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Ryan Buell Center of Fraud Investigation

Started by PPI Brian, August 04, 2014, 07:38:28 PM

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PPI Brian

DISCLAIMER: The following articles are not intended to fuel the controversy behind the cancellation of Ryan Buell's paranormal tours and lectures, but are offered as commentary in the context of skeptical inquiry. Prominent paranormal researchers of the past such as Harry Price went to great lengths to disprove alleged psychics and spiritualists of their time, and practitioners in this field of study naturally invite harsh scrutiny upon themselves and their methodologies. If there is in fact any truth to the allegations of fraud remains to be seen. As a society we are always too eager to lay blame without investigating the facts sufficiently. Such controversies have a negative affect on the paranormal community as a whole, and so the following articles are offered here for review and discussion.

Former 'Paranormal State' star Ryan Buell accused of ripping off fans
June 19, 2014

Former "Paranormal State" television personality Ryan Buell is under fire from fans this summer. The paranormal investigator is currently on tour in Canada and featured to headline various ghost hunting events. According to hundreds of Facebook posts from his fans today, Buell is being accused of scamming people by cancelling the events and pocketing the money without giving fans refunds.

Ryan Buell appeared on the hit A&E paranormal reality show "Paranormal State" with his team the Paranormal Research Society from December 2007 to May 2011. He founded the Paranormal Research Society when he was a 19-year-old student at Pennsylvania State University.

Buell was scheduled to appear in Toronto, Ottawa, Halifax, Edmonton, Calgary, Winnipeg, and Vancouver for the "Paranormal: The Experience" tour from June 4 through June 22. On the event's description, Buell promised to visit each city and do a meet and greet with fans. Lectures, ghost hunts, and other paranormal fun stuff was supposed to be in store for fans but apparently some of the events were cancelled without notice and Buell and friends were allegedly a no-show.

"The fact that I had to call the venue for tonight's show to find out if its happening or not is pathetic! YOU ALL SHOULD BE ASHAMAED! Thanks SOOO much for cancelling LAST WEEK and not telling us. If I hadn't called to find out myself I would have driven over an hour FOR NOTHING! I want my money back. I have lost all respect for you guys," fan Sarah Bertrand posted on PRS' Facebook page referring to the event in Winnipeg.

"You guys are a JOKE! You guys took my money and didn't even show up in Edmonton! NO ONE can get a hold of you because NONE OF YOU reply to anyone's emails. GIVE US BACK OUR DAMN MONEY YOU SCAM ARTISTS!" Sabrina Cryderman said on Ryan Buell's Facebook page.

Hundreds of "Paranormal State" fans and supporters of Buell and PRS are angry and upset. A lot of them claim to have paid for DVDs and events but Buell has never sent them and he continues to cancel the events.

This isn't the first time that Buell has been accused of scamming his fan base. Last year he was under attack from fans when they claimed that he ripped them off by not sending them a copy of a DVD that they ordered. Buell made a public announcement via Youtube last October regarding shipments of the "American Ghost Hunter" film and assured fans that they would get their copies eventually. Most fans were left waiting for their copy for over a year and some of them still haven't received one.

In the summer of 2012, Buell announced to fans that he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Some fans are wondering if Buell is pulling a similar stunt like former "Ghost Hunters" star Brian Harnois did. Harnois scammed his fans out of thousands of dollars from undelivered merchandise to cancelled events. Buell could be using his former celebrity status to make some extra money by ripping off his fans. Maybe he is doing what the character Walter White did from the popular "Breaking Bad" television series. On the show, the former science teacher found out that he had cancer and ultimately decided to manufacture drugs as a quick way to make income. Hopefully Buell and PRS do the right thing and give everyone refunds.

To file a report, the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre can be reached toll-free at 1-888-495-8501 or a report can be submitted online through a form on their website. Additionally the United States Federal Trade Commission can be reached at 1-877-FTC-HELP or a report can be filed online via their website. To contact fraud investigators at the Wake County Sheriff's Office in Raleigh, North Carolina, call 919-856-6900 and ask to be connected to someone in the Fraud Unit.

Canada Form
United States Form

Link to article:
http://www.examiner.com/article/former-paranormal-state-star-ryan-buell-accused-of-ripping-off-fans

Link to YouTube video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fdoqC55kMZI&feature=share&list=UUZ60X3mQZC_puZEKnHsnHgg
http://www.youtube.com/v/fdoqC55kMZI?list=UUZ60X3mQZC_puZEKnHsnHgg
"Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence."--Carl Sagan

PPI Brian

Michelle Belanger and Chip Coffey throw Ryan Buell under the bus
July 8, 2014

After allegedly scamming fans in Canada this summer, former "Paranormal State" television personality Ryan Buell announced new US tour dates for his "Conversations with the Dead" tour recently. According to Buell, former cast-mate Michelle Belanger was going to replace Chip Coffey, but Belanger went to Facebook today to say she isn't interested.

Ryan Buell is known for appearing on the hit A&E paranormal reality show "Paranormal State" with his team the Paranormal Research Society from December 2007 to May 2011. He founded the Paranormal Research Society when he was a 19-year-old student at Pennsylvania State University. Buell appeared on the show with Michelle Belanger, Sergey Poberezhny, Eilfie Music, Heather Taddy, Katrina Weidman, Josh Light, and Chip Coffey.

Buell was scheduled to appear in Toronto, Ottawa, Halifax, Edmonton, Calgary, Winnipeg, and Vancouver for the "Paranormal: The Experience" tour from June 4 through June 22. On the event's description, Buell promised to visit each city and do a meet and greet with fans. Lectures, ghost hunts, and other paranormal fun stuff was supposed to be in store for fans but apparently some of the events were canceled without notice and Buell and friends were allegedly a no-show.

"Refunds are being given out, but it is unfortunately a very slow process. One of the things we know we have faltered on is communication and customer service. We are looking into several services and ways that can help us ensure we are able to improve in this area. We are not sure why there are people claiming that we never announced an event postponement, but we did send out several emails. We will agree that some of the emails could have been sent out earlier, and for that we take responsibility on and are sorry for the inconvenience, stress, and aggravation it has caused," Sergey Poberezhny said on Buell's behalf via his Facebook page.

Many fans are wondering why Buell isn't personally addressing the issue and some of them believe Poberezhny hijacked Buell's Facebook page. Oddly enough after canceling tour dates in Canada, new tour dates for US cities were added on Buell's Facebook page amid the controversy.

"Join Michelle and I for our Conversations with the Dead Tour. We are hitting up Boston, Chicago, Seattle, San Diego, Phoenix, Dallas, and surprise visits to two other Texas cities, July 14-28, 2014," Buell said in a Facebook post last month.

The "Conversations with the Dead" tour was originally scheduled for a 6-city tour from April 25 through May 6 earlier this year. Psychic-medium and former "Paranormal State" cast-mate Chip Coffey was supposed to join Buell on the tour but he backed out of the event. Evidently Buell got Belanger to replace Coffey for the speaking tour. After Coffey backed out, the tour was ultimately canceled and rescheduled for this summer with Belanger added to the bill.

"Numerous individuals have reached out to me regarding a recent article on Examiner.com about Ryan Buell. My only comment is this: It is my sincere hope that those who are seeking refunds for tickets or classes purchased will receive those refunds very soon. Although I was slated to go on the Conversations with the Dead tour alongside Ryan, I chose to withdraw from the tour for personal and professional reasons. As previously stated, I was never in possession of any funds collected for ticket sales for that tour Additionally, I have not, for several years, been involved in or associated with other tours, classes, etc. offered by Ryan and/or PRS, other than two events that did occur as planned in Raleigh, NC last year," Chip Coffey said in a statement last night on his Facebook page.

Coffey seems to be wanting to distance himself professionally from Buell and PRS. It was revealed that Buell owes his fans thousands of dollars in refunds and Coffey insists that has nothing to do with it.

"The only details that truly matter are this: people are seeking refunds and not getting them. Six figures!" Coffey said in response to a fan on his Facebook page.

Other former "Paranormal State" cast-mates are beginning to throw Buell under the bus too. Belanger made a public announcement today backing out of future events that she was scheduled to do with Buell.

"It's Tuesday, July 8th, and the 'Conversations with the Dead Tour'was rescheduled for this month. After Chip Coffey had to bow out of the tour, Chris Edwards handled rescheduling and I was asked to fill in for Chip," Belanger said in a Facebook post. "The tour sounded like fun, and I haven't been traveling as much as I used to. A lot of fans really wanted to see me. I've cut down on appearances so I could focus on my writing but I felt like I could swing a month on the road," she continued.

The first leg of the US tour was supposed to kick off next week in Boston on July 14. Fans are beginning to think that the tour is just another scam from Buell and Poberezhny.

"I have no plane tickets, no hotel reservations, no idea what the plan is supposed to be. That's not for lack of asking. That's just how things stand," Belanger said about the tour. She said that she will not be participating in any future PRS events if the dates get rescheduled again. "I know my friends from PRS have a great deal of things going on in their lives - I probably know more than most. But there comes a time when one must admit that their life is too chaotic to responsibly make commitments -- especially with other peoples' money. And I won't continue to enable that," Belanger said.

According to Belanger, other PRS members quit when the controversy started to pile up. Chris Edwards and Eilfie Music have both called it quits and neither of them are responding to correspondence in regards to Buell or PRS. Meanwhile Buell is out today on his birthday spending his fans' money.

To file a report, the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre can be reached toll-free at 1-888-495-8501 or a report can be submitted online through a form on their website. Additionally the United States Federal Trade Commission can be reached at 1-877-FTC-HELP or a report can be filed online via their website. To contact fraud investigators at the Wake County Sheriff's Office in Raleigh, North Carolina, call 919-856-6900 and ask to be connected to someone in the Fraud Unit.

Canada Form
United States Form

Link to article:
http://www.examiner.com/article/michelle-belanger-and-chip-coffee-throw-ryan-buell-under-the-bus
"Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence."--Carl Sagan

PPI Brian

#2
Chip Coffey insists he has nothing to do with Ryan Buell and his alleged scams

July 27, 2014

ABC news reporter Diane Wilson announced on Friday that she will be investigating claims of fraud by former "Paranormal State" reality television star Ryan Buell. Chip Coffey posted on his Facebook page today that he did not have access to any of the funds collected by Buell.

Ryan Buell has allegedly been scamming thousands of his fans by scheduling bogus events and keeping their money for the last few years. According to representatives from some of the events that Buell supposedly scheduled, they say that he never even booked the venues. Fans want answers and their money back.

Popular psychic-medium and former "Paranormal State" cast-mate Chip Coffey went to his Facebook earlier this morning to announce that he has nothing to do with Ryan Buell, Sergey Poberezhney, or their group the Paranormal Research Society.

It has come to my attention that the ABC television affiliate in the Raleigh/Durham area of NC is doing an investigative segment on Ryan Buell. Once again, I want to publicly state that I did not and do not have access to any funds collected by Ryan, Sergey Poberezhney or PRS for events, classes, etc. it is my sincere hope that everyone who is owed a refund will receive one very soon.
Coffey later went into more detail about why he chose to distance himself from Buell and PRS.

Earlier today, I posted here on FB regarding an investigative piece about Ryan Buell that is scheduled to air tomorrow on the ABC affiliate in the Raleigh/Durham, NC area. The comments that were made about my post - over 600 of them - were quite passionate, indicating to me that people have strong feelings about this matter. I have since removed that post and I am replacing it with this one.

As many of you know, I was slated to go on tour with Ryan earlier this year, but withdrew from the tour for personal and professional reasons. The tour was being produced by Ryan, Sergey and PRS, NOT by agents, managers, producers or outsourced event coordinators. The A&E network had NOTHING WHATSOEVER to do with the tour. Because of major problems with the tour that were completely out of my control, I had no choice but to make an exit.

MANY people are understandably upset because they have paid for tickets to events that have not taken place and/or paid for classes that have not been given. We are not talking about a small amount of money here. We are talking about MANY thousands of dollars.

Like a lot of you, I have been told that Ryan is suffering from pancreatic cancer and my heart aches for him. I pray for him every day. But that being said, business is business. If someone pays for goods or services that are not delivered, they are owed a refund of the money that was paid. Some people claim that they have been waiting for - and demanding - refunds for a very long time.

I have heard that legal actions are underway, both in the USA and in Canada. Reputations and lives are being ruined. It has become a HUGE mess and a sordid scandal. And that it is very sad...

A couple of articles that were written about this situation stated that I have "thrown Ryan under the bus." That is certainly not what I ever intended to do. On a personal level, I care deeply for Ryan and Sergey. What I HAVE done is professional (and legal) damage control because I certainly do not want my reputation to be unfairly sullied by this debacle.

It seems to me that the simplest solution would have been to process refunds to those who paid for events and services that were not delivered, but since that did not happen, I expect that this fiasco is far from over.

I greatly appreciate the understanding, kindness and support that I have received from my family, friends and fans.
Coffey announced publicly for a third time this summer that he is not involved in the transactions from any of the events that Buell scheduled this year. He was supposed to appear alongside Buell for a 6-city lecture tour from April 25 through May 6. Coffey backed out of the event and former "Paranormal State" cast member Michelle Belanger replaced him. After Coffey backed out, the tour was ultimately canceled and rescheduled for this summer with Belanger added to the bill. Belanger ended up pulling out too which lead to Buell ax the event altogether.

When angry fans started to demand refunds, Buell's Facebook page was flooded with messages and comments from people demanding answers on what was going on. Coffey was getting the heat too and on July 7 he posted a message on his Facebook page distancing himself from Buell.

Numerous individuals have reached out to me regarding a recent article on Examiner.com about Ryan Buell. My only comment is this: It is my sincere hope that those who are seeking refunds for tickets or classes purchased will receive those refunds very soon. Although I was slated to go on the Conversations with the Dead tour alongside Ryan, I chose to withdraw from the tour for personal and professional reasons. As previously stated, I was never in possession of any funds collected for ticket sales for that tour Additionally, I have not, for several years, been involved in or associated with other tours, classes, etc. offered by Ryan and/or PRS, other than two events that did occur as planned in Raleigh, NC last year
Coffey also revealed on his Facebook page that Buell owes his fans thousands of dollars in refunds and he insists that has nothing to do with it.

"The only details that truly matter are this: people are seeking refunds and not getting them. Six figures!"

Investigative reporter and "Troubleshooter" Diane Wilson of Raleigh's ABC 11 Eyewitness News will have more on this story on Monday at 5 pm.

Ryan Buell and PRS are currently under investigation. To file a report, the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre can be reached toll-free at 1-888-495-8501 or a report can be submitted online through a form on their website. Additionally the United States Federal Trade Commission can be reached at 1-877-FTC-HELP or a report can be filed online via their website. To contact fraud investigators at the Wake County Sheriff's Office in Raleigh, North Carolina, call 919-856-6900 and ask to be connected to someone in the Fraud Unit. The Raleigh Police Department encourages people that have paid for events and haven't received refunds to call and make a police report at 919-996-3335.

Link to article:
http://www.examiner.com/article/chip-coffey-insists-he-has-nothing-to-do-with-ryan-buell-and-his-alleged-scams
"Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence."--Carl Sagan

PPI Brian

#3
TROUBLESHOOTER: RYAN BUELL FANS WANT REFUNDS

By Diane Wilson
Tuesday, July 29, 2014

The I-Team Troubleshooter reports the story of a celebrity ghost-hunter who has cancelled appearances and fans say they aren't getting refunds.

Paranormal expert Ryan Buell appeared on the cable TV series "Paranormal State" looking for ghosts or trying to prove that life after death is real.

Buell claims to be based here in the Triangle; however the ghost hunter has a pretty big following nationwide.

Teresa Harrell paid over $400 to get special VIP tickets for her and her husband and drove six hours to Chicago to see Buell's "Conversations with the Dead Tour."

"I watched all of Ryan Buell's movies that were on the TV and I also read his book," Teresa said.

However, just days before the show, she got the bad news it was postponed.

"They rescheduled the event for like three weeks later and didn't tell anybody what was going on," Teresa explained.

According to Buell's Facebook page, there were scheduling conflicts with venues. Teresa didn't buy it.

"What I did was call the venue directly and I spoke with the manager and he told me that they had not spoken with him since they had rescheduled the event. He had no deposits or anything and couldn't get a hold of them," she said.

The rescheduled shows never happened. Instead, the entire tour was cancelled and fans wanted their money back.

Besides Teresa's $400, we've heard from more than a dozen Buell fans who are all out hundreds of dollars, including Melanie Gramlich.

She paid about $300 for Buell's Calgary show and Sabrina Cryderman drove almost six hours to Edmonton and paid $160 for a show that never happened.

"They've done this across seven states and they've done it to Canada too," Teresa said.

Buell fans have also taken to social media to complain about cancelled shows, undelivered books and paid webinars that were never completed.

Michelle Belanger, a guest speaker on Buell's tour, also recently announced that she would be dropping out due to lack of planning.

In a public Facebook post she said:

"I have no plane tickets, no hotel reservations, no idea what the plan is supposed to be. That's not for lack of asking. That's just how things stand."

"I had to give an ultimatum: there is no way I will be able to participate in the 'Conversations with the Dead Tour' if the dates get rescheduled again," Belanger explained.

Buell's fans started out sympathetic after he cancelled shows in 2012 claiming he was fighting pancreatic cancer.

However, when refunds weren't given, we started hearing from them.

In late 2013, Buell told People Magazine he was close to remission, ready to tour again and he started selling tickets for this year. Yet, none of the shows happened.

Just last week, Buell posted on Facebook that health issues would cancel the tour. He also wrote that his company, Paranormal Research Society, never got any of the ticket money and that PayPal is responsible for refunds.

While Teresa is sympathetic to Buell's health issues, she doesn't understand why fans can't get their money back.

She had this to say to Buell, "Take responsibility for what you've done, we're human we make mistakes, we hurt people. But man up, say I made a mistake, I took money that's not mine."

"Or I really thought we could do this but we can't, let's get the refunds out to you people and be sending those checks out," Teresa said.

Good news for Teresa, who finally convinced her credit card company to refund the charges she made.

Many others haven't been so lucky, and some tell me they're trying to file a class action lawsuit.

Chip Coffey, the famous psychic and medium, also reached out to me concerning the "Conversations with the Dead Tour." He says he was supposed to go on the tour with Buell to six U.S. cities, but he had to drop out before the tour started because it wasn't being properly managed or executed correctly.

Before Coffey bailed on the tour, he says there was more than $80,000 in ticket sales. Coffey says he didn't get a dime of that money. He adds he prays for Buell everyday, but business is business, and if fans are owed money Buell should return their money.

We reached out to Buell and his company via phone, email and at addresses we had for him, but no response. It was posted on Buell's Facebook page over the weekend that PRS is doing their best to move refund requests along for the USA and Canadian tours.

As for PayPal, they wouldn't comment on the specifics of any PayPal account, but in general a rep says they don't hold any money - they just take a broker fee.

They have a buyer protection policy and can secure customers a refund only if it is filed within 45 days of purchase.

They encourage customers to be cautious of buying from sellers who have delivery times longer than 45 days.

In the cases we've heard from, Buell fans bought tickets months in advance so many aren't protected.

The best advice, dispute the charge with your credit card.

For Canada residents, contact the Canadian Anti-Fraud Center on their toll-free line at 1-888-495-8501 or submit a form online.

You can also file a complaint with the NC Attorney General's Office.

If you're owed money from one of Buell's events, let me know on my Facebook page at Troubleshooter Diane Wilson WTVD.

Link to Diane Wilson's investigative report:
http://abc11.com/news/troubleshooter-ryan-buell-fans-want-refunds/224886/
"Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence."--Carl Sagan

PPI Debra

"If you're after gettin' the honey, don't go killin' all the bees." -Joe Strummer

PPI Brian

Wow, that's really freaky. I've never read any of her books, although I have seen them during my paranormal wanderings. I had no idea she who she was.
"Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence."--Carl Sagan