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Build log identity theft...

cjensen

Well Known Member
This has to qualify as one of the weirdest things that has ever happened to me...a buddy of mine was searching for RV-7 pics on the 'net this morning and came across a pic of Jack Holland's RV-7...a picture that I took. He wanted a closer look since he knows the airplane, and it took him to a gaming forum called IGN. What he found was some goober posting pictures...MY pictures...of "his" RV-7 build. Here's a link to that thread he found...

http://boards.ign.com/cars_lobby/b5126/185590559/p1/

After he forwarded me the link, I did some digging, and found that he has MANY threads on that forum about "RV Updates", "Engine hung", "Interior arrives"...even going so far as to announcing "his" first flight...here-

http://boards.ign.com/cars_lobby/b5126/194249246/p1/?27

You've all seen these pictures before, of course, because they are mine...but judging by the comments from others in the threads, he has been building a virtual RV-7 as long as I have.

I posted at the end of that thread to bust him out in front of his friends...feel free to register and do the same if ya want! :rolleyes:

WTF??? :eek::mad:
 
This reminds me of Brad Paisley's "Online"

Brad Pisley said:
I work down at the pizza pit
And I drive an old Hyundai
I still live with my mom and dad
I'm 5'3 and overweight

I'm a Sci-Fi fanatic
Mild asthmatic
Never been to 2nd base
But there's a whole nother me
That you need to see
Go check out MySpace

'cause online I'm out in Hollywood
I'm 6'5 and I look **** good
I drive a Maserati
I'm a black belt in Karate
And I love a good glass of wine

It turns girls on that I'm mysterious
I tell 'em I don't want nothing serious
'cause even on a slow day I can have a three way
Chat with two women at one time

I'm so much cooler online
So much cooler online

I get home, I kiss my mom
And she fixes me a snack
I head down to my basement bedroom
And fire up my Mac

In real life the only time I
Ever even been to L.A.
Was when I got the chance with the marching band
To play tuba in the Rose Parade.

Online I live in Malibu
I posed for Calvin Kline, I've been in GQ
I'm single and I'm rich
And I got a set of six pack abs that'll blow your mind

It turns girls on that I'm mysterious
I tell 'em I don't want nothing serious
'cause even on a slow day I can have a three way
Chat with two women at one time

I'm so much cooler online
Yeah I'm cooler online

When you got my kinda stats, it's hard to get a date
Let alone a real girlfriend
But I grow another foot
And I lose a bunch of weight everytime I log in

Online I'm out in Hollywood
I'm 6'5 and I look **** good
Even on a slow day, I can have a three way
Chat with two women at one time

I'm so much cooler online
Yeah I'm cooler online
I'm so much cooler online
Yeah I'm cooler online
 
If he's been looking at your website, has he stolen your pets and wife too? ;)
 
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Every time I think I've seen it all, something odd like this happens. How truly bizarre.

You handled it very diplomatically too, btw. I'm not sure I would have been as civil.
 
Sounds like a good reason to join that board. CC'ing the board's admin might be a good idea too. Seems like grounds to lock down that guy's account.

br,
dr

PS: There was a kid on a radio controlled airplane board a couple of years back that told them that he had built Danny King's 'Beautiful Doll'. I joined the board and said "I'm typing this 10 feet from the airplane, and your name isn't on the data plate".:rolleyes:



This has to qualify as one of the weirdest things that has ever happened to me...a buddy of mine was searching for RV-7 pics on the 'net this morning and came across a pic of Jack Holland's RV-7...a picture that I took. He wanted a closer look since he knows the airplane, and it took him to a gaming forum called IGN. What he found was some goober posting pictures...MY pictures...of "his" RV-7 build. Here's a link to that thread he found...

http://boards.ign.com/cars_lobby/b5126/185590559/p1/

After he forwarded me the link, I did some digging, and found that he has MANY threads on that forum about "RV Updates", "Engine hung", "Interior arrives"...even going so far as to announcing "his" first flight...here-

http://boards.ign.com/cars_lobby/b5126/194249246/p1/?27

You've all seen these pictures before, of course, because they are mine...but judging by the comments from others in the threads, he has been building a virtual RV-7 as long as I have.

I posted at the end of that thread to bust him out in front of his friends...feel free to register and do the same if ya want! :rolleyes:

WTF??? :eek::mad:
 
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Every time I think I've seen it all, something odd like this happens. How truly bizarre.
Tell me about it! I couldn't even describe the feeling I had initially this morning!

You handled it very diplomatically too, btw. I'm not sure I would have been as civil.
Thanks! What I wrote...wasn't necessarily what I was thinking, but regardless...it is amusing, if not flattering! :)
 
Well

That is just wierd...

But.......:confused:

Maybe coolpic or whatever is really you...and you are someone else., or he built it and your the imposter.... :rolleyes: ..haha.

Thats kind of creepy to know some knob knows that much about you and wants to be you. That is why personally I would not have that much stuff out "there" cuz there are just too many weird people. I have enjoyed your site, Dans site, all sorts of sites..but you just dont know who or why people are looking at it. From a website you know where someone works, where their plane is, what they look like, what their wife looks like...sadly, you have to worry about the weirdos.

Gives me the willies....as your web site gives enough info to know a fair amount of your business. Good luck, might want to prune some of the details off the site or see if you can dig into who this guy is.
 
Amazing!

I seem to remember a similar deal involving Danny King's plane. Looks like your guy kept this going for 5 years! I would say that crosses the line well into mental illness. I just hope this oddball lives far from me.
 
I have thought about dropping most of the text from my site in the past...this may push things over the edge if my wife has anything to say about it...I guess I'll apologize now if I have to pull it down...:eek:
 
Picture of the virtual builder!

WWCFG.jpg
 
Sounds like a good reason to join that board. CC'ing the board's admin might be a good idea too. Seems like grounds to lock down that guy's account.

I did join the board, and posted at the end of that "First Flight" thread. I haven't been able to track down the admin contact on that board. It's a HUGE place...makes VAF look small...:eek:
 
Some of his replies make for interesting reading.

Asked about the cabin air NACA vent...

fakeRVbuilder said:
That duct is for the instrument/avionics cooling

All you guys that only installed a canopy latch on the left hand side...

fakeRVbuilder said:
There is a latch on each side, I just had the canopy ajar just in case I needed to bail if anything had happened.

Interior work got quicker than we remember...

fakeRVbuilder said:
...and the interior which I think I can get done in a long day. )

Van's have a test pilot program we don't know about...

fakeRVbuilder said:
The plane will be fully checked out, and test flown by a test pilot and a factory pilot before it gets its airworthiness certificate. Also its a small, 2 seater, less than 200hp, fixed gear, so it wont be that bad. I guarantee it will cost less than a Mooney(factory built, 6 seater, high perforance[200+hp] retractable gear)
 
Sounds like the kid

is a little weird, but he certainly doesn't sound malicious to me.

Probably just a dreamer and wanna be.

I was a dreamer too. Sure glad I didn't have folks lambasting me. Might have turned me away.......:(

Is there some danger here I'm not thinking of?
 
Malicious and dangerous, no. I don't have any reason to believe he had any other intent other than to impress some online gamers. That being said, dreamer or not, I see this as a form of identity theft, and I'm not gonna just let it go without saying something.

If he wants to come forward (or send me an email response privately) to discuss this, I'm all for it.
 
Chad,

This is incredibly BIZARRE. It's been said that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but this is crazy. This sorry loser obviously doesn't have a life, and has to imitate yours and steal your pictures and your identity. I like the class act you showed, busting him the way you did.

Wouldn't it be appropriate if a bunch of people followed him from site to site, outing him everywhere he goes? At the very least, it would be a wakeup call that we're on to him. We know his name, where he lives, and he should be confronted.

Check this out. A little detective work found this Mr. Nick Parnell on facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/people/Nick-Parnell/561645981#!/profile.php?id=1190580069

Now you tell me, does this fit the profile? It all matches up.

What say you, everyone?

UPDATE/EDIT: 12/20/10 After getting a heads-up from a fellow RV'r friend here on VAF, I looked at this link again. You know what he did? He changed his facebook page! Apparently after seeing this post. It's not so evident now, but it's still him. What I saw when I first found his profile was a reference to wanting to learn to fly, his profile picture now shows some kind of a bicycle, but when I found it, it showed the view you would see looking out the windshield on final approach to a runway, and it showed his location in Kansas. All solid evidence that he is a pilot wannabe and is indeed the person in question. He has removed or changed much of that.
 
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All I can say is that "I hope she's worth it!"

He's probably just way to full of fecal matter, but it's still too freaky.

Now I have to get back to the White House and finish my meeting with the man. Taking some of his two daughters' trinkets up with me on THE LAST shuttle flight next month. They'll be collectors' items after that, I expect.
 
What a w*nker.

And really funny that someone found him on this site too.

Maybe you should check for other aircraft Mr. Parnell has "built".
 
Wow, just wow Chad!

Makes me think twice now about my build site.... Have you heard anything at all from him?
 
is a little weird, but he certainly doesn't sound malicious to me.
Probably just a dreamer and wanna be.
I was a dreamer too. Sure glad I didn't have folks lambasting me. Might have turned me away.......:(
Is there some danger here I'm not thinking of?

Impersonating a pilot for starters? This isn't a radio controlled airplane were talking about. At the very least it should get him on the TSA's radar. I would take this very seriously.

Let's say for arguments sake this guy decides to go off the rails some time in the future ....then there are going to be federal agents breathing down Chad's throat after about 10 min. on Google.

Personally, I would alert the authorities. Nip it in the bud.
 
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Better safe than sorry

I'd have to agree with Doug. There is a fair chance that this is but the tip of the iceberg. I also seem to remember that this sort of thing becomes a serious crime if Chad's ID was used for any sort of monetary gain. While I understand that he may just be a "wanna be", the fact that he kept up this charade for FIVE YEARS says he needs help.
 
is a little weird, but he certainly doesn't sound malicious to me.

Probably just a dreamer and wanna be.

I was a dreamer too. Sure glad I didn't have folks lambasting me. Might have turned me away.......:(

Is there some danger here I'm not thinking of?

BIG difference between dreaming about doing something and lying about having already done it.

Is there some danger here I'm not thinking of?

There is inherent risk any time you expose personal information, photos of yourself or your property, etc. on the internet, that unknown persons may make illicit use of that information, including use that may be damaging to you. When you expose your info voluntarily, you assume that risk. Which is not to say that you consent to the illicit use, but you hopefully understand that it may occur. Kind of like choosing to walk in a bad neighborhood at night...

In this case, the risk materialized, although granted with fairly benign consequences, so it seems. The perpetrator has been identified and should be exposed as the fraud that he is. Hopefully that's the end of the story.

But you can easily imagine in other instances the damage could be substantial. What if, say, this idiot managed to p*** off some other idiot on that other forum, and that other idiot decided to track down and vandalize "his" airplane?... You just never know what some people are capable of. So by assuming Chad's identity, he's exposing Chad to increased risk.
 
I just got an email from Nick...VERY apologetic, and he did say he will make the apology on IGN...maybe already has. I have his phone number, and all contact info now.

I think our job is done here...I'll visit with Nick and make any necessary adjustments that I need to.
 
Apology or not, this guy has been impersonating you for years (I was looking at his posts that go back a long way - talking about finishing out the interior and starting the engine and working on the fiberglass, etc). Made my skin crawl. He has over 4,700 posts on that one board....I just barely have 3,000 posts on the board I RUN!)

Case in point: Post from Oct of '08 ....couple of replies down he says Van's customer support knows him by name (and that he calls them all the time).

Chad, you need to report this guy to the proper authorities. He needs serious mental help. Please.
 
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I just got an email from Nick...VERY apologetic, and he did say he will make the apology on IGN...maybe already has. I have his phone number, and all contact info now.

I think our job is done here...I'll visit with Nick and make any necessary adjustments that I need to.

The thread over there is now locked to save him further embarrassment it says. Just glad he had the guts to finally fess up. I guess he?s probably some young kid that was wanting to impress others, mostly girls.

We don?t know his whole story, what kind of home he has came from or anything else, but kind of doubt he was intending to do anything else. If he was, I doubt he would have been posting all of this on-line like this.

Anyway, Chad, interesting thread, and I think you handled that with class and compassion.
 
Wow. Wow. WOW. The plot gets thicker by the minute on this one. I'm with Doug on this one, Chad. It looks like our Mr. Nick is doing serious damage control. Please don't let him sweet talk you into just letting this go. I saw his apology on that site. It's very short and that's it. One has to question his sincerity after keeping this charade up for so long. And that many posts! Did you notice the moderator of that board locked up this thread "to save him any further embarrassment" (see pg 1). Awwww... poor baby... Are you kidding me?

Is he really sorry he did it, or just sorry he got caught? As someone who also has a website with a lot of personal information on it, I'm feeling very vulnerable all of a sudden. This really got my attention. How many more are there like this one, lurking out there? I guess if there's any good news, look how fast he was identified. I hope other losers take note. This is a smart bunch of people and you won't get away with it.
 
Wow. Wow. WOW. The plot gets thicker by the minute on this one. I'm with Doug on this one, Chad. It looks like our Mr. Nick is doing serious damage control. Please don't let him sweet talk you into just letting this go. I saw his apology on that site. It's very short and that's it. One has to question his sincerity after keeping this charade up for so long. And that many posts! Did you notice the moderator of that board locked up this thread "to save him any further embarrassment" (see pg 1). Awwww... poor baby... Are you kidding me?

Is he really sorry he did it, or just sorry he got caught? As someone who also has a website with a lot of personal information on it, I'm feeling very vulnerable all of a sudden. This really got my attention. How many more are there like this one, lurking out there? I guess if there's any good news, look how fast he was identified. I hope other losers take note. This is a smart bunch of people and you won't get away with it.

Well said Bruce, makes me think twice about posting all of the photos of my kids and loved ones on my site.

Kind of makes you realize why Dan C. took his site down.
 
Like other have said, "Wow!"

I'm really surprised he made it so long as some of the replies are from guys who say they are in the EAA. Seems like someone would have caught on or recognized it earlier.

Dude can I come see your plane this weekend? Ummmmm, Welllllll, not this weekend.

Besides not having to do any building, he really got off easy on the tough decisions. :eek:

Side by Side or Tandem
Tipup or Slider
Tail dragger or Tri gear
Injection or Carb
Mags or EI
Horizontal or Vertical Induction
Fixed or Constant Speed prop

That just aint right!
 
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I just spent twenty minutes on the phone with Nick...scared out of his mind. He's young...in college now, but started out doing this in high school. He was doing it to impress his online buddies, and it "snowballed" on him...couldn't stop. According to him, he is an EAA member, and has been to Oshkosh...from the way he was talking (I realize some people are REALLY good at this stuff), I don't have any reason to not believe him. Said he was going to get some help, mentally, and offered to reimburse me or do something to make it right. What can he do, really, other than publicly admit he has done something stupid, and fess up.

An informational report has already been filed, nothing criminal, but that step has been done.

Maybe I'm too easy on people, but I think he's a scared ******** kid, and hopefully has learned a valuable lesson...especially when I mentioned TSA to him. ;)
 
Hello Everyone.

My name is Nick, and I was the one who stole the pictures from Chad.

I have talked to Chad this evening, deleted all pictures, confessed to IGN, and asked them to delete the posts and my account.

I want to say I'm sorry to the RV community. When I first started I was a dumb high school kid who was just falling in love with aviation. I always wanted to build my own airplane, and the jealously and stupidity of trying to impress "friends" on the internet drove me to do this. I realize this was a horrible thing to do to both Chad and the RV community. I feel so horrible and it makes me ask what is wrong with me. It was bad enough doing it once, but for 5 years? I just want to say I'm sorry once again.

Mods please delete this account. I just wanted to say how horrible I feel. Its to the point where it makes me sick, and asks the question what is wrong with me, and what can I do to fix this.

-Nick
 
...What can he do, really, other than publicly admit he has done something stupid, and fess up...

Good headwork, Chad.
Well done.

I'd get his parents in the loop, as by his own admission he was a minor in HS when this started. One apology over 30 seconds doesn't make it all better for me (with five years of living a double life to support my viewpoint). If he's man enough to truly admit he has a problem, he should have no problem with the parents knowing. I've known some people (in college) that were VERY convincing liars...tears and all. They'd laugh about it later. 'course they're in prison now...

It's about accountability (and covering Chad's @ss down the road). Just looking after my RV brutha.
 
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I think Chad handled this just right. That guy needed a good dose of humble pie. You got him to do all that you needed him to do, and quick! I don?t think this is Defcon 2 material or the guy needs to be turned into Homeland Security. But as another suggested, getting his parents involved might be something to consider which would be for his own good.
 
There is inherent risk any time you expose personal information, photos of yourself or your property, etc. on the internet, that unknown persons may make illicit use of that information, including use that may be damaging to you.
Very true. See Page 66:

http://www.fefinc.org/cic/Delegates.pdf

Based on Google searches, it looks like this kid has spent five years in college studying some form of Engineering or Manufacturing, haven't figured out which. I sure wouldn't want him in the Engineering profession with this history. He's set to graduate in 2011, according to this PDF. I don't suppose his college would be very impressed to hear about the extra-curricular activities.
 
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I'd get his parents in the loop, as by his own admission he was a minor in HS when this started. One apology over 30 seconds doesn't make it all better for me (with five years of living a double life to support my viewpoint). If he's man enough to truly admit he has a problem, he should have no problem with the parents knowing. I've known some people (in college) that were VERY convincing liars...tears and all. They'd laugh about it later. 'course they're in prison now...

Good point about the parents, Doug. Right on. I was thinking that if he really is a member of EAA, shouldn't they be involved in this, too? At the very least, they need to know the story for a heads' up.

Chad, you've got a lot of class. That's all I'm gonna say.
 
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One afternoon!!

Chad!!!!

I am away from you one afternoon, and look at what develops. Are you kidding me. I just spent the last 20 minutes reading all the posts here, and following some of the links. Man alive. Busy day Chad?

Get those 40 flown off, and lets go pay him a visit... (you know Vinny and Guido style)

Only kidding of course. Handled with all the grace and courtesy I would expect from my friend Chad.

Best.
 
Remember, VAF community is kind

I've got no dog in this show, as I'm neither building (yet!) nor falsely telling people I am (yet?). But as weird as the whole story is, I can't help feeling at least a little for the kid.

I remember the insecurities of youth too well, and I remember INTENSELY wanting to be like my heroes--some of whom played in rock bands, some of whom flew space shuttles, and some of whom built airplanes in their garages. Very soon (only a few weeks now) I'm finally gonna have my first kit, but if you had told me as a teenager that I was not going to reach that milestone until my youngest child was a teenager himself, I well may have taken to concocting a fantasy build myself.

I don't know this kid. I hope he's truly remorseful. But in our wealth of spirit, I hope we don't overlook the real poverty in his. If I had an RV, I think I'd offer him a ride, during which I'd tell him he can eventually overcome even his biggest mistakes.

They say real craftsmen imagine the result of their efforts many times before they start to make it real. Maybe some day this kid will finally get to build and fly his dream machine that so far has never been real. Maybe some day I will too.

Stephen
 
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I've got no dog in this show, as I'm neither building (yet!) nor falsely telling people I am (yet?). But as weird as the whole story is, I can't help feeling at least a little for the kid. I remember the insecurities of youth too well, and I remember INTENSELY wanting to be like my heroes--some of whom played in rock bands, some of whom flew space shuttles, and some of whom built airplanes in their garages. Very soon (only a few weeks now) I'm finally gonna have my first kit, but if you had told me as a teenager that I was not going to reach that milestone until my youngest child was a teenager himself, I well may have taken to concocting a fantasy build myself. I don't know this kid. I hope he's truly remorseful. But in our wealth of spirit, I hope we don't overlook the real poverty in his. If I had an RV, I think I'd offer him a ride, during which I'd tell him he can eventually overcome even his biggest mistakes. They say real craftsmen imagine the result of their efforts many times before they start to make it real. Maybe some day this kid will finally get to build and fly his dream machine that so far has never been real. Maybe some day I will too.

Stephen
I made sure to say several words of encouragement to him while talking with him...I'd hate to see a dream lost because of a stupid juvenile mistake. Maybe this is a big turning point for him...
 
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Chad!!!!

I am away from you one afternoon, and look at what develops. Are you kidding me. I just spent the last 20 minutes reading all the posts here, and following some of the links. Man alive. Busy day Chad?

Get those 40 flown off, and lets go pay him a visit... (you know Vinny and Guido style)

Only kidding of course. Handled with all the grace and courtesy I would expect from my friend Chad.

Best.
See what happens when you leave me alone Ben! ;)

Thanks buddy!
 
I can't tell you how agitated I am reading this... I'm speechless.

This is now reason #467 on my "Why I hate the internet" list.
 
I've got no dog in this show, as I'm neither building (yet!) nor falsely telling people I am (yet?). But as weird as the whole story is, I can't help feeling at least a little for the kid.

I don't know this kid. I hope he's truly remorseful. But in our wealth of spirit, I hope we don't overlook the real poverty in his.

Well said Stephen! Look, this person (whom I don?t know) obviously made a substantial error of judgment. His actions demonstrate a willingness to engage in a very detailed and protracted deception that is disconcerting to say the least! Actions have consequences, and given that he?s now been revealed he?ll have to deal with the consequences for (most likely) quite some time?and rightly so. To his credit he's showing contrition, but only time will tell whether or not his contrition is sincere, and whether he truly takes to heart the painful lesson. In this season of Blessings and Thankfulness I for one hope he does!
 
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