[qeorge]

He did respond a second time and basically said nothing helpful (see his response down thread - he copied it into the email)

They've lost my business, and I trust the rest of this community will respond in kind.

Penny wise, pound foolish, as they say.

[qeorge]

Update: I've emailed several times now with Matt, and he's definitely on top of the situation. I get the impression that he's being vague in his responses to respect OP's privacy (and the others involved). I appreciate that, and he's done a stellar job of responding in general.

Anyway, I think there is more than meets the eye here, and I should have given Freelancer.com a bit more benefit of the doubt. I do hope that eventually more information will become available, as this is a serious issue.