I've got a bad feeling about this

[tavellafic]

So, checking out JC's site, onlyartist.com. It's registered to Fred Khalilian of Altamonte Spring, Florida.

Google knows all, I like to say, so I check him out. And the news is not good. The primary hits involve telemarketing fraud, blasting fax ads, and spamming. Pretty much the trifecta for "everything I touch is a scam".

But wait, I think hopefully, maybe there's a Fred (Fedeidoun) Khalilian the older and a Fred Khalilian the younger! After all, there is a second minor trail in Google, Fred as a runner and as working for a health club. He'd be 29 or 30 now, perhaps there's a middle aged Fred who is his father and the scammer, and the son is a nice health club employee who likes music.

But unfortunately, checking out Leisure Time Marketing and Platinum Travel Club's business records doesn't reveal any long trail that would conflict with them being the same, and a check of USsearch finds only one F Khalilian anywhere in the US, our friend Fedeidoun "Fred" the 30 year old resident of Altamonte Springs. And health club marketing is just the sort of place someone barred from travel telemarketing might take refuge. A picture from the time of the FTC stipulation might be useful confirmation, but the Orlando Sentinel never covered it and the Orlando Business Journal doesn't have a picture, at least online.

Further checking of the corporation records finds Only Artists Management, Only Artists Production, and OnlyArtists.com Inc, all incorporated in March. Annoyingly, the corporation documents aren't scanned and online yet, so I can't get a look at them to tell more.

But I fear that JC has fallen into the orbit of a scammer. I'd be curious to know if his recent constant companion of pictures is named Fred. He doesn't particularly look like a runner, but...

Edit: If anyone has accounts on the various news photo sites, they might search for Khalilian. I was too lazy to register this morning. Also, for identifying JC's friend purposes, has anyone gone back and looked at the original captions for the Playboy Mansion and Simpsons gallery photos? Most of the others he's just lurking in the background, but I think in those he was actually posing with JC, so the caption might identify him.

On further edit: It seems to be confirmed that JC's companion is Carlos, so that's a bit of a relief. If I feel particularly bored and bold this afternoon, I may call Fred K. and quiz him on his relation to the site.

Comments

Re: Hm

[tavellafic.livejournal.com]

I should clarify that I don't that *JC* intends it to be a scam, I just fear that he's been sold an idea by a conartist.

Re: Hm

[musicdiamond.livejournal.com]

Oh yes I know, however, I dislike the idea of JC being taken advantage of even more than the idea that JC's some sort of calculating scammer. At least, with the calculated scammer bit, I could write a story about it. ;)