Beware of SCAMS ! Beware of Gaston Gorosterrazu !

Ok now you’ll ask yourself what on earth is this blog about. Well it’s quite simple, this blog shows you why Gaston Gorosterrazu is a scam and how he tricked a well-respected company with 1900$ (and I am pretty sure they were not the only ones). So read, think, and next time you hire a freelancer to work for you be sure NOT to do their mistakes or you can burn yourself just as they did. You may find this text a bit long, but in order to save your money, time & nerves we advise you to keep reading.

According to web programmer Gaston Gorosterrazu’s profile at outsource website oDesk, his self proclaimed principal skill is to “get the job done.” Sadly, his statement couldn’t be further from the truth. Gaorosterrazu’s greatest skills appear to be magical- he turns large sums of advances into nothing, and has an infamous disappearing act where he cuts all communication with his client. Do not be fooled by this scam artist in a freelance contractor’s clothing! Selecting him for any type of web development work will only result in a loss of an advance, frustration in communication if you can get any, and a complete exercise in futility as you waste time with the failure to complete a project.

The latest victim is a well-respected company in the wholesale business for over a decade. During the re-design of the company’s website, Gorosterrazu was advanced half of the project’s quote, or $1,900. After 3 months of little communication, and nearly a complete lack of truth in any of it, the company was forced to file a complaint with the outsourcing website Gorosterrazu was contacted through.

The project was expected for completion in only 30 days, but was delayed repeatedly by lame excuses from Gorosterrazu, including a lightning strike to equipment, and constant insistence of a faulty Internet connection. When the client requested the project be completed immediately, or a refund be given, Gorosterrazu began to blame the client and decided since in his estimation 50% of the work was completed, both parties were free to walk away.

In the world of web writing, 50% of a project might as well be 0%. It is not always possible to find another developer able to salvage what remains of a project written by a shady developer. Variables, process call ups, and writing structure may be so unique, it is impossible to complete. When hiring Gaston Gorosterrazu, the phrase “Caveat emptor,” could not be more appropriate. Buyer take heed and consider yourself warned: this man is a con artist. Gorosterrazu will not operate in a professional manner, nor yield any sort of productive return for your troubles.

Ok so by now you should have the big picture in mind already. But maybe we are lying right ? Well in order to show you we are not lying (because we don’t have any reasons to do that, we just want to show people the real truth about certain people, in this case Gaston Gorosterrazu). Below you can find fragmets of the emails exchanged between Gaston and the client. They show the way this scam hides his real intentions, how he delays things out, and eventually how he threatens the client to use his database of clients for different lame purposes.

Email 1 - This email explains his delays and problems and that he agreed to give up the project and find another developer for the client, and that ’someday’ when things get better for him, he will refund the client’s money. Yeah right. View email here.

Email 2 - This email shows his lie about a lightening strike to his internet company. He was out of communications with the client for over 3 weeks. View email here.

Email 3 - This is when the client told Gaston that if he doesn’t finish the project he will be forced to let the people know about him, he just cannot stay as many others do and get burned without letting anyone know. Here’s what the scam answers if you can believe that. View email here.

So next time you choose a freelancer, beware of Gaston Gorosterrazu!

Below you can find the proof of payment.

If you have any comments about this or you were scammed as well in the past FEEL FREE to add your comment and let the world know about it.