of the Secret Service investigative work.
Thanks!!
I listened to the podcast. It's actually a pretty good podcast in general but there wasn't much new info about the scam other than that a detective was involved which I don't remember reading before.
Also the guy who was on who was scammed said that Steve was giving him the runaround saying the games were damaged so he reached out to Kris and all of a sudden Steve contacted him offering to send him one of the games.
He also said law enforcement had zero interest in looking into this.
Was bored and remembered this scam so I caught up on the last 5 months...
Unfortunately there really has been no progress at all.
Someone confirmed that the police acknowledged he committed several crimes but have no interest in pursuing it.
Then someone with a legal background came in and explained that in this kind of situation requires time and time is money. They said the best chance was for a bunch of victims to start a class action so they can pool together resources for a lawyer and hope to get the attention of law enforcement. Even then they shouldn't expect to get their money back, it would be more about making the scammer's life hard and help prevent future scams.
His advice sounded really good until one of the more vocal victims, Odin, came in to explain that multiple lawyers had already been hired and they already confirmed the only assets under his name are a shit house and an old truck. Apparently the scammer has some sort of trust fund too but they were told it was untouchable.
Also it sounds like the scammer has started to make restitution with most victims. Only one or two appear to have been made 100% whole again but the rest have been made partially whole which means they are far less likely to pursue expensive legal solutions.
All done last year. I don't know if the guys who filed the suits and hired the attorneys stopped paying when it dead ended, or if they just couldn't get anywhere. I haven't talked to the main guy who hired the lawyer since last year. A lot (most) of the victims declined to participate in the lawyer fees because they just wanted to be over the whole thing and not put any more money into it.
Steven doesn't have any assets, he rented the shithole warehouse. His only assets on paper are a shithole old shack of a house that's not worth anything, and an old pickup truck. We have Steven's criminal records, almost 100 arrests/citations. Been in prison. Has nothing to take, lives on a trust fund that is certainly immune to a lawsuit over this.
I know everyone has ideas of what should have been done, and I'm saying we did it all. And that's precisely why, after months of wasting energy fighting Steven, pretty much everyone made a deal to take cash and/or games of a similar (but always lesser) value to the original purchase. Everyone saw enough evidence to know that Steven would NEVER be paying anyone back if they went legal. Our only chance of ever getting anything was to make the best deal we could, and as far as I know all but 1 person in our group was made mostly whole. And by that I mean we got money and/or games of approximate value of the original deal, only Steven always came out a little ahead on the deals. He basically got a 6 month interest free loan from us and then only had to pay back 75% of it because he sent out less desirable games.
People are still trying to chase him and Kris around the various forums calling them out for being scammers. It's apparently working to a degree since Steve has claimed to file a defamation suit for libel 
https://www.stevensalmonisascammer.com/updates
Sounds like it's 99% confirmed Kris Donohoo is also involved in the scam since he's still selling games that were involved in the fire supposedly and never went out.
Someone also said Kris will wait on approving sale posts in groups he controls and then go sell the item in another group at a markup before approving the ad and buy it himself. Someone posted PMs from Kris admitting he is selling the same games that were used in the scam, sometimes to the very same victims of the original scam.
criminals knowing how to stay under the radar. Those types keep everything off the record for this same kind of reason... makes them undesirable to target. Then they just keep grinding believing they are untouchable.
Only answer is street justice unfortunately.
Quoted from flynnibus:criminals knowing how to stay under the radar. Those types keep everything off the record for this same kind of reason... makes them undesirable to target. Then they just keep grinding believing they are untouchable.
Only answer is street justice unfortunately.
100% correct
Quoted from vdojaq:100% correct
Plus, that's the only kind of "talkin' to" these kinds of people understand and or care about. With over 100 citations/arrests, it's obvious he doesn't care about law enforcement because nothing has ever really stuck for all that long. It's not like he's in jail right now. And with nothing really happening with this whole thing, he's just going to further refine his scam and keep doing it over and over.
It was mentioned before in this thread, but someone needs to employ the services of a certain biker gang to go take care of this.
Quoted from Miguel351:Plus, that's the only kind of "talkin' to" these kinds of people understand and or care about. With over 100 citations/arrests, it's obvious he doesn't care about law enforcement because nothing has ever really stuck for all that long. It's not like he's in jail right now. And with nothing really happening with this whole thing, he's just going to further refine his scam and keep doing it over and over.
It was mentioned before in this thread, but someone needs to employ the services of a certain biker gang to go take care of this.
Note the location too. Underfunded LEO makes for a landscape ripe for crime.
Sticking to the facts - I was never made whole in this mess. https://www.stevensalmonisascammer.com/updates is a great place for updates.
I will add that meeting many new folks at CAX who wanted to hear the entire story was cathartic. Although this topic is not widely discussed on Pinside or KLOV anymore, there are many behind the scenes who refuse to let this drop. Whether educating newbies, sharing experiences broadly or just plan 'ol good sleuthing, such a crime against the community will more than likely never die. Too many deep wounds and pissed off people. It's not about the money; rather ethics and principles.
Why someone hasn't sent a visitor with a baseball bat yet is completely beyond me. People have had the shit beat out of them for WAY less before.
Quoted from smalltownguy2:Why someone hasn't sent a visitor with a baseball bat yet is completely beyond me. People have had the shit beat out of them for WAY less before.
I spent too much time in prison not to comment. You guys aren't criminals. Street justice as we know it, was an option. Phone cameras everywhere today. Beating the crap out of him would amount to abusing his civil rights. Federal law. US Attorney's in small districts can't afford to prosecute small fraud in their eyes. Violate someone's civil rights in their district and watch them charge YOUR ASS in a conspiracy. Bigger crime to them. Go figure.
So you temporarily got away with it because you hired the biker guy who now has leverage on you to use when he's pressed after he gets caught "working". Good luck with that. I don't think he's scared of you.
I read so many dumb crimes in prison and this scenario was one of them. You got ripped off. Bummer. Don't compound your 10,000 mistake by losing your freedom. A decent federal attorney costs around 50,000 to 75,000. Better starts at 100,000. Never commit a crime when your net is less than what an attorney costs. Violence is never the answer. It can always get worse once you go down that road.
Years ago I had a crew capable of reconnaissance and meting out the justice. It would cost a lot more than I lost to carry out a situation AND GET AWAY WITH IT. You pay for what you get. I would have been pissed at myself for being dumb to put myself in this situation. And known enough to leave it at that.
Quoted from smalltownguy2:Why someone hasn't sent a visitor with a baseball bat yet is completely beyond me. People have had the shit beat out of them for WAY less before.
Quoted from jamesmc:I spent too much time in prison not to comment. You guys aren't criminals. Street justice as we know it, was an option. Phone cameras everywhere today. Beating the crap out of him would amount to abusing his civil rights. Federal law. US Attorney's in small districts can't afford to prosecute small fraud in their eyes. Violate someone's civil rights in their district and watch them charge YOUR ASS in a conspiracy. Bigger crime to them. Go figure.
So you temporarily got away with it because you hired the biker guy who now has leverage on you to use when he's pressed after he gets caught "working". Good luck with that. I don't think he's scared of you.
I read so many dumb crimes in prison and this scenario was one of them. You got ripped off. Bummer. Don't compound your 10,000 mistake by losing your freedom. A decent federal attorney costs around 50,000 to 75,000. Better starts at 100,000. Never commit a crime when your net is less than what an attorney costs. Violence is never the answer. It can always get worse once you go down that road.
Years ago I had a crew capable of reconnaissance and meting out the justice. It would cost a lot more than I lost to carry out a situation AND GET AWAY WITH IT. You pay for what you get. I would have been pissed at myself for being dumb to put myself in this situation. And known enough to leave it at that.
Someone on there DID send over a couple bikers to have a talk with Steve. He quickly got his items after that.
Quoted from jamesmc:I spent too much time in prison not to comment. You guys aren't criminals.
How dare you.
Quoted from Haymaker:Someone on there DID send over a couple bikers to have a talk with Steve. He quickly got his items after that.
Is there a link anywhere to that?
wow
Quoted from vdojaq:Is there a link anywhere to that?
wow
Its on that thread somewhere I'm pretty sure. Not a lot of details. I think the guy got his money back, not the items iirc. I'm searching the thread but not seeing it. Surely I am not concocting this story I hope, but I could have sworn I remember that happening back when I was really following this story
You may be extrapolating on the original insinuation . Nothing was ever spelled out but one of the parties insinuated that things were said to the scammer that hastened his remuneration . No bridges were crossed in writing for reasons of self incrimination.
Quoted from blueberryjohnson:How dare you.
I didn't proofread. My bad. It should have said you guys aren't violent criminals.
Quoted from NevadaNutJob:You may be extrapolating on the original insinuation . Nothing was ever spelled out but one of the parties insinuated that things were said to the scammer that hastened his remuneration . No bridges were crossed in writing for reasons of self incrimination.
Its possible, because I know a lot of people were talking about that sort of thing hypothetically, but man I swear I remember a guy got his refund because he had some connections over in that area. I really don't think I'm making that up. Its possible the comments were deleted too, for obvious reasons.
Quoted from Haymaker:Its possible, because I know a lot of people were talking about that sort of thing hypothetically, but man I swear I remember a guy got his refund because he had some connections over in that area. I really don't think I'm making that up. Its possible the comments were deleted too, for obvious reasons.
This is an accurate statement. Many folks took different angles of attack with most playing the wait and see approach. There's still "stuff" going on behind the scenes that I won't get into. I do know Mr. Salmon watches this thread.
As I've said before, I won't let this go and it's a matter of ethics and principle. I receive several questions at shows and PMs wanting specifics and updates. Since I know this thread is watched by involved parties it would not be prudent to dive into specifics. My goal is to consistently share the facts of the situation with as many people as possible.
Quoted from AstonEnthusiast:This is an accurate statement. Many folks took different angles of attack with most playing the wait and see approach. There's still "stuff" going on behind the scenes that I won't get into. I do know Mr. Salmon watches this thread.
As I've said before, I won't let this go and it's a matter of ethics and principle. I receive several questions at shows and PMs wanting specifics and updates. Since I know this thread is watched by involved parties it would not be prudent to dive into specifics. My goal is to consistently share the facts of the situation with as many people as possible.
My inbox is always open
Quoted from AstonEnthusiast:This is an accurate statement. Many folks took different angles of attack with most playing the wait and see approach. There's still "stuff" going on behind the scenes that I won't get into. I do know Mr. Salmon watches this thread.
I wonder if "Mr. Salmon" is enjoying life now having to always be looking over his shoulder. One just never knows.........
Quoted from vdojaq:I wonder if "Mr. Salmon" is enjoying life now having to always be looking over his shoulder. One just never knows.........
Seems like he's lived that kind of life most of his years. Long history of being a less than scrupulous individual.
There's a new update to the stevensalmonisascammer.com site. Mr. Salmon has been unable to meet the conditions of his license at his weed grow property. Additionally, one of his associates continues to list games that were "lost" in the great weed fire of 2022.
Were you scammed by Steven Salmon? Visit - https://www.stevensalmonisascammer.com/updates
Quoted from rod90:For $8500, you can buy yourself a Journey from familycoinop in Gresham OR.
And it may/may not have already been sold to another KLOV collector.
This guy has had a ton of these same games form the scam up on CL for months. His ads always show up in my searches for Rush 2049 across the west coast. There are multiple versions of this same ad, but with tons of pictures of all the games, most of which are absolutely from the scam.
Quoted from AstonEnthusiast:There's a new update to the stevensalmonisascammer.com site. Mr. Salmon has been unable to meet the conditions of his license at his weed grow property. Additionally, one of his associates continues to list games that were "lost" in the great weed fire of 2022.
Were you scammed by Steven Salmon? Visit - https://www.stevensalmonisascammer.com/updates
I saw him posting on facebook recently. I linked to the scam thread and the stevensalmonisascammer.com site, I'm sure he'll just ban me from the group if he's an admin but maybe it will save one or two people.
Quoted from Miguel351:This guy has had a ton of these same games form the scam up on CL for months. His ads always show up in my searches for Rush 2049 across the west coast. There are multiple versions of this same ad, but with tons of pictures of all the games, most of which are absolutely from the scam.
portland.craigslist.org link
That’s Kris Donoho - he spams the shit outta FB 24/7
Quoted from NevadaNutJob:That’s Kris Donoho - he spams the shit outta FB 24/7
Yep, Kris has been a part of this since day 1, despite both Steven and Kris himself denying any links, and some KLOV posters rushing to defend Kris.
Kris also runs a very popular arcade buy and sell group on FB, he is known to grab first dibs on any good deals himself before posting for the public to see. You will 100% be banned from the group for mentioning anything regarding the scam.
Quoted from Haymaker:Kris also runs a very popular arcade buy and sell group on FB, he is known to grab first dibs on any good deals himself before posting for the public to see.
Some hobbyists/collectors get consumed by "missing out itis" - even the thought of not nabbing any and all deals on this stuff before others has lead him to form a group with the main purpose of him snagging anything they want first. Thank you for pointing this out here!
On Thanksgiving, I'm grateful for the Steven Salmon is a scammer website: https://www.stevensalmonisascammer.com/updates
Please note the new update shared today in which Kris Donohoo sold another Steven Salmon game that was previously paid for.
Quoted from vdojaq:2024 update(s)?
No idea but like all of these scams it's probably:
Pretty much everybody got fucked
Scammer pretty much avoided any accountability
On to the next one!
Quoted from vdojaq:2024 update(s)?
Looks like the klov thread went silent in December.
The updates all end up here, looks like the last one was late 2023 just showing that the scammers are still working together.
https://www.stevensalmonisascammer.com/
EDIT: Maybe my memory is just bad but I don't recall a lot of these details - https://www.stevensalmonisascammer.com/turning-a-corner
Apparently someone managed to get a case to the local PD and when they called Steven he magically came up with $37,000 in refunds and a bunch of games that he claimed he didn't have. Not sure if this happened in late 2023 or not, I don't see any dates on that particular page.
Wanna join the discussion? Please sign in to reply to this topic.
Great to see you're enjoying Pinside! Did you know Pinside is able to run without any 3rd-party banners or ads, thanks to the support from our visitors? Please consider a donation to Pinside and get anext to your username to show for it! Or better yet, subscribe to Pinside+!
This page was printed from https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/klov-community-scam/page/12 and we tried optimising it for printing. Some page elements may have been deliberately hidden.
Scan the QR code on the left to jump to the URL this document was printed from.
Mississauga, ON
Crystal Lake, IL