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Scammed on CalGuns

Parley27 said:
Long story short, I met a user on calguns and he had a xd40 for sale with extra mags and with ammo. I reached out to him to on 4/16 to let him know im interested. We come to an agreement and he ask for a deposit, so in good faith I follow thru and give him $. Fast forward to 4/19 he ask for another deposit and at this point he’s given me 2 different emails and a whooole lot of excuses as to why he needs $70. So again, I follow thru and shoot him $. Now today this individual told me he never received any money from me when my bank account says otherwise. I know it’s my bad for being gullible but it was a deal I couldn’t pass up.

So fellas please be aware of scammers on here. He used a google number so he couldn’t be traced or called 1(423) 788-4326

This was his posting on calguns View attachment 856View attachment 856
Click to expand...
 
I always offer to do facetime and show my product for sale and buy everything only after doing initial facetime. Just seeing the person takes out many scam situations. Never had to pay a deposit. Meet at a FFL with prior appointment. U can always back out if there is something wrong.

Sometimes the seller may have an emergency or death in family and selling something or keeping an appointment is the last thing on their mind. So u never know.
 
Yeah u kinda fell into his scam. Sorry that it happened. Hope you recover that money somehow though
 
Parley27 said:
for sure, I wasn’t expecting to be scammed bc we have cool 2A community here but I’ll definitely keep that in mind going forward with any transaction
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Some people are very cool, most are decent, but we definitely have some problems
D34DC3N73R said:
The GAFS system is pretty good but can get cumbersome. I'd still rather go through the trouble of timestamps and restricted payment methods for new sellers than be an easy target for scammers.
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If only GAFS could be used to sell firearms. Reddit would never allow it.
 
I'm sorry to hear you were taken for a ride. So many scam artists and flakes out there. Knock on wood... I've never been scammed on Calguns - I've always experienced sold buyers and sellers. So far, I find CAguns to be the same way with solid members. Bottom line Caveat Emptor
 
Parley27 said:
Long story short, I met a user on calguns and he had a xd40 for sale with extra mags and with ammo. I reached out to him to on 4/16 to let him know im interested. We come to an agreement and he ask for a deposit, so in good faith I follow thru and give him $. Fast forward to 4/19 he ask for another deposit and at this point he’s given me 2 different emails and a whooole lot of excuses as to why he needs $70. So again, I follow thru and shoot him $. Now today this individual told me he never received any money from me when my bank account says otherwise. I know it’s my bad for being gullible but it was a deal I couldn’t pass up.

So fellas please be aware of scammers on here. He used a google number so he couldn’t be traced or called 1(423) 788-4326

This was his posting on calguns View attachment 856View attachment 856
Click to expand...
A deposit is a no go unless the seller gotta drive way outside their area for a PPT.

I have driven over an hour one way to accommodate a buyer in the past, only to have the buyer no show and go dark on me. The buyer cell was a NY area code, which I questioned. The so called buyer said he moved to CA for work. Time and fuel wasted as a result. Never again.

I am not even sure what the motive for this type of behavior is all about. I sent the buyer a text that I hoped he was not injured in an accident or the like, because those things can happen. Never received a response.

Bottom line, I’d only ever expect to pay a deposit if the PPT was a long round trip for the seller.
 
There are lots of shady people these days. I am using Mt. Mcoys auctions more and more these days. I know in theory that i can get more in person. It sure is easy when they do it for you.
 
philconrad said:
There are lots of shady people these days. I am using Mt. Mcoys auctions more and more these days. I know in theory that i can get more in person. It sure is easy when they do it for you.
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I have used McCoys in the past, very good people.

In today’s market however PPT is the only way to fly. It is a huge incentive for potential buyers to avoid the ridiculous taxes associated with buying from an FFL Dealer. FTF Transactions and buyer inspections are a must prior to any money exchanges in local dealings.

Avoiding purchase scams is fairly simple. Inpatient practices seem to be what gets those who fall prey to them.
 
It's hard to get scammed on Calguns when the site is always down...
 
The fact that you sent 2 deposits is frankly amazing to me. Fool me once shame on you fool me twice shame on me.

Anyone asking for a deposit on such a cheap gun is also a huge red flag.... 100 deposit for 3000$+ gun ok sure.....but that is even a stretch if I would do that. They would have to have perfect communication without skipping a beat for that to happen. Recently did a big deal on 3 guns on calguns. no deposit. Just clear and consistent communication with time and location of meetup with confirmation texts the morning of ppt...
 
I just want to let you know that my grandmother needs an operation that Medicare will not cover. Time is critical and I need help because I lost my job, my dog ran away, the ex-wife stole my car, and my house in the Palisades burned down. The insurance company is delaying payment. Squatters have taken over the land and court costs are high. If something doesn’t come through soon, she will die. I just need $200 from a few people to make the first payment.

***

Never give a deposit for anything. It’s a common scam with painters too. They’ll collect multiple deposits from neighbors after doing a good job on one house. They’re abusing the referral of the known person.

You don’t need to cyberstalk or research at all. Just meet in person at a gun store to do the PPT. You will know it’s a scam when they refuse to meet.
 
Long story short, I met a user on calguns and he had a xd40 for sale with extra mags and with ammo. I reached out to him to on 4/16 to let him know im interested. We come to an agreement and he ask for a deposit, so in good faith I follow thru and give him $. Fast forward to 4/19 he ask for another deposit and at this point he’s given me 2 different emails and a whooole lot of excuses as to why he needs $70. So again, I follow thru and shoot him $. Now today this individual told me he never received any money from me when my bank account says otherwise. I know it’s my bad for being gullible but it was a deal I couldn’t pass up.

So fellas please be aware of scammers on here. He used a google number so he couldn’t be traced or called 1(423) 788-4326

Put the end of the conversation for me in BOLD. I believe if you read the sticky in that particular forum it talks about this scam, it will happen in any environment where there is little to no investment to join and sell items.
 
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