Raven Concealment Systems posted this on their Facebook page recently. It is one of the best things we have read in awhile. We’d say that their sentiment is shared by many in industry. Be aware there is some rather frank language in there. Verbatim…
I am appalled that I even have to compose this message.
With increasing frequency, we are receiving phone calls and emails from people who either imply or directly state that they are a member of the special operations/intelligence/federal law enforcement community, when they clearly are no such thing. Usually they are doing so with a hand extended, looking for some sort of discount, expedited service, and/or free “T&E” gear.
I’m not sure if these people think we’re stupid, or if they are really just so caught up in their Walter Mitty alternate reality that they believe their own lies, but we are completely fucking fed up with it.
In an attempt to reduce or eliminate such contact in the future, we are posting this “Public Notice:”
We do extensive business with the military special operations/intelligence/federal law enforcement community. We know how those guys communicate with vendors. Here’s a hint: They do it from email addresses that end in “.gov” and “.mil”, not “navyspecwarfare@xxxxxxx.com”. If you email us from an address like that, we are going to know right away that you’re a lying piece of shit.
Whenever we get an email or call from someone making claims to be from ‘XYZ’ agency or ‘ABC’ unit that makes our Spidey Sense tingle, we pick up the phone and call one of our buddies who ACTUALLY WORKS FOR SAID AGENCY/UNIT/GROUP/etc and ask them if you’re legit. Vetting someone is really easy in a community that small.
Our Operations Manager is a licensed private investigator, with a background in both federal investigation and military law enforcement. When we get guys falsely claiming to be ninja-force 17, we have him run said idiot to ground. He digs up every bit of that person’s personal information he can find, from criminal background to really embarassing pictures that are floating around Facebook.
Here’s our take on it: The guys you are attempting to impersonate take that sort of thing REALLY fucking seriously; therefore, WE TAKE IT REALLY FUCKING SERIOUSLY. If you are harboring any stupid ideas about calling us and claiming to be someone you are not, here’s what you can expect to have happen:
First, we will tell you to fuck off.
Next, we will dig up every bit of info on you we can find.
Then we will use said info to whatever ends we find suitable. Best case scenario is that we will use that information to publicly embarass you, but more likely we will forward that info to the community which you have claimed to be part of. If your claims violate the “Stolen Valor Act” in even the slightest way, we will assist in your prosecution.
I apologize to all of our loyal customers for such a vulgar rant, but I can only imagine how many other companies (who do not have the same resources at their disposal) are being duped by these lying dick-douches. Please share this to help spread the word.
