Ordering- and other ONLINE SAFETY....

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I keep seeing posts popping up inquiring about the use of Gift Cards for seed and paraphernalia orders.

IMO and by my experience it is perfectly safe using an existing Credit/Debit Card IF considering a few common sense things:






I don't know of one Seedbank which accepts Credit Cards AND who does not use 3rd party billing services translating in to those who DO use 3rd party billing services not keeping your Credit Card related customer data on file (unless they offer an option for doing so).

If and when you order seeds (or anything else) on the internet watch for the little lock on the bottom right of your monitor such as it should be there right NOW when you are reading this. How do you get that little lock? Click this: https://www.icmag.com and see yourself.

OK what is that little lock about?
It's called Encrypting your connection. (I don't think I need to explain that any further)

Next thing is if and when you order seeds watch out for SSL being used.

Now what the hell is SSL?

It's Secure Socket Layer technology. (Actually it is called TSL now - Transport Layer Security)
What it does is encrypting your (Credit Card) data while being sent over the internet so it can't be seen/read by crooks or other potentially inquiring parties.

Seedbanks using 3rd party billing services DO NOT GET TO SEE WHO PAID FOR THE SEEDS.
All they know is the seeds have been paid for and where to send them.

So if you order on a website which offers mailing your order to a different address than the one associated to your Credit/Debit Card you will find the name of some sort of "Gift Company" (but not the Seedbanks name) on your Credit/Debit Card statement. It will say something like "T-Shirt Gifts" or all sorts of other fancy names but NOT "Seedbank ABCD".


Now why am I telling all this???

Because if one orders seeds from the US all they should worry about is not getting caught growing IF considering the caution listed in my write-up.

If your seed order gets intercepted it will get seized and in most cases the seeds will be replaced with a letter often stating a case number so you can call in and dispute the seeds being seized. Often they don't even bother putting in that case number and just destroy your order (or grow it themselves).


Now if a large seed order get's intercepted and the person placing that order has been dumb enough to use his growing address as for the delivery address than he/she probably shouldn't be growing in first place...

NEVER EVER use your growing address as for the delivery address and split up your order if you plan on ordering more than 2 packets of seeds.

Reason why is in the (very rare) case coming across a customs officer who want's to establish himself because he's new or some young guy who has the urge to state an example and decides to follow up on the actual delivery address making a call to your local PD who then will visit your place 3 or 4 months later when your plants are assumed to be "ripe"...you don't want that to happen.




So now ya'll get away from this Gift Card nonsense, put the above factors in to your choice of Seedbank consideration and focus your worries on your growing safety!

The last thing you'll have to worry about if getting caught growing is the source of your seeds...



SH

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Intresting post thanks

GReat post strain.

Saftey is number 1!

StrainHunter said:

.[...]watch for the little lock on the bottom right of your monitor such as it should be there right NOW when you are reading this. How do you get that little lock? Click this: https://www.icmag.com and see yourself.
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Click to expand...

Boy do I feel stupid...

Watching the DEA show on TV, I see they are setting up stings in which the package is delivered by a cop replacing the regular delivery person for that address. As soon as the person signs for it the moron cops are in there busting the recipient.

I know cops will probably not want to risk having a non-cop deliver the package, I'd say ask the delivery person for company ID. If he can't produce company ID, don't accept the package. Sting foiled.

Also, for seeds (delivering them and waiting a month or three to bust you) why would they be allowed to deliver them knowing what they are? Seems to me they can't knowingly release "drugs" in that kind of uncontrolled fashion. Could be wrong about that but according to the nevergetbusted DVD cops can't distribute drugs unless the arrest happens right then, before you (and their drugs) get out of their sight, just as they aren't allowed to use drugs to prove they're not a cop.

hkush said:

Watching the DEA show on TV, I see they are setting up stings in which the package is delivered by a cop replacing the regular delivery person for that address. As soon as the person signs for it the moron cops are in there busting the recipient.

I know cops will probably not want to risk having a non-cop deliver the package, I'd say ask the delivery person for company ID. If he can't produce company ID, don't accept the package. Sting foiled.

Also, for seeds (delivering them and waiting a month or three to bust you) why would they be allowed to deliver them knowing what they are?
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Click to expand...

See my friend your entire post is based on one HUGE misconception:

Do NOT order seeds you need to sign for!

Aside from the signature requirement that should be avoided - minor amounts of seeds intercepted are being seized and destroyed and 99.99% of them NEVER being followed up on in 1st place (see my original post when a seed order IS being followed up on).

It really boils down to this:

Order your seeds from a Seedbank who using a 3rd party billing service and have them mail your order to a save address under a different name than yours (use a personal or company name) and a friends address or someones business address you know telling them it is something from out of the country that won't fit in your mail box and you're not home all day to wait for the package since you don't know when it will arrive.

Let your fantasy play when it comes to safe delivery addresses, it is really not that hard and the options are virtually endless.

IMHO if one can't come up with a safe delivery address in most cases that person probably shouldn't be growing in first place.
Sounds harsh but that's what I think.


SH
PS: I could recommend a few Seedbanks but I don't want to make it look like I am trying to direct business to one or the other place and yeah it's really not that hard to find out if one is serious about it.


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How did you originally set that SSL encryption?

Yeti said:

How did you originally set that SSL encryption?

Click to expand...

...by adding an "S" to httpS://www.icmag.....


(Works only if provided and connected by the site such as ICM does!)

Thanks man. I hope it's not too late.

Yeti said:

Thanks man. I hope it's not too late.

Click to expand...

No problem.

The funny thing is (or should I say "sad"?) people are always worried about the more unimportant stuff such as in this thread:

anyone ever order seeds by calling and using a gift card? instead of listening to this one.

Fake PO box and all that other BS they are talking about in there and other posts...yeah, sure get a fake PO Box, make sure it is one from the USPS so you can rake up a nice federal charge for using the federal mail system fraudulently...especially if and when an illegal item gets intercepted and normally would get just seized and nothing else...let them see the PO Box address...guess how many sleeping dogs that will wake up!
And then all they have to do wait for you getting your mail from that fake Box...

Many people just don't think ahead when they are planning things!



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StrainHunter said:

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Now if a large seed order get's intercepted and the person placing that order has been dumb enough to use his growing address as for the delivery address than he/she probably shouldn't be growing in first place...

NEVER EVER use your growing address as for the delivery address and split up your order if you plan on ordering more than 2 packets of seeds.

Reason why is in the (very rare) case coming across a customs officer who want's to establish himself because he's new or some young guy who has the urge to state an example and decides to follow up on the actual delivery address making a call to your local PD who then will visit your place 3 or 4 months later when your plants are assumed to be "ripe"...you don't want that to happen..

Click to expand...

Nice write up man, please don't take my comments/questions to be disrespectful, I just want to share my experience here and inquire as to the reasoning behind your thought process.

Personally I disagree with you, I don't think that even large seed shipments will lead to an investigation at the delivery address since having a US delivery address doesn't prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the individual at that address did in fact knowingly place an order to receive illegal contraband. The very fact that you suggest people should have seed orders sent to a different address implies that often times the recipient is unrelated to the grow - this is totally independent of the size of the order - meaning IF customs even conducted a followup how many would be on unsuspecting individuals who know nothing about the seeds they received?

Furthermore law enforcement won't investigate a matter that is not likely to lead to a conviction, which is the case here. If law enforcement intercepted correspondence, or the original order, maybe that would lead to something - but seeds - I don't think so.

It's naive to think that sending seeds to a different address makes any difference, do you think law enforcement or customs isn't aware that people employ this technique?

Anyways, you mention people "dumb enough" to send large seed orders to their own address shouldn't be growing, and I fall into that category yet I don't "feel" dumb. What evidence do you have to prove your claims that seed orders (of any size) are, or have EVER been followed up with anything but a letter?

Not 3rd party info - I want actual data. Anything?

There are only two kinds of information, FACTS and EVERYTHING ELSE. Your entire write-up falls entirely into the everything else catagory as its based entirely on your theory and not on facts. That said it only serves to spread the mis-guided notion that seed orderers have something to fear having the seeds sent to their own address when you have no basis for that claim.

I think your intentions were good, trying to protect people like me and other ICmagers here, and for that I thank you. But the only thing of value on this matter is fact, and you provided none. You even speculated about an up-and-coming customs agent - like something out of "the Departed" busting people cause he wanted professional recognition. That was just silly.

Regardless we still don't have an answer to the REAL question here in all of this: is a seed seizure grounds for an LEO search warrant or even further investigation?

And writeups like this - though they meant well - only spread more propaganda about what's going on and don't offer any facts or conclusive evidence.

Anyways, happy holidays and remember, we're on the same side

etinarcadiaego said:

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Thanks for your response and no I don't take anything on here (this forum) offensive or anything else along that line.

I am not here to make friends or allow different opinions to "get to me".

However I do have first hand information on how certain matters are being handled and the way you are handling yours is OK as long as you don't raise flags...but as you know there is always that little percentage where things can't be explained how they happened (or so the general public likes to believe).

Personally I do not fall in to the category of having any questionable matter at any places I might own or live at...and I can certainly tell you one thing:

If you knew what I know you wouldn't be sleeping as sound as you are now and I hope you are not going to be someone becoming part of a statistic one day.

As for myself I can say no matter what happens anything I might order or may have available as far as finished product concerned is not going to cause me losing my sleep.

I am unable/unwilling to show you proof for the above and all I can tell you is good luck and better safe than sorry...at least regarding my own situation, I am not so sure about yours though...

StrainHunter said:

Thanks for your response and no I don't take anything on here (this forum) offensive or anything else along that line.

I am not here to make friends or allow different opinions to "get to me".

However I do have first hand information on how certain matters are being handled and the way you are handling yours is OK as long as you don't raise flags...but as you know there is always that little percentage where things can't be explained how they happened (or so the general public likes to believe).

Personally I do not fall in to the category of having any questionable matter at any places I might own or live at...and I can certainly tell you one thing:

If you knew what I know you wouldn't be sleeping as sound as you are now and I hope you are not going to be someone becoming part of a statistic one day.

As for myself I can say no matter what happens anything I might order or may have available as far as finished product concerned is not going to cause me losing my sleep.

I am unable/unwilling to show you proof for the above and all I can tell you is good luck and better safe than sorry...at least regarding my own situation, I am not so sure about yours though...

Click to expand...

Well thanks for replying.

I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree - thanks for sharing your point of view though!

Good luck and stay safe - I'll do the same

If you knew what I know you wouldn't be sleeping as sound as you are now and I hope you are not going to be someone becoming part of a statistic one day.

Click to expand...

By all means.. what do you KNOW ?

ninfan77 said:

By all means.. what do you KNOW ?

Click to expand...

Quiet a bit, how about yourself?

you give vague references to all the elite information you have, but don't disclose it, even a little.

I call bullshit.

i like security discussions, can't get enough of them myself
probably due to my paranoid nature with a bit of anxiety thrown in
but there have been a few seed follow ups, damn rare, but has happened
the most notable was of one of a doctor in Indiana(bad place for growers)
in this case, LE walked up and knocked and asked to search
he of course let them in
thing was, he was using weed to treat his wife who has some rare nerve disease(painful)
i can repost the original info from the local paper, but it seems to freak out people a bit too much on these boards, if you like i will though
but recent seed follow ups seemed to have stopped, or at least so rare that they are very tough to find

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Order from Gypsy

Order from Gypsy

Sorry for the shameless plug for the board sponsor, but the safest way to order is to order from Seed Boutique. When I have ordered a half dozen packs at a time, they split up the shipment without my requesting it. The charge on your credit card is not anything that could be connected to seeds. The shipping is stealthy. I have ordered at least a dozen times from Gypsy and not one order has been intercepted.

i also like the SB shipping, 2 for 2 last year(cash orders)
from what i've read, parcels are much more likely to be inspected than letters
so the parcel stealth may be great, but the extra scrutiny may make this a false economy
very rare for me to see a SB order 'customized', and i do go to other grow sites