More on M and M's Sales Cancelation, Lindens Taken, by Linden Lab

A week ago, we wrote about Marcthur Goosson and his "M and M Creations" having two sales worth a toral of 42,000 Linden dollars being canceled by Linden Lab and the money taken. When he asked Linden Lab for an explanation, they didn't say very much other than the sales, made through M and M's Marketplace page were "done with Lindens acquired from another source." So he turned to us, and our readers, for answers.

Marxus Lefevre was the one person who answered through the Newser's article comment section, saying:

It does happen a lot actually... when I was working for an estate, which shall remain unnamed, LL would take regularly L$ from the estate owners account with above explanations. Due to close contacts with the support we eventually figured, that there were rental payments done with money acquired, i.e. from stolen credit cards etc., often from Russian or Arabian accounts. If the money was stolen from another account, which happens to often sadly too, LL would return the money to the person it was stolen from, independent of the purchases made through the offenders. I always thought it was the right thing to do though, but I understand, that it comes disturbing to Marcthur or anyone who's not aware of these things.

On the Friends of Second Life Facebook page, there were more comments. While there were accusations of "shady business practices," others confirmed Marxus' story. " This has been done for years and even on almost on daily basis. It relates to their procedure on how to handle stolen accounts. And perfectly legal. Credit card comp, banks etc all do the same by reverting payments when accounts stolen. ... This a normal buisness practice and nothing shady." "it's just a nice way of saying 'stolen lindens'."

So why didn't Linden Lab just up and say that they were returning stolen money to it's owner instead of giving vague and cryptic explanations? The only responses I got were from the Facebook chatter, "They just can't give more details than (they) did due to privacy right issues of account holder. ... by law they can't."

I don't know where to look to confirm this explanation. But if this is true, it seems this isn't simply Linden clumsiness at work, but also the law. Still, couldn't the Lab find some way to give a better explanation to a confused content creator trying to make a few dollars only to find his sales canceled and the money taken? There is also to consider that if dealing with stolen cash is a frequent problem, Linden Lab may be naturally reluctant to talk about it. In any event, this seems to be the best explanation there is for Marcthur's missing money.

Bixyl Shuftan

Merchant's Sales Canceled, Lindens Taken, by Linden Lab

Longtime readers may remember "M and M Creations," run by Marcthur Goosson. For years, he has been making quality items for sale, such as his cottages. But he recently came to the Newser after an incident that concerned the sale of some of his cottages.

Besides his inworld store at the Isle of Paradise, M and M also has a Marketplace page. Sales there were routine until December 30 when Marcthur discovered the Lindens had taken away 11,000 Linden dollars from his account, "without any warning or explanation." A few days later on January 4, he found 31,000 Linden dollars were gone. So he asked Linden Lab what was going on. They gave the following answer

Thank you for contacting support. We'll be happy to explain! We discovered the Marketplace purchase on your store was done with Lindens acquired from another source. The transaction was cancelled and the Lindens that were used were subsequently removed. We do apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused. Let us know if you need any further assistance!

Marcthur messaged them again for more details, and his money back. He was given this answer.

Unfortunately we are not privy to the specifics on which Marketplace purchase was actioned against, you do have our apologies! Our Accounts Review team discovered the issue and made a determination which resulted in the removal of the Lindens spent. For security purposes we cannot reveal the source of the Lindens or who spent the Lindens through your store.

Exactly what Linden Lab meant by "acquired from another source" they never stated. Marcthur wondered if it might be "fraud or stolen Linden dollars." But with the Lab not saying more, he could only turn to the Newser. Of the items involved in the canceled transactions, "I do not know cause they do not tell me. But given the amounts ans transactions in my overview it must be mainly cottages. So my cottages are in the wild now, and who-knows-what other items (I mainly sell full-permissions only). ... I am still in conversation with Linden Lab so they might compensate me or tell me more (or give me the LL finger)."

So far, Marcthur has yet to tell me of any additional information Linden Lab might have given him, or any of the lost 42,000 Linden dollars. If anyone knows of any similar incidents, please contact the Newser about it. In the meantime, M and M Creations remains open for business.

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Isle%20of%20Paradise/217/158/22

Bixyl Shuftan