What’s up with these new scammers?

[Ianfourfive]

What’s up with these new scammers and how do they work? I’d assume they would ask for electronic payment or deposit then run off with your money but I’ve never ran into one of those I just run into the ones where they basically waste your time and for what? Just for fun? I’m always kinda window shopping looking for any good deals that pop up I obviously ignore the too good to be true prices with the no feedback score and obscure locations but I do message the ones that seem to be a decent deal and seem like they would actually be legit, latest one I messaged was for a prodigy for $1400 located in Stockton, got his phone number and texted him he was responsive and sent me more pics of it and we agreed at a location and time to do a ftf ppt transfer then day of he stops texting, I already had I feeling it was gonna be a scam so I didn’t go to the ffl to waste my time but I did have plans that was taking care of and I could’ve met him on the way if it ended up being real but what was the point in the first place just to waste my time? He never asked for really any personal info and didn’t ask to send money or anything.
One other time on calguns I had a wtb post for an ak pistol and someone sent me a message saying he had one and for a decent price but then I kept trying to insist on meeting up at an ffl to do ppt but he asked for my address to ship the gun to at that point I just ignored him cus I though it was a fed or something idk, he too also never asked for any payment but wanted my address to ship a gun directly to. Idk I just find it odd anyone with any experiences like this or has anyone gotten actually scammed?

 

[allgoodnamesgone]

This has always been a thing, it's nothing new. A lot of newer gun owners or first timers looking to buy a gun end up falling for this stuff. Most of the time you can tell it's a scam when they won't meet at a PPT or ask for a deposit. You can always ask for a handwritten custom note with a timestamp to help cut down on fake sellers that rip genuine photos from ads on tacswap/gunbroker/armslist etc.

 

[Neffsaid]

You can always ask for a handwritten custom note with a timestamp to help cut down on fake sellers that rip genuine photos from ads on tacswap/gunbroker/armslist etc.

This doesn't always work, I had a seller do this for me and they still ended up being a scammer. I suspected some sort of photoshop or had 1 item but never ships it. Luckily I always send paypal goods and services payment to sellers with little to no trader feedback. I always recommend Paypal G&S if you dont feel 100% comfortable.

 

[Experimentalist]

Back when the Off List Lower (OLL) movement was first getting started, I found it difficult to source stripped lowers.

I found someone in the S. F. Bay area that claimed to have a couple for sale, at a surprisingly low price. I pounced. He wanted to meet up face to face in some random location and make the sale. Ohhhh. Well. Hmmmmmmmmm.

I listed several FFLs in his area, and indicated I'll pay the transfer fees, sales tax, whatever. He repeated that he just wanted to meet face to face.

The point of this story? (Presumably) ATF is perfectly happy to lure people into doing illegal things.

Here's an AI explanation of the difference between a sting and entrapment:

A sting operation is a legal undercover tactic where police provide an opportunity for a predisposed person to commit a crime. Entrapment is an illegal act where police coerce or induce a law-abiding person into committing a crime they otherwise wouldn't have. The key difference is predisposition versus government persuasion.

So it likely was a sting operation. One the ATF plays over and over and over again. Ignorance of the law is no defense. Fortunately I was aware of the FFL transfer requirement and avoided any entrapment. I mean sting arrests.

This story is relevant to the topic at hand. While there are people out there who want to steal your money, or mess you for the "lols", there are Government entities that wish to give you the opportunity to lose your freedom and your firearm rights.

 

[allgoodnamesgone]

This doesn't always work, I had a seller do this for me and they still ended up being a scammer. I suspected some sort of photoshop or had 1 item but never ships it. Luckily I always send paypal goods and services payment to sellers with little to no trader feedback. I always recommend Paypal G&S if you dont feel 100% comfortable.

Yeah, it doesn't always work but it does cut down on a lot of the "sellers" who don't have the product in the first place.

G&S is the best for sure, but I've seen people get burned from Paypal disputes since firearm related things is against PP ToS. At least you take the scammer's Paypal account with it I guess. Anyone with low ratings definitely needs to be paid G&S.

Paypal F&F + Zelle + Venmo are too easy to get scammed with since they don't have buyer protection.

 

[Atomic Soldier]

This has always been a thing, it's nothing new. A lot of newer gun owners or first timers looking to buy a gun end up falling for this stuff. Most of the time you can tell it's a scam when they won't meet at a PPT or ask for a deposit. You can always ask for a handwritten custom note with a timestamp to help cut down on fake sellers that rip genuine photos from ads on tacswap/gunbroker/armslist etc.

A handwritten note to reduce scammers
The Internet is full of time wasters, tire kickers and low ballers. I can respect someone who changed their mind and communicated that ahead of time. I can't respect someone who agreed to meet up next week and then canceled because they bought 3 other guns in the meantime instead and were now low on cash. After asking for a discount and you to meet even closer to them for convenience as happened to me last week.

 

[shermanatortank]

What’s up with these new scammers and how do they work? I’d assume they would ask for electronic payment or deposit then run off with your money but I’ve never ran into one of those I just run into the ones where they basically waste your time and for what? Just for fun? I’m always kinda window shopping looking for any good deals that pop up I obviously ignore the too good to be true prices with the no feedback score and obscure locations but I do message the ones that seem to be a decent deal and seem like they would actually be legit, latest one I messaged was for a prodigy for $1400 located in Stockton, got his phone number and texted him he was responsive and sent me more pics of it and we agreed at a location and time to do a ftf ppt transfer then day of he stops texting, I already had I feeling it was gonna be a scam so I didn’t go to the ffl to waste my time but I did have plans that was taking care of and I could’ve met him on the way if it ended up being real but what was the point in the first place just to waste my time? He never asked for really any personal info and didn’t ask to send money or anything.
One other time on calguns I had a wtb post for an ak pistol and someone sent me a message saying he had one and for a decent price but then I kept trying to insist on meeting up at an ffl to do ppt but he asked for my address to ship the gun to at that point I just ignored him cus I though it was a fed or something idk, he too also never asked for any payment but wanted my address to ship a gun directly to. Idk I just find it odd anyone with any experiences like this or has anyone gotten actually scammed?

I think that warrants negative feedback, no?

 

[Wolkenflieger]

What’s up with these new scammers and how do they work? I’d assume they would ask for electronic payment or deposit then run off with your money but I’ve never ran into one of those I just run into the ones where they basically waste your time and for what? Just for fun? I’m always kinda window shopping looking for any good deals that pop up I obviously ignore the too good to be true prices with the no feedback score and obscure locations but I do message the ones that seem to be a decent deal and seem like they would actually be legit, latest one I messaged was for a prodigy for $1400 located in Stockton, got his phone number and texted him he was responsive and sent me more pics of it and we agreed at a location and time to do a ftf ppt transfer then day of he stops texting, I already had I feeling it was gonna be a scam so I didn’t go to the ffl to waste my time but I did have plans that was taking care of and I could’ve met him on the way if it ended up being real but what was the point in the first place just to waste my time? He never asked for really any personal info and didn’t ask to send money or anything.
One other time on calguns I had a wtb post for an ak pistol and someone sent me a message saying he had one and for a decent price but then I kept trying to insist on meeting up at an ffl to do ppt but he asked for my address to ship the gun to at that point I just ignored him cus I though it was a fed or something idk, he too also never asked for any payment but wanted my address to ship a gun directly to. Idk I just find it odd anyone with any experiences like this or has anyone gotten actually scammed?

Line breaks, periods, and commas are your friends.

 

[cali_jazz]

Always report suspicious accounts. We can flag them and have various tools to determine if they are legit or not. It's sad to see how many people are willing to send money to a brand new account with zero feedback and listing something at half its typical price on here. There are usually several clues, many who name FFL's or places that aren't even in the city they say their from. Stolen pictures from the Internet. Only one picture. Ones who say "don't DM me here, text me at five-five-5, 8-six three, zero seven one 3. (this is the latest we are seeing where they try to take you off this site right away. So many easy, common sense ways to test if someone is valid, (like a phone call and a quick convo) yet people don't think and get caught up with the idea they're getting a deal or some treasure. Trust your instincts and be cautious, we have had quite a few scammers lately, most which we catch quickly, but we hate to see anyone burned.

 

[Flatbedtruckin]

Whats worked for me with any purchase is meet in person.. at an FFL or for stuff that dosent need to be transfered, at a place like starbucks, or AAA, or where ever that has cameras.. no worrying about shipping, simple cash only .. pretty straight foward.. if they give you bs excuses, move on.. if its something special. i will make the drive for it. other than that, i stick to my general area and thats it..