Spotting Scammers
Posted: Wed Sep 27, 2023 10:36 am
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.
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.
(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.
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.