Got an email from Ravo asking if I could make a post about a conversation/post on Vivaldi that was (apparently) from Erwin’s wife. It’s clearer if I just post them here:
The conversation/email/message Ravo was sent:
My apologies David [Ravo], I’m Erwin’s wife … I thought E would have pointed out to you my name. Never mind. He might be dead so my conversation and life stops here as well. I contacted the police of the country he was last in and IP (they are idiots anyway as they nearly killed him a few month ago when moving him every few hours from location to location. I thought I let you know as E has asked me if it is okay that you write a book about tree cutting. So please, should he be dead put that in it as evil (=ego) had done too much damage to this planet already.
The email Ravo sent to myself, and Devans:
Hi David & David.
I don’t know what to do about this message. It is about our Opera Friend, Erwin (the bird guy). I got two cryptic messages from this person yesterday & I thought it was a scam. Now, I’m not so sure. I sent a copy of the message yesterday to Dennis (H82type) to see what he thought, and I haven’t heard back. As you know, Erwin, Dennis, and a few others set up blogs on Vivaldi.net. Can you please contact Erwin’s friends where you are blogging and send them a copy of this message? We have to find out fast if it is authentic or a cruel scam of some kind.
I’m going to assume it is from Erwin’s wife and send a short follow-up message to her (them or whoever) tomorrow to try to find out more specific information. As you know, Erwin was always pissing off developers as he tried to protect the bird’s habitat (also governments who ran bird refuges poorly). Please help me locate Erwin or see if he is still alive & what country he was in at the time. Thanks for you help. Send me emails here [just post comments here and I’ll copy/paste back to Ravo, ’cause I’m not sure of the protocol of putting his private email online], and if it is Erwin and he is in trouble, I can coordinate an effort to bring out the heavy artillery and get him home.
Thanks,
Dave Cox.
Tapping Away in the Middle of the Night 
Thanks, David
Still have heard nothing further. The return address of her msg. was to admin@vivaldi.net
This is what made me suspicious. Her ‘blog ident’ is abcde. Hmmmm. But, we can assume nothing at this point. I’ll keep you posted.
Ravo
I recieved a comment from him on WP, back in November, but it was strikingly free of information:
wybauwerwin
November 15, 2013 at 9:06 pm
Nice have not a other site but still looking
When one goes to “wybauerwin” (It’s a link on my blogsite.), there is nothing but an empty “gravatar” entry.
I haven’t heard a damned thing since.
Wish I could ride shotgun with him … that’s ONE thing that I’m good at.
Please keep us updated on developments. 😦
On 13/03/2014, Tapping Away in the Middle of the Night
That doesn’t sit right with me at all.
Damned right, Mik. It just ain’t like Erwin, atall. He was always in view, back on MO.
I have been copying the Blog addresses of responders here so that I can stay in touch directly. Still no new messages after the one I replied to (asking for details that would verify if it was Erwin’ wife. It doesn’t mean anything yet that there is no response (she could be in shock , etc.).
Ravo
Well, Ravo recently sent me some emails with a response from Erwin’s ‘wife’. Initially, I was reluctant to post it here, because it seemed she was hoping for less attention, so I didn’t want to do anything to possibly endanger Erwin if it was authentic. But it’s looking less likely to really be from her.
First, the response to Ravo from (apparently) Erwin’s ‘wife’, at his offer to help:
“Oh no.I’m not making that mistake. .Plus Erwin does ‘ want to give locations away. ..Not even our closest family members can know where we are. .. E is well protected but not well enough as he got shot twice with all those professionals around. .. However should we get out alive out of this (I still don’t know if he’s ok or not) and Mr evil is still around I will do my best to hunt him down… As you know from E’s work it is always better the less that people know.Press would only raise more questions and that’s not good….I have a good friend who has offered me help and if I say yes the story would go global and end up in every single newspaper…But also that his protectors are not letting me know what is happening to him… …But if you ‘ve ever played the game in school to whisper one word into a person’s ear and you do that with ten people you will know that the word at the end of the chain is a different one…Press will only twist and and turn everything to their liking…Plus expose us.Not many ordinair people know E’s face..And only a very few people that I trust my face and I keep it that way…So no press,, but thanks for your offer to help…. Proof? Go to my fb page.Otherwise I can tell you that you have told my husband that he has a devil of a wife (after I have posted that article on Opera and fb) and that you have asked permission to write a book about deforestation which is a great idea K.”
Strangely, according to Ravo’s emails, the accounts for Erwin (https://vivaldi.net/community/profile/bird) and his ‘wife’ on Vivaldi (https://vivaldi.net/en-US/community/profile/abcde) were then deleted. I, myself, did, indeed see adcde on Vivaldi (I didn’t know Erwin’s account at the time), and it was up. When I went back there to check, it ‘could not be found in the system’.
Shortly thereafter, Ravo’s Vivaldi account (https://vivaldi.net/community/profile/musings/6-blog) was hacked, and relevant information deleted. Then his LinkedIn (and the password changed). Now, I don’t have a LinkedIn account, so I can’t delve any deeper than the first/profile page: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/david-l-cox/43/3a3/498, but it seems to be back.
Ravo’s theory is that it could be hackers looking to defraud people with requests for money. My theory is along those lines, but – when they realized Ravo was someone who could actually stir up some trouble for them (” … and if it is Erwin and he is in trouble, I can coordinate an effort to bring out the heavy artillery and get him home … ” could mean a few different things, but certainly seems to point to someone who knows their shit), they tried to cover their tracks.
So, although there’s still no sign of Erwin himself, there’s definitely something … off … going on with his account/s. Could be a coincidence, could have something to do with his disappearance.
Sorry, Ravo, if I’ve overstepped things by posting all this here, but I wanted to keep everyone informed.
On an aside, Adele Brand has a blog called Foxes Crossing (http://foxescrossing.wordpress.com/2013/12/14/christmas-male/#comments), and the most recent comment from http://gravatar.com/wybauwerwin was on the 14th of December, 2013, which is the most recent comment I can find on the net from anyone likely to be Erwin. Although, like derwandersmann says above, “I recieved a comment from him on WP, back in November, but it was strikingly free of information”.
Now, Erwin could be fine. On a wildlife retreat for photography and giving the internet a rest for a while, getting back to nature, or something, without the ‘pressure’ of regular posting, just focusing on photography, completely unaware someone might have hacked his accounts and is stirring all this up. Who can tell? But it is possible.
Anyway, hopefully, by putting this out there in one place, it might help Erwin’s friends figure out … something. But it’s looking stranger and stranger.
Thanks David,
This a good info you are posting. I hope they don’t retaliate here before they are taken down. My message to everyone here is: Nothing is safe on the internet anymore, including your passwords. Be very, very, careful!!!!
Just to confirm, does this mean you no longer control your account on Vivaldi? I just received an invite from this account. https://vivaldi.net/en-US/community/profile/musings
On 16/03/2014, Tapping Away in the Middle of the Night
Hi, David,
I did respond with an OK to your “Friend” invite on Vivaldi, but DO NOT “Friend” me there until I am sure that it is safe to do so.
Ravo
Ravo’s referring to the following:
“I caught hacker/scammers here attempting to setup a scam. They registered here as user abcde, the ‘wife’ of Erwin (Bird). After I proved who they were and what they were doing, they deleted the accounts of abcde and also Erwin’s account. Users from Opera know Erwin as an avid birder. The hackers also hacked my password here on Vivaldi, and I can’t reset it. They also did it on my account on LinkedIn. Too bad, crooks, I am now involving the authorities in this, and my warning to users here is nothing on-line is secure anymore, including your passwords.”
Thanks, David Sorry I involved you in this. Best regards, DC
That’s okay! The main thing is finding Erwin.
Still nothing? Dammit, I’m getting nervous. E’s a fine man, with a rightside-up heart. I’d try to get him out, if I knew where he was, but I don’t know, and I’m not likely to find out.
WTF can I do? I’m just one old guy with a gun. Well, a few guns …
Damme! Still nothing? This really stinks.
No News on Erwin. Not good……
Anyone heard anything? It’s making me restless. I keep loading extra cartridges for the Winchester … I ain’t been in a good scrap for a good spell. Getting kinda old for the athletic parts, but my eyes and nerves are still good. Well, as good as the last time, at least.
Last comment left on Adele’s blog was March 4, 2014, FWIW. No information in it, though.
Still nothing definite. I shared with David a possible entry by him on an alternate website, but have done nothing or heard nothing since.
OK … I left an inquiry on Adele’s site, and she replied this morning that she had something from him on Google+ yesterday. I don’t have Google+, so you guys can check it out.
BTW, I got NO notification of the above comment. Good ol’ WP!