How about we better understand the system to defeat the scammers
OK so, the only way to complete stop a scammer is to make it impossible for folks to post. Sorta the same question as how to make it impossible for a burglar to get into a house..., seal the house up so there are no windows nor doors...,
I suspect these people are getting their password phished. I can't see any other way.
Correct, the long time members who have been "hacked" have allowed by accident a nefarious person electronic access to their PC. That person then has gone through files and found member ship here, and the password. That person can then do one of two things..., they can log on and monitor what the victim is posting without the victim's knowledge, so IF they are patient, they can wait until the victim makes an online purchase, and discover the victim's bank card number, expiration date and that special number on the back of the card. Then BAM! the account gets drained with some sort of "purchase" not authorized.
The other thing that the nefarious person may do, especially if they are impatient, is they can log onto any site where the victim is a member, and then change the email and password. The member is then locked out, but the nefarious person can masquerade as that member, offering a fraudulent sale. Which is what has happened in the past two times of which I'm aware.
If your account has been hacked, can you no longer post? I'm here every day, if someone is posting under my name I am going to know pretty quick.
Nope the account has been stolen so an every day member would catch it pretty quick. You could not log on as a member, BUT since the account is no longer linked to your personal email, THEN you could start a new membership to be able to post the hack to the rest of the members and get the hacker shut down. Then Angie could correct your original account, and delete the new, redundant one.
You can also (iirc) send a message from your private email to Angie by clicking on the "Contact us" tab in the lower right side of this page. This takes longer but if you suddenly found yourself banned, that would be an option to find out why if it was unclear to you.
Alas some of the fraud suspect will file a forwarding mail form at a post office, so the address is not the actual end destination, and they may not care if they are apprehended, if enough of an investigation is done to track them down...
LD
Theres still a paper trail.Dad had his mail re-routed to florida in winters..still had to have a id and paper trail
As I've explained, the existence of a "paper trail" or anything identifying the subject generally does not garner prosecution, or if it does it's minor and when an addict is involved, they simply don't care.
To Thwart these guys....,
a) Check the post count and the date joined, and LOOK at what they have posted. IF they have recently joined, and done nothing more than greet other new members, or approve of posts without adding anything..., no actual knowledge of black powder shooting for example, this may be a scammer who is boosting their post count.
b) If they then offer something for sale that is at a rather low price, the "too good to be true" price, is another clue... OR..,
c) If a) above applies and then you get a private message that's a tip about a third person who is selling something, that's a clue.
"Hey I saw you were looking for X, and I know a guy who is selling X, and here is his email"... that's likely a scam.
d) IF you're not sure, ASK the person to take a photo of the item in a manner that you specify, with an additional item that you request.
"Can you send me a photo of the lock on the gun with two quarters and a nickle and a penny next to it?" IF they don't comply then halt the negotiation and ignore the seller. If they object about you questioning their honesty, a short explanation of why should suffice, and if not.... then halt the negotiation and ignore the seller. WHY the coin combination? You should use more than one coin, since folks will sometimes put a single coin into a photo online for scale..., and a scammer could simply repost an old ad with such a photo. A random coin combination means the seller must have the item at hand. OH and LOOK HARD that the photo isn't exactly like a previous photo of lock that magically now has the coins..., some scammers will try and photoshop one of the fraudulent photos to fool you. IF they don't comply, giving you a new photo with the coin combo...,halt negotiation and ignore the seller.
e) If you think the deal is good, then use a USPS money order, and get an address, not a P.O. Box.
Not fool proof as it doesn't stop a guy with a stolen black powder gun and a camera, some coins, an address and a bank account from simply saying "I will sell this to you", getting the money order, cashing it, and simply not completing the transaction.
LD