William Franklin Craigslist Scam Artist & FBI San Francisco, California
We got scamed by the Willam Franklin guy too. DO NOT DO Business with this Guy!!!
He responded to an Ad we posted on Craigslist regarding an online style sheet issue on our website.
This was a simple trivial issue that a developer can fix in 1 day.
He insisted that we pay in full before he would start the project (Red flag# 1)
Three days later he told us he needed access to our database (Red flag# 2). We gave him access to our database without realizing that he didn't even need access to our database for what he had to fix!
Next, he called me late in the EVENING claiming that he found a lot of issues with our website, and we needed to pay $800 more for him to fix things that WE DID NOT EVEN ASK HIM TO FIX!!! And he was agitated and being dramatic about issues he found on the website. I asked he to get me specifics, he COULD NOT give a single example of what was wrong (Red flag# 3). When I ask he to send me an email with the specifics of issues he found so I could share with our company's developer and business associates, he got more aggressive and insisted that he wanted to speak to JUST ME and for me to send him the money so he can fix issues WE DID NOT EVEN ASK HIM TO FIX!!! (Red flag# 4).
Two days later, he kept claiming "his team" was about to send the list of issues. He NEVER sent the list of issues, did not respond to emails or voice messages we left requesting for both the CSS issue we paid him to fix and the FALSE issues that he claimed he found. Also he turn off his phone and changed phone numbers from the initial number initially spoke to him on.
All of this was not adding up and my husband decided to google the guy to find out that HIS IS A FRAUD!!!
He is operating under a false business called "LA Design and Coding" @ www.ladesignandcoding.com
We had to call the police and FBI to report him, so if you come across this guy, run!!!
He has multiple personalities. He appears calm, then he can turn hustle and aggressive trying to extort money out of businesses!