I PAID “JON PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR” R7,500.00 – For “DARK WEB” iPhone Data Recovery – AND HE KEPT ASKING FOR MORE AND MORE MONEY – But I got ABSOLUTELY NOTHING back after more than 2½ months

Starting on 28 July 2024, I contacted a Company in Durban – To whom I paid R28,000.00 on 15 August – For A DARK WEB Data Recovery from my ****** iPhone. Then, in early September, this DBN Company told me that their “FORENSIC COLLEAGUE” IN THE NORTHERN CAPE – WOULD DEFINITELY BE ABLE TO SUCCESSFULLY RECOVER ALL MY LOST-****** iPhone DATA – via “THE DARK WEB” --- “100%, FOR SURE” --- --- But in order to do this --- The DBN Company told me that – Using my 2nd iPhone, if I did I SIM SWAP – then the Data Recovery of my 1st ****** iPhone - would be easier – ---- So please could I now send my 2nd iPhone to this FORENSIC SPECIALIST IN THE N-CAPE – This business was named “JON PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR,” and because I’d already invested R28K, & was still convinced by the CONSTANT REASSURANCES of the DBN Company – I immediately couriered my 2nd iPhone – to JON PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR | “JON PI,” in the N-CAPE. “JON PI” received my phone on 12 Sept, & initially said he’d recover my data with 80% cer*****y – But then, on 22 Sept, he said he would now need an extra R4,700.00 to buy “Special Apps & Software” to SUCCESSFULLY “EXTRACT, DECRYPT & DECODE” all my LOST iPHONE DATA OFF THE “DARK WEB” – with 100% cer*****y. Because I’d now returned to Canada, I also had to pay R2,6K to courier my 2nd iPhone from SA back to Canada, + R200.00 for a USB for Data, + R4,7K for “Apps & Software” – All these costs added up to R7,5K – which I paid to “JON PI” by International EFT, on Tue 24 Sept. But “JON PI” gave me the WRONG ACCOUNT#, so this 1st PAYMENT WAS INVALID & COULD NOT GO THRU – “JON PI” THEN GOT ANGRY & PHONED ME & SENT ME NASTY, THREATENING E-MAILS . He also wouldn’t take my attempted calls to him, & only eventually, after being up all night in Canada – he answered a call from my friend in JHB, & then spoke to me. “JON PI” also unilaterally phoned & texted my JHB friend; asking for money from him. On Fri 27 Sept, I then make a 2nd R7,5K payment to “JON PI” – BUT, as as soon as I paid “JON PI” this 2nd R7,5K, which he received on Fri 4 Oct, “JON PI” suddenly would not answer any of my Landline & WhatsApp Phone Calls, or Text Messages, or E-Mails, for 5 agonizing days. 5 days later, on Tue 8 Oct, “JON PI” eventually confirmed that he’d received the R7,5K–But this was only AFTER I got my Zulu friend to phone him, because he’d just ignored all my previous attempts to communicate with him, for 5 days – “JON PI” only eventually confirmed that he got the R7,5K on Fri 4 Oct, on Tue 8 Oct—and this was when “JON PI” told me that he was having serious anxiety issues–& that he would now therefore be totally unavailable–until further notice. I then had to wait 3 more weeks with ZERO COMMS, until 29 Oct, with “JON PI” – because of his anxiety problems – & could not talk to me or anyone. I had begged him – PLEASE – to get in touch with me ASAP – But, of course, he never reverted to me at all. “JON PI” then only eventually spoke to me again after 3 agonizing weeks, after dead silence from 8 to 29 Oct; only when I used my brother-in-law’s phone to call him. This was when I told “JON PI” that I suspected that his DARK WEB DATA RECOVERY HAD NOT BEEN SUCCESSFUL – BUT NOT TO WORRY, BECAUSE I WOULD STILL PAY HIM MONEY – IF HE COULD PLEASE JUST RETURN MY PHONE TO ME – & THAT I WOULD PAY HIM EVEN MORE MONEY – IF HE COULD PLEASE RETURN MY PHONE TO ME WITH SAY “HALF” THE LOST DATA – OR EVEN MORE MONEY – IF HE COULD RETURN MY PHONE TO ME, WITH “ALL” THE LOST DATA. -- “JON PI” was suddenly ENERGISED BY MY PROMISES OF “MORE MONEY” – Remembering that he just received a lot of MONEY, R7,500.00 – On Friday 4 Oct --- & HE STILL HAD MY 2ND PHONE IN HIS POSSESSION – & HE HAD ALSO NOW CONFIRMED THAT HE COULD NOT RECOVER ANY OF MY DATA, AT ALL – --- But “JON PI” now also, besides his “anxiety” – now also had a life-threatening illness: early stage lung cancer – Plus, he was about to be kicked out of his home, & desperately needed “emergency help” to pay his outstanding R4,985.00 rent – & please would I help by sending him money “immediately?!” --- BUT I REALLY COULD NOT AFFORD “Extra Money” – BUT WOULD PAY HIM IF WOULD SEND MY 2nd PHONE BACK --- (BECAUSE I DID NOT WANT TO ALSO LOSE MY 2nd iPHONE, AFTER HAVING HAD MY 1st iPHONE ****** IN JULY) ---- Then, in early November, from 1 to 8 Nov, “JON PI” repeatedly promised to COURIER MY PHONE BACK TO ME, which he NEVER DID – Because he every day, he had another excuse for not doing so; because he said he was kicked out of his house for not paying rent, & had to move house, etc. --- Then, between 28 Oct & 13 Nov – by miracle – & by promising to send “JON PI” MORE MONEY – I eventually managed to get my 2nd iPhone fetched from him, in the Northern Cape, & couriered back to my Zulu friend in KZN. Now, along with the R2,5K that I’m now supposed to pay “JON PI” to send my 2nd iPHONE back to me; he also expects another R13K from me–for yet more “Software+Apps” to “CONVERT” the “Unreadable Cached Data” that he (apparently?) has on his Computer – INTO PROPERLY READABLE FILES FOR ME -- --- So, “JON PI” --- After having received R7,5K from me + Apparently R10K from the “DBN Company” who referred me to “JON PI” – HAS STILL RECOVERED ABSOLUTELY NOTHING FOR ME --- --- But he now still expects another R2,5K + R13K = R15,5K --- Which, along with the R7,5K I already paid him -- Amounts To R23K -- And this would also be another R10K more (a total of R33K) - if the Durban Mother Company paid him R10K of the R28K I paid them, which they said they did, but which “JON PI” says they didn’t? Now, realising that I have been so comprehensively ****med & catfished, I will most definitely NOT Pay “JON PI” Another Cent - Because I have already paid him, plus the DBN Company, + my other expenses – A total of > R43,000.00 | R43K, & I’VE GOTTEN NOTHING BACK, ABSOLUTELY NOTHING AT ALL. Not only was “JON PI’S” attitude always only ever nice, only ever when I was about to PAY HIM MONEY – But as soon as I paid him, or asked him any follow-up questions – He was suddenly “UNAVAILABLE, HAD ANXIETY & THEN LUNG CANCER” & so on. “JON PI” gave me sleepless nights for > 2 months; with him not answering calls, texts & e-mails; with me also having to call SA Banks, to chase my payments to him; throughout the night in Canada; because I’m 6-7 hours behind you in SA, here in Canada. --- Along with DBN Company that referred me to him -- “JON PI” has just given me what was easily the most horrible, unpleasant and scary consumer experience that I have ever had in my life. --- My iPhone now has 24 extra icons on it; plus 10-20 extra contacts – & “JON PI” openly admitted that he & his daughter were using my phone, playing with it and using it, etc – which is also TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE. Most Importantly: I’ve just been told – By 3 forensic data recovery specialists; TECLEO in JHB SA, and FLASH FIXERS in the USA, & EVERYTHING MOBILE in Canada – THAT DARK WEB iPHONE DATA RECOVERY IS ABSOLUTELY IMPOSSIBLE – So all “JON PI’S” PROMISES APPEAR TO HAVE BEEN TOTALLY *****ULENT & UNTRUE, RIGHT FROM THE START. But, even if JON PI actually really could have done a DARK WEB extraction | recovery; I still paid R43K altogether - R7,5 directly to him, R28K to the DBN Company, + my other expenses of > R7,5K–––But I got absolutely nothing back from “JON PI”, after paying lots & lots of money, after he put me through over 2½ unforgettably horrible months – WITH ABSOLUTELY ZERO SUCCESS.