Joon
Full Member
Macrotomini
Posts: 141
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Post by Joon on Mar 27, 2013 12:22:53 GMT -8
Hello, does anyone know Mr. Alfred Maetia from Solomon Islands? He claims that he's been in the insect business for more than 30 years. He seems to agree with the advanced shipment. Don't worry. I would not pay in advance no matter what  Thanks! |
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cyane
Junior Member
Posts: 47
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Post by cyane on Mar 27, 2013 14:08:45 GMT -8
I met him in the Solomons many years ago. He was a politician and I think still is.
I didnt buy anything off him so I really can't comment any more.
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Joon
Full Member
Macrotomini
Posts: 141
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Post by Joon on Mar 27, 2013 17:45:23 GMT -8
hmmm.. a politician selling dead insects? I doubt it...
He first agreed with the advanced shipment.
But now he is reluctant to send a parcel in advance. He is asking for the advanced payment.
He is angry with the fact that I don't trust him!
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Post by Borja Gómez on Mar 27, 2013 19:31:48 GMT -8
Hello
I happened to me that scammers also look for material for their future lies, like names of contacts for looking reliable to other persons, photos of stock, etc... For this purpose, they may claim to be ready to send material in advance just for make the people trust. When they have what they want, they change their mind and even try to scam you besides stealing the material. I learned it when a scammer emailed me my own photos for selling me my own specimens. So be careful always when dealing with unknown people wich asks "uncommon" things.
Regards
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Post by damoose on Mar 27, 2013 19:56:52 GMT -8
I have traded multiple emails with Alfred. For a guy who claims to have been in the business for 30 years his knowledge is very limited. He sends lots of photos of Cerambycids and that's about it. He seems unwilling to discuss the possibility of finding Lepidoptera, Phasmidae, and other Coleoptera groups. I gave up on him after getting no where in our communications. I certainly would not send a penney in advance to him as he is not a proven supplier.
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Joon
Full Member
Macrotomini
Posts: 141
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Post by Joon on Mar 27, 2013 20:40:34 GMT -8
Borja: I completely agree with you. I think he tries to gain people's trust by claiming that he will send materials in advance. He changed his mind all the sudden!
damoose: He also offered ornithoptera and graphium codrus species. But I was interested in cerambycidae. Anyways, I do not trust him yet.
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Post by wollastoni on Mar 28, 2013 8:54:58 GMT -8
A honest insect dealer in the Solomon would be a very rich man... too bad people are too stupid to understand this...
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Post by wingedwishes on Mar 29, 2013 17:48:29 GMT -8
I agree. I have a South African friend who works with me in Florida. He thought his family in South Africa, who is poor, would jump on the opportunity to ship and collect there. He was wrong, they said they were not interested even though they could barely feed themselves!
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Post by Adam Cotton on Mar 30, 2013 5:28:01 GMT -8
Too much like hard work for the poor folk. You see similar from the poorer locals here. They will do just enough work in a day to get enough money to pay for the basic rations and then spend the rest of the day sleeping, instead of trying to better themselves.
Adam.
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Post by Borja Gómez on Mar 31, 2013 2:39:32 GMT -8
Hello
Not just in the Solomon, but from many places around the world. It's a shame that fraud and scamming is very deep rooted in those countries. In favour of these people must be said that usually they live in corrupt governments and society so that's what they learn from a young age. A sad thing of our world... Fortunately there is also some good people there too in those tropical countries willing to do honest business (and get huge benefits from that). Let's hope the rest will learn.
Regards
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Post by bugman60 on Apr 1, 2013 2:19:02 GMT -8
I too was in Solomon Islands some years ago and I met several people in the Insect Business including the famous Michael Zabados but never heard of Alfred Maetia ?
Len
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Post by exoticimports on Nov 5, 2021 17:22:56 GMT -8
Stumbled across this.
Alfred Maetia was a member of parliament and later mayor of Honiara.
As some of you may know, John Tennent discovered a new species of saturnidae and captured one of each sex on the top of Mount popanmanseu. When I was at Alfreds home in 2003 he pulled out a Tupperware and had a dozen specimens. He said they were already claimed by an entomologist in Germany. I should have worked him harder to get a pair.
Alfred passed some years ago. He had big dreams but I think his entomology sales never took off.
Chuck
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