Scam Alert

[Kai]

I recently agreed to purchase an item posted by a member on S&S. I commented on the post "I will take it" and followed up with a PM to the seller. In my PM I gave the seller my address and phone number. Not long after, I received a text message on my phone stating the item was mine and that the seller would accept ppff or zelle. So I sent ppff. I then get an alert in my personal email (like i always do) that I have a PM on CB. It is the seller saying he has the total with shipping and will wait fo my money order. I asked the seller to call me which he did and sure enough the text message did not come from him. The scammer had to have somehow seen my PM to the seller in order to see my phone number. Anybody else have this happen?

[M-Tecs]

I recently agreed to purchase an item posted by a member on S&S. I commented on the post "I will take it" and followed up with a PM to the seller. ?

Yes a while back one of the members was hacked and a scammer was using his profile and PM's to run a scam on a forum listed handgun. I turned it over to the mods. The IP address was out of Europe some place.

[Winger Ed.]

Scammers are swarming right now.
The good news is that it's an open season with no bag limits.

We need members to be vigilant, and help hunt down & catch 'em so the Staff can fry 'em.
If ANYTHING doesn't look right---
please report it by clicking the little black triangle at the bottom of every post.
One of the moderators can usually zap 'em within a hour or so,,,, often less.

[Kai]

Scammers are swarming right now.
The good news is that it's an open season with no bag limits.

We need members to be vigilant, and help hunt down & catch 'em so the Staff can fry 'em.
If ANYTHING doesn't look right---
please report it by clicking the little black triangle at the bottom of every post.
One of the moderators can usually zap 'em within a hour or so,,,, often less.

That is a great plan however, whoever got me did not post nor comment on a post on the forum. Somehow they were able to see my PM to the seller in order to get my phone number. Perhaps the seller was hacked?

[Shawlerbrook]

This was a very common scam on many of the gun sites I frequent.

[2TM101]

That is a great plan however, whoever got me did not post nor comment on a post on the forum. Somehow they were able to see my PM to the seller in order to get my phone number. Perhaps the seller was hacked?

The point here is the the private message was not private. Someone outside of the site was able to read it and use it for a scam.

[Alex_4x4]

Scammers are swarming right now.
...

I don't agree. I have been filling bullet orders for co-workers for over ten years and have shipped over 1,700 pieces of mail. Moreover, customers pay for my products only after they are sent by mail. In all my time, I have only ONE time encountered a scammer who did not pay me for the products and did not return them. But I punished him: at a regional forum, in the city where the fraudster lived, I found an arbitrator who understood my situation and double-checked my claims against the fraudster - as a result, the fraudster was ostracized by the community of shooters and hunters.

[psychodad]

The point here is the the private message was not private. Someone outside of the site was able to read it and use it for a scam.

Suggest both of you change your passwords ASAP.

[Winger Ed.]

That is a great plan however, whoever got me did not post nor comment on a post on the forum. Somehow they were able to see my PM to the seller in order to get my phone number. Perhaps the seller was hacked?

A favorite tactic is for them to join, then go straight to S&S,
and PM a buyer for the buyer to send money to them instead of the seller.

The seller doesn't get hacked, more like 'spoofed'. A scammer pretending to be the seller.

To join, go to S&S, and send a PM can be done in a couple of minutes.
Catching them in that window before they can click 'send' is like playing 'wac-a-mole' at the carnival.
The scammers will keep sending those PMs until they get busted.
That's why it's so important for members to report them so moderators can shoot them on sight.

[HWooldridge]

I don't agree. I have been filling bullet orders for co-workers for over ten years and have shipped over 1,700 pieces of mail. Moreover, customers pay for my products only after they are sent by mail. In all my time, I have only ONE time encountered a scammer who did not pay me for the products and did not return them. But I punished him: at a regional forum, in the city where the fraudster lived, I found an arbitrator who understood my situation and double-checked my claims against the fraudster - as a result, the fraudster was ostracized by the community of shooters and hunters.

Good to see you are still around, Alex_4x4...hope all is well in your world.

With regard to scamming, it is at historic levels in the USA and increasing in frequency. Most of it originates in a foreign country, outside our borders.

[M-Tecs]

Good to see you are still around, Alex_4x4...hope all is well in your world.

With regard to scamming, it is at historic levels in the USA and increasing in frequency. Most of it originates in a foreign country, outside our borders.

Just a guess but it only seems to be really bad in countries that don't do anything to the scammers?

[justindad]

This is one reason to use a USPS money order and ship through USPS. If you get scammed, the federal government will investigate the federal crime of mail fraud. If you ship via UPS or FedEx, it is not legally mail fraud.

[M-Tecs]

This is one reason to use a USPS money order and ship through USPS. If you get scammed, the federal government will investigate the federal crime of mail fraud. If you ship via UPS or FedEx, it is not legally mail fraud.

Sounds good until you actual have to submit a claim. I have and it takes forever with a massive amount of effort with a 50/50 chance of actually recover your money. I've done it twice. I got scammed here with the river stone sharpeners here by Riverwarker76 in 2010. I am still awaiting a refunded and legal action for mail fraud. The USPS, local LE and state LE laughed at my request to prosecute.

Most of the scammers want nonrefundable payment methods like zelle or venmo. Mostly they are hacked accounts using that as a front. The hackers/scammers are usually not in the US.

USPS insurance for lost items in no better.

[Winger Ed.]

Just a guess but it only seems to be really bad in counties that don't do anything to the scammers?

They don't have the will, or resources to go after violent crimes
much less scammers plying their trade on the www in other countries.

[Half Dog]

Is it possible to have a 2 step verification on the S&S items?

[M-Tecs]

Is it possible to have a 2 step verification on the S&S items?

You already have that. If it's too good to be true or it seems a little off, I request they call me on the phone and provide a physical address. That's not something non-US based scammers can provide.

Unless I know you the only electronic payment method is PayPal Good and Service. I am not aware of any other electronic method that will actually refund your money if the item is not delivered. If you use zelle or venmo or PayPal Friends and Family, you have zero recourse.

[abunaitoo]

Scammers are swarming right now.
The good news is that it's an open season with no bag limits.

We need members to be vigilant, and help hunt down & catch 'em so the Staff can fry 'em.
If ANYTHING doesn't look right---
please report it by clicking the little black triangle at the bottom of every post.
One of the moderators can usually zap 'em within a hour or so,,,, often less.

I always wondered what that was.
With computers, if I don't know what it's for, or what it does, I don't mess with it.

[Winger Ed.]

if I don't know what it's for, or what it does, I don't mess with it.

After working with and around heavy machinery, airplanes, and various other things that could hurt me:
I've found that to be very good advice myself.

[Alex_4x4]

Good to see you are still around, Alex_4x4...hope all is well in your world.

...

I now access this forum not through the “front entrance”, but through the “back door” using VPN technology. In Russia, since the time of the Mongol-Tatar invasion, they have been saying: “an uninvited guest is worse than a Tatar.”

:-)

So, this seems to be about me - they didn’t call me, but I came. But I can be forgiven - I miss the community of nice people.

As for “is everything okay in my world?” - It's not always the same. I managed to treat Charlie the cat (and he is already 16 years old) at the end of last year and he is now healthy and makes me happy that he exists - this is good. It has become harder to earn money and there is less of it - this is not very good. Inflation, in my opinion, is much higher than official statistics declare - this is both bad and good. It’s bad because food is becoming more expensive, but it’s good because my loans are depreciating. In general, everything has been as always for almost four decades in a row, starting with “perestroika”. In any case, the disaster of 1992 is still very, very far away - I still don’t eat canned dog food like I did then.

[Minerat]

If you are contacted by someone that is not the seller and has 0 posts asking you to contact them by email for a faster response. Report the PM to staff and PM the seller to verify it was them. 90% chance it is a scammer.

[Handloader109]

Just be careful. Anyone that mentions zelle gets me to run.

Sent from my SM-S908U using Tapatalk

[ShooterAZ]

In addition; never, ever post your personal information such as your phone numbers or your personal email addresses on the open forum. This creates just another opportunity for Scammers to rip you off.

[M-Tecs]

If you are contacted by someone that is not the seller and has 0 posts asking you to contact them by email for a faster response. Report the PM to staff and PM the seller to verify it was them. 90% chance it is a scammer.

If they were only so unsophisticated it would be easy.

Anytime it seems odd contact the mods for an IP address check. If the case I reported here a member was hacked and a fake ad. was posted by a trusted member that I had done many transitions with. I replied IN THE AD in S&S that I would take it. Almost immediately I was contacted to send a zelle or venmo payment.

This is from the hacker. Payment and speech pattern was different from my pervious transitions with the actual member. "I only accept zelle or venmo. Thank you.

Sending with Zelle is very simple.

I will give you my zelle mail and you will send it.

After I stated no zelle is recieved this

After receiving the payment I will give you my email address and you can send him your FFL information.

Will you pay with Zelle now?

followed by

I already sent you $230. I already know this. 204 AR barrel

My account has not been hacked.


That was backwards since I had purchased it and not sold it.

I reported it and Reloader Fred did an excellent job dealing with it as shown below. I did remove the hacked members name and replaced it with #####


M-Tecs,

Thank you for reporting the posts in S&S. It does indeed appear to be a scam, as the IP is from Europe. We're checking into it now.

Reloader Fred
CB Staff


M-Tecs,

I've spent a couple of hours on this, and I'm convinced the two ads were placed by a hacker using a VPN in Germany. The responses I got to my inquiries to ###### came via the VPN, which ###### has not used previously, and were worded in such a way as to raise even more suspicion in my mind that I was conversing with the hacker. It appears his account has been hacked sometime after Sept. 5th, as that's when the IP changed to a VPN.

That was a good observation on your part, and you've most likely saved yourself and other members a lot of money in reporting it.

I'm leaving on vacation tomorrow and I've referred this case to the other moderators and to Administration. They will try to stay on top of this, but if you get any other communication from someone representing themselves as ######, be sure to report it, especially if the messages are "strange", or "different".

Thank you again for your report.

Reloader Fred
CB Staff

This is the ad that was posted in S&S under a long time trusted members page. It had pictures also


The K-22 Outdoorsman was teh predecesor to the K-22 Masterpiece. It was made between 1931 and 1939. This pistol would look good in any S&W collection.IT is in 22 caliber and has a 6 inch barrel. The blueing is real nice as seen in the pictures. Price is $480 shipped.. Payment to Zelle or Venmo. It will be shipped from my FFL to your FFL


304244304245

[JSnover]

Sounds good until you actual have to submit a claim. I have and it takes forever with a massive amount of effort with a 50/50 chance of actually recover your money.
...
USPS insurance for lost items in no better.

I'll second that. I didn't get scammed, the driver literally gave my package to someone else but never scanned it off the truck, so there's no way of knowing where it went. USPS paid about 40% of the insured amount. USPS/Insurance IS a scam.

[trebor44]

Due diligence on YOUR part is the name of the game. The digital world is NOT your friend, it is the "postcard" of old. Buying things online has become a game of chance (gambling). Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose! AND no one or organization is going to "help" you recover what you donated to the nefarious! Recall the value of a "bird in the hand"! I sell online and buy online and it is annoying to get taken! But it does and will happen!

[2TM101]

I always wondered what that was. With computers, if I don't know what it's for, or what it does, I don't mess with it.

I'm probably an outlier for being a 66 year old Novell engineer. The ancient precursor to web forums like this in the pre-1993 non-internet days was dial up BBS and I used to run a multiline one of those. My life after 2001 was flying and computers. Didn't really get into guns until blood pressure meds took me out of the sky. I had kind of burned out on them by the time I retired.

I'll never fire as many rounds as a hobby as I did for work, even though I work armed. Yup, I'm an armed computer system engineer.

[Remmy4477]

Got scammed right before Thanksgiving last year.

A whole $10 with a USPS money order.

I buy and sell antique lighting as a hobby, sold an original lamp wick to a guy, sent me a postal mo for payment. $10, wife put the wick in the mail forgetting to take the mo with her that day. I tried to cash it the next day at the PO.

PO said it had already been cashed around January of 22 and this was a counterfeit mo. I was like WOW, just for a 6 dollar lamp wick.