PsyStar saga Day 3: Mac clone maker, payment processor trade charges

Payment and transaction providers use jealously-guarded methods of determining fraud, but one criterion that will trigger alerts is a sudden jump in transaction volume. "We told them we are a registered business in this city," Maria said, but the plea apparently fell on deaf ears.

PsyStar also tried today to explain its shifting mailing address in the Web site statement. The company now lists its location as 10475 NW 28th St., Doral, Fla.; that address is the fourth used on the site since Monday.

"We're in the process of moving to a new location," said the company. "The first new address posted (10481) was in error, and our correct address is 10475 NW 28th Street."

PsyStar has listed, in chronological order, a residential address, 10645 SW 112 St., and two commercial addresses, 10481 NW 28th St. and 10471 NW 28th St., so far this week.

According to a reverse look-up using WhitePages.com, two businesses are at PsyStar's newest address: Vipal Rubber Corp. and a firm called Stop Mold Dry. When contacted, Vipal said it had moved to another location -- an additional search found it at a new locale -- but the phone number for Stop Mold Dry gave only a rapid busy signal.

For its part, PsyStar claimed it has simply been overwhelmed. "[We were] not ready to handle the enormous production capacity demanded by the online community," the company said on its site. "Due to the incredible response, we have now expanded to a larger commercial unit to handle the supplies and assembly of Open Computers."

PsyStar's toll number, which was disconnected Wednesday, was back in operation today.