FOR SALE SCAM ALERT

[SimplyJoeG]

Too bad we can’t find this fella and have a little “conversation”

 

[SDSmlf]

to bad we cant have some kind of feed back system.

Au contraire my friend. Just look at number of posts and complaints about bad deals and you have your feedback. Will tell you quite a bit. A few of the more senior forum members are rather curmudgeonly, and at times difficult to deal with, but by no definition could one call them scammers. They just ask a lot of questions and/or drive a hard deal.

 

[sheriff john]

After 40 years dealing with crooks, I offer a few pointers on internet scams:
1. The sheer enormity of these crimes still amazes me.
2. Scammers know the possibility of prosecution is almost zero.
3. Very few agencies have the manpower nor expertise to pursue minor crimes committed by someone in another state. In fact, if the theft is a misdemeanor (i.e. theft under $500), many cannot extradite to another state without extenuating reason. Some will not extradite outside their own jurisdiction on misdemeanors.
4. To obtain an arrest warrant, a suspect must be identified as a "real person", not "Hillbilly John" or "Idaho 123". A physical address for the suspect is required.
5. Credit card/Debit Card companies simply write off losses (and pass the loss off as part of doing business). Been down that road many times ...
6. Many are not individuals, but part of organized groups that can literally be located anywhere. Some are more sophisticated than others. We only catch the dumb ones.

Folks on this site are more aware of specific scammers than others I frequent and aren't shy about sharing their info. Thanks ! The last thing - if you are a victim (whether the amount is large or small) report it to the agency in your state that deals with such. It's really our only defense in the long run.

 

[Throwdown58]

Hi Everyone. I have owned and operated the oldest gun buying and selling platform in the US for 23 years. What the Sheriff says is 100% true. I had encouraged people to use USPS money orders years ago, because US postal inspectors had tracked down one of our biggest scammers when no other agency would. But they are long gone now and not interested. These days you are better to send a paper check.

By far the #1 way to avoid fraud is to understand a simple principle.

If it is too good to be true, it's not true.

You are not going to get that killer deal. Guns are commoditized. Everyone knows what they are worth, and there are books where you can even look up the average. That isn't to say you can't get a good deal from motivated sellers, but firesale people get raped at the gunshops. They don't sell online.

And unless someone has a track record you can verify, it is best to speak to them on the phone. A long history of good feedback, or even a long history on the forum here does not mean anything. One of the most common tricks is to fish out the password to sites like these from the owner of the account, then post things for sale under their name.

Also, you can use streetview google maps to see where the check is going, and while you are on the phone, ask them what color their house is. If they can't answer, you know they are using a mule to collect the checks. This is a tactic of the nigerian type scammers. In poor neighborhoods they put up "make money from home" signs, and they get people to open a bank account, collect the checks, cash them, and wire them most of the money. The people collecting the checks are never who you speak to on the phone, and they never thought to look at the house.

I can't say I do these things all the time myself. I'm lazy. But please pass these tips along when possible, because they are almost foolproof. -ph

 

[springfield art]

Thanks to all the 'heads up' guys. Not that I'd be dealing that way, but good to know.

 

[GoodRabbitPilgrim]

This scammer messaged me about a WANTED ad I had placed.
Saturday at 2:42 PM New

Hi if your still looking, I can help out with a lead, you can reach out to steve in texas he has the PEDERSOLI Side By Side Shotgun Slug 12 Gauge Percussion Shotgun. for sale this is his email address [email protected] good luck

I received this email for a wanted ad I placed on an Australian site.


I put on my ads call or text only, if they email I don't reply.

 

[sheriff john]

On a brighter side ....is there a way to share good experiences with sellers? I've only had two interactions so far - both standup people. Both helped me - one with the purchase of a resizing die, the other with a gunsmithing problem. While I suppose scammers might use this in some fashion, still it'd be helpful to "High Five" the good guys.

Just Askin'.

 

[Omahkapi'si]

A bucket of tar and feathers suspended over his keyboard….old 3 Stooges trick.

 

[UndeadPoet]

One of our sister forums, modernmuzzleloader.com has a “User & Deal Feedback” thread in the classifieds section. Not everyone seems to use it, but I have made sure to leave good feedback on people I bought from, traded with, or sold to. Maybe we could start something similar here? I also left a good comment, about the buyer/trader, at the end of my last sale on this forum, because he was “newer” and didn’t have a lot of comments, etc., yet.

‘Poet

 

[Woody Morgan]

Whoa. I posted this eight minutes ago: Good Traders

wm

 

[UndeadPoet]

Whoa. I posted this eight minutes ago: Good Traders

wm

Great minds…and all that. Thanks for starting the thread!

‘Poet

 

[nit wit]

Yes if they ask you to send money to a friend or a girlfriend, it's a scam! A guy(A-Hole) got me but not on here.5 minutes alone with him and I'd get my moneys worth!
Nit Wit

 

[Daryl Crawford]

We can report great deals, dealers as mentioned above. We may be able to figure out which one of the subcategories to post on when we have great deals with people, like we do with vendors.

 

[Eddie Southgate]

What for are you impugning the good name of a skunk ?

He had me going some time ago. His mistake, with me, was his insistence on a method of pay. He is a thief, a fraud, and a jackal. Go away you nut, we're on to your game and so are the police. Polecat

?

 

[Dale Lilly]

What for are you impugning the good name of a skunk ?



?

What for are you impugning the good name of a skunk ?



?

My mountain man name [rendezvous] ls Polecat. For that post I should have used Dale. That guy is worse than any skunk .... Dale [polecat]

 

[1clayguy]

Once the money order is cashed the USPS is done with you, the buyer. If the seller doesn’t send what you paid for, you are on your own. With a personal bank check, you at least have bank looking for ID, a copy of the endorsement, potential video of the transaction at the bank counter and likely an account with a bank before the the check is cashed. I have bought more items that I can recall on this forum with personal checks, never a problem, with some items arriving at my door before my check was in the hands of the seller, let alone cleared. Believe it helps that I have been around here for a while. I’ve only really gotten burned once, and it was by someone I knew who was collecting money for a group and ripped off the entire crowd. My bank actually called when he tried to cash my check……. But I missed the clue and verified I knew him. Expensive lesson. And when we went to confront the crook, one of the few times in my life that I felt real danger.

"one of the few times in my life that I felt real danger". Now that sounds like a story of which we'd all like to hear more details!

 

[springfield art]

Hi Everyone. I have owned and operated the oldest gun buying and selling platform in the US for 23 years. What the Sheriff says is 100% true. I had encouraged people to use USPS money orders years ago, because US postal inspectors had tracked down one of our biggest scammers when no other agency would. But they are long gone now and not interested. These days you are better to send a paper check.

By far the #1 way to avoid fraud is to understand a simple principle.

If it is too good to be true, it's not true.

You are not going to get that killer deal. Guns are commoditized. Everyone knows what they are worth, and there are books where you can even look up the average. That isn't to say you can't get a good deal from motivated sellers, but firesale people get raped at the gunshops. They don't sell online.

And unless someone has a track record you can verify, it is best to speak to them on the phone. A long history of good feedback, or even a long history on the forum here does not mean anything. One of the most common tricks is to fish out the password to sites like these from the owner of the account, then post things for sale under their name.

Also, you can use streetview google maps to see where the check is going, and while you are on the phone, ask them what color their house is. If they can't answer, you know they are using a mule to collect the checks. This is a tactic of the nigerian type scammers. In poor neighborhoods they put up "make money from home" signs, and they get people to open a bank account, collect the checks, cash them, and wire them most of the money. The people collecting the checks are never who you speak to on the phone, and they never thought to look at the house.

I can't say I do these things all the time myself. I'm lazy. But please pass these tips along when possible, because they are almost foolproof. -ph

Speaking of getting "stuck" at the gun shops, one LGS offered a friend $200 for a beautiful custom modern sporting rifle...which was so ridiculous it's not even quantifiable.

 

[Dave Dworshak]

i just became a member . thanks for the heads up on the scammers out there. i'm afraid they will be more frequent as guns and supplies become harder to get and more expensive. thanks

 

[Eterry]

I think we have pretty well hashed out the fact there are scammers among us. We do our best to boot them from here, but they, like all cockroaches, are resilient. I think it's time to put this thread to bed.

The best defense we have is if members continue to report their activity. You guys keep up the good work. "If you see something, say something ".