Spotting Internet/Forum Scammers

[m1963]

Spotting scammers...

(If you run into a scammer, add them to this thread. Please be sure to describe how you know they are a scammer as opposed to a deal/agreement gone bad.)

Ask yourself these questions, to help identify scammers...

Where do they live? If they provide an address, look the address up on-line, and in Google earth. Is it a home, a business, a homeless shelter? Do not send your money to a place that does not exist.

Are the photos clear and precise? Or, are the photos fuzzy and weird? With cell phones there is no reason for fuzzy photos, unless someone is trying to hide something or scam you.

If they live in the US, and you have an address, look up the county they live in. Then, look up the "Clerk of Courts" website for that county. Public records law means that anything they were ever involved with may be on line...marriage, divorce, arrest, liens, probate, etc. Remember, that there may be Municipal courts within jurisdictions that do not share information. Search also for "any city" municipal court to see if records exist. You do not need to pay money to find out these things. (Hint- look at adjacent counties, as well.)

How long have they been members of the web board? A week, a month, a year? 10 years? Anything a year or less may be suspect. Look at their posts if they have been a member for a year or less.

Are their posts generally contributing to the board, or legitimately inquiring about a board topic? Or, are their posts something like this, "Nice rifle!," "Thanks guys!," etc?

Did the users posts all come in a flurry, over a few days, then nothing? I saw a "brand new" person posting on another board as I wrote this. Within the span of five minutes they posted on five different topics- "I really had good luck with x," on one. "It will get better," on another. "I have had good luck with Brand x 22 ammo," on the third, "This a very informative sight (sic), I enjoy it immensely!," and "Bought a case last year," on the fifth. This guy/gal is obviously setting up the scam/baiting the mark...

Also, look at the other users commenting on the sellers posts. Are they members with a long history? Or, are they also new members? (I think this is a big tell. New members upvoting/downvoting new members seeking to increase perceived legitimacy. (More likely than not, it is the same person using different log ins, up-voting/downvoting themselves.)

Look at any photos they provide and run them through a reverse image search. I think scammers are wise to this and will search through thousands of images trying to find ones you might not get to in a cursory search, though. Dig deep!

Look at their language/spelling/grammar. Is something off about it? Something not quite right? Bad spelling, in and of itself is not a sign of a scammer. Words used in the wrong order, or words not routinely used by people in the US on a general basis are a tip that more investigation is needed.

While many items bought/sold by ISSF shooters are expensive, not all of them are. If someone new to the board (less than a year/less than 50 posts) posts a $6000 rifle for sale you should be investigating further, before sending them any money.

Another one I have noticed is, scammers creating a profile on a web board and leaving it dormant. Some months later they will post stupid posts (see above) 5 or 10 times. Some months after that they may be selling a $6000 rifle, with a perceived board presence of a year, or more. Do not be fooled. Check them out!

Be wary of the person posting to alleviate your fears. They are seeking to scam you.

Does something not feel right? Do you feel a bad vibe? Trust your intuition! It is better to walk away from ten good deals then to get suckered into one.

I had one scammer tell me they could only take calls during certain hours, on an item I was selling that was less than $400, because they lived in the mountains. Possibly true, but "Red flag!" I called when they were "available" and the call went to voicemail. Red flag! They immediately texted me back that the deal was still on. Red flag! I blocked them, and moved on.

Remember, scammers are sort of like car salesman. Have you ever gone in to buy a car and the salesman starts pressuring you saying the deal is only good for today, or the price of the car will go up tomorrow, because of x? That is a tactic designed to force you into a purchase/choice you would not usually make. If you encounter a scammer who pressures you saying the deal must be made now, walk away. There is no deal, and there never was. It is simply a tactic used to part you from your money. Again, the scammer is baiting the mark.

I spent 33 years in law enforcement. Of those, I spent 6 years as the Detective Sergeant-in-Charge of a metropolitan property crimes unit. While I have seen a great deal, scammers will always come up with something new. Be cautious, my friends.

I will add others posts on scammers to this thread, as they come up. Please contact the original poster (OP) with regard to their thoughts concerning any specific potential scammer.

[m1963]

RockGeo- This guy/girl is trying to sell me six Scatt MX02 for a version that doesn’t exist. He takes Venmo only.

This scammer goes by "the great". His name is John P Edwards. Here's the contact info he gave me:
2020 NW 1st Ave
Miami, FL 33127


I sent him a $650 money order for a Pardini K58. No gun.

Brian Reeder

(Note- The address provided by the scammer is a homeless shelter.)

[m1963]

Hello all - i received from private messages from a few people on this forum looking to sell me rifles. they are scammers. robthrower is one of them
public service announcement

[m1963]

Just a heads up to people, desmondtheman007 is a scammer. He sent me a PM and email trying to sell me a Scatt from a while back on the Stirton forum. The email he used was edesmond258@gmail.com the name was desmond eliot. I have looked up the information and found this same name and email on other shooting forums scamming people. I just wanted to get it out there so people have the information.

This is a great community and hate to see people try and take advantage of it.

[m1963]

The Airgun Nation list of known scammers is available at this link-
https://www.airgunnation.com/help/avoid-scams/

Bullseye-L reporting on a scammer and their thoughts...
https://www.bullseyeforum.net/t19643-us ... ht=scammer

FTC advice on scammers-
https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/what- ... re-scammed

[mi4]

Could we add a feedback system to the forum so every ID will have a fb score for others to look up?

[aalbert]

BTW one of the biggest area of scammers is from WTB ads ... If you place one, be extra cautious. (I run 3 different high traffic boards, and that is our biggest source of issues)

I would also add that requesting custom images is an acceptable request to legit sellers - if they unwilling to provide, that is a red flag (pretty much everybody can txt an image these days).

[nelsoncain3]

I have found a phone call to the seller works well.

[eagle0199]

Thanks to all of you. I just joined and this is my first post. One of the first things I look for in a forum is awareness and response to scammers. Although I haven't been burned (yet) I'm always looking for help in keeping my journey safe.

Retired Army, 4H rifle and pistol coach.

[atomicgale]

Let's Play: "SCAM? or not a Scam?" You be the Judge!

First contestant:

My son made marksmanship at Mariner High School and I am trying to give him the tools to be successful. The Major recommended the 2009 Crosman and I joined this group cause I noticed you may have one. I live in Cape Coral Florida. Thank you for any information you can provide.

Hmmm . . . This is a response to a "Want to BUY," from "ONE-POST WOOKIE."

50 Points!

[B.p.M]

Let's Play: "SCAM? or not a Scam?" You be the Judge!

Sorry, I don't see it that way. WTB is much different than WTS.

I too am cautious with all low post count accounts, but that does not mean they are all scammers. Lots of ways a seller can protect themselves. If your kid just got on the JROTC team and you are not a shooter yourself, why would you have a significant number of posts? Mariner HS in Florida does have a JROTC Marksmanship team.

[atomicgale]

Sorry, I don't see it that way. WTB is much different than WTS.

Alex, I'll take "yes a scammer" for $500.
Here, "1-post-Wookie" is responding to a Want-to-BUY ad, asking:

. . . I noticed you may have one.

No, they DON'T have one. Read. It's a WTB - perhaps scammers don't take time to read - they go for the WTBs.

Then there's the bad grammar:

My son made marksmanship . . .

And who exactly is "The Major?"

My son made marksmanship at Mariner High School . . . The Major recommended the 2009 Crosman

In this case, I'll keep my $500 and pass on figuring out who "The Major" is.

[m1963]

Let's Play: "SCAM? or not a Scam?" You be the Judge!

Sorry, I don't see it that way. WTB is much different than WTS.

I too am cautious with all low post count accounts, but that does not mean they are all scammers. Lots of ways a seller can protect themselves. If your kid just got on the JROTC team and you are not a shooter yourself, why would you have a significant number of posts? Mariner HS in Florida does have a JROTC Marksmanship team.

I agree with this. Which is why spotting scammers is so difficult. A parent looking for items for their child may not be aware of much, at all. The interaction between persons when trying to complete a deal provides the proof of a scam. Often, retired military personnel take over high school shooting teams/JROTC and are referred to as "Major."

Post moved to its own topic.

[B.p.M]

Yes, but the poster wants to buy. Yeah it is in someone else's WTB thread but he is still looking to buy not sell. Maybe not the best etiquette for a forum but hardly the first time that has happened on the interwebs. They were actually responding to XTCShooter, who said they had one. It's an old thread that no one marked as "FOUND" or "SOLD", so no harm no foul IMO.

The Major is someone at the JROTC program. No different than saying that the "coach" recommended I come here. Do they need to give the coach's name so we can vet that that they are in fact their coach?

Can someone get scammed on WTB? Yes, but it's more difficult and probably a little too much effort for a low dollar item. It's not like a FWB900 that costs some $.

[atomicgale]

Post moved to its own topic.

Okay, M1963 rules "Not a scam."
Let's nominate our next contestant on "SCAM! or not a Scam." M1963, I'll take WTS Air Rifles for $3,000 please . . . .

[m1963]

This is about good people, helping others. It is certainly not a contest. Thank you, for looking out for others.

[cahner]

I cannot prove the individual is a scammer or not as there was no deal to provide evidence.
BDVK had a kk500 for sale. Several inquired. He provided pictures and was very willing to negotiate price and ship. Never would share any contact info. I travel for work and inquired about location. Without knowing where I was he provided a location within a 20-30 minute drive. Lucky?
I attempted to set up a face to face inspection and deal. The last evening I was available there was an emergency work trip on his end and he asked if shipping was fine.
I was back in the area for work today and told him I would be available yesterday afternoon and evening.
No response and post was removed.

I am not as worried about number of posts necessarily. I browse and read the forums everyday and you can see I never post.
Draw your own conclusions.

I believe that good information leads us to good decisions.

Update: I received an email upset about my post. Lots of excuses and bad grammar.
I offered to eat crow and admit I was totally wrong if I could get a picture with seller holding rifle, face cropped ok. If not supplied I would of course add that as confirmation.
As you might guess I have been met by radio silence.

Casey

[BDVK]

Hey Casey,

Work has been crazy lately. Also per our last discussion, i feel it is ideal of you follow up with me, before calling me out here. I never ghosted you!!

[Buckeye]

https://targettalk.org/viewtopic.php?p=320450#p320450

[tetonedge]

Beware of Rockgeo as he is helping a larger scam ring which leads to others. Traced an email down this week to a group out of India.