FOR SALE Hacked or scam?

[jdw276]

The best defense is to check a seller's Bona Fides on this very forum. I can't imagine a scammer building a solid sales history and then "Whamo!" you're scammed.

Ahhh, but greed gets em. Gotta be first. Might lose the greatest deal in the history of the mlforum. No time to check.

 

[renegadehunter]

There is another forum I go on that has a huge classified section. To fight scammers they require a minimum of 20 posts and two weeks time since registering before you can even access and view the classifieds section. It's similar to having to be a contributing member here before you can access the political thread section.
It kinda works but does create one annoying thing. People that come to the site strictly to buy or sell end up starting silly threads just to get their post count to 20, or they just spam other threads with silly comments such as "me too" or "ditto". The mods will delete these comments and take away from their post count, and chat with people doing that, but I'm sure that's an exhausting task for them.
It still has more pros than cons though, because everyone knows to explore a seller's comment history before purchasing from them. If they have hardly any posts and the majority of them are one-word comments, you simply avoid them. If you want to buy an item from someone and their comment history shows active participation in threads with obvious knowledge and interest, then it's a safe bet that they're there for the same reason you are and are generally safe to buy from. Then you just make sure to pay with a method that has a bit of protection.
This system does require patience for new folks that are truly decent people wanting to get rid of an old item, they will eventually sell it as long as they spend a bit of time actually participating in threads.
Scammers generally all operate very similar and are easy to spot by watching for the things already mentioned in this thread. Even without a 20 post and two week rule, looking back through a seller's comment history gives a lot of insight. Yes, it doesn't work if a long time member has their actual account hacked, but the scammer will still do specific things that should raise flags.
There are several here that I'd have zero concern mailing a payment to them before they sent the product just because I've seen so many of their posts and active participation in various threads.

 

[ShotgunDave]

Hey guys. I'm a new guy here. I have very few posts, but I was something of a lurker for quite a while before I joined up. I even became a supporter. I'm friends with a couple of long time members.

I did a transaction with a member here and it went as smooth as silk. I have a few guns I want to sell, but I'm scared to death to post them. With everything that's been going on, I've been a bit leery.

With all the modern technology we have, we should be able to come up with something to make all parties feel comfortable. I saw someone mention using Skype or FaceTime. That sounds like a great idea. Just exchange numbers and then you can see the seller/buyer and the actual merchandise for sale.

 

[BigSkyRambler]

Hey guys. I'm a new guy here. I have very few posts, but I was something of a lurker for quite a while before I joined up. I even became a supporter. I'm friends with a couple of long time members.

I did a transaction with a member here and it went as smooth as silk. I have a few guns I want to sell, but I'm scared to death to post them. With everything that's been going on, I've been a bit leery.

With all the modern technology we have, we should be able to come up with something to make all parties feel comfortable. I saw someone mention using Skype or FaceTime. That sounds like a great idea. Just exchange numbers and then you can see the seller/buyer and the actual merchandise for sale.

Welcome. I always offer to include new photos, if someone suspects that I am trying to sell someone else's goods. Since I post same guns and same photos on several platforms, I get those questions a lot. Whatever someone wants, as long as it is not some unreasonable expense, I will try and do. Photo of my DL. Fine. That shows that the address I give is legit. Heck, I will even take a pic beside my street sign - if it's not raining.

 

[ShotgunDave]

Welcome. I always offer to include new photos, if someone suspects that I am trying to sell someone else's goods. Since I post same guns and same photos on several platforms, I get those questions a lot. Whatever someone wants, as long as it is not some unreasonable expense, I will try and do. Photo of my DL. Fine. That shows that the address I give is legit. Heck, I will even take a pic beside my street sign - if it's not raining.

Those are great ideas. I'd have no problem with requests like that either. Good way to see if someone is legitimate.

 

[DixieTexian]

I think this forum gets targeted by scammers more so than others for the simple reason that most folks who shoot muzzleloaders are old. Old folks are seen as easy targets, whether it's true in your individual case or not. The best thing we can do is educate forum members on ways to spot common scams and expose known scammers.

 

[TreeMan]

I think this forum gets targeted by scammers more so than others for the simple reason that most folks who shoot muzzleloaders are old. Old folks are seen as easy targets, whether it's true in your individual case or not. The best thing we can do is educate forum members on ways to spot common scams and expose known scammers.

I resemble that remark!

 

[kh54]

I think this forum gets targeted by scammers more so than others for the simple reason that most folks who shoot muzzleloaders are old. Old folks are seen as easy targets, whether it's true in your individual case or not.

Oh, thanks a lot. I needed that kind of reminder.

 

[mec0621]

They are some good tips Dave, never thought of the coin thing

 

[jarentz]

I'm not old !! I still have most of my teeth.

 

[kh54]

I'm older than my teeth but they're all there.

 

[Ed Pilkington]

What? 83? Spring Chicken!!!