FOR SALE Scammed also.

[CaptainKirk]

I've been on here since May or so, and I've bought more guns than my wife knows about, and I haven't had a single issue with any of the transactions. This new stuff really pisses me off! We were like a small town, where everyone was trustworthy, described their items accurately and truthfully, and you didn't have to be afraid of fraud.
Now, we're becoming more like a big city, where you have to keep your doors locked, hide your valuables, and be wary of everyone that you contact. We always had to be wary of the guys with the pea under the walnut shells, but that's not out-and-out thievery by fraud. It's so disappointing that these folks found us....

So true...I have wanted, seems like forever...a nice wood/glass display case for my BP rifles and revolvers in my den/gun room. But I'm honestly afraid to. All it takes is one person casing the joint to put everything at risk so they stay locked in the gun safe invisible to prying eyes.

 

[Whughett]

This forum seems to attract them. I almost got hit 7 weeks or so ago. Think I’ll just say personal check mailed to a street address or no sale.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

This forum seems to attract them. I almost got hit 7 weeks or so ago. Think I’ll just say personal check mailed to a street address or no sale.

The problem with a personal check is they then have your account number and bank routing number.
A service like PayPal that will hold your funds, tell the seller the funds are standing by, and wait for your OK that you received the item before releasing the funds would be ideal...,

But (iirc) PayPal will drop you if they find out you're selling anything like a BP gun...

LD

 

[Loyalist Dave]

I just got scammed by a Neil. Real name is Curtis Fawvor. Sent him $800.00 for a White Super 91 .451 with a scope. He wanted payment by Zelle or postal money order. Sent the money order 10 days ago.

Makes my POed

rob

The problem with a USPS money order and this scam, is that he can tell you to put any name on that money order..., then because banks allow electronic deposit, he can copy the image of the money order..., photo shop out the name and address that you wrote on it, and put in any other name that he wants to use.

The bank will go to the Postal Service and the money gets transferred. By the time anybody figures out the merchandise isn't coming..., the bad guy has moved the money from that scammer account into another account, OR the account is in another country...

LD

 

[Whughett]

The problem with a personal check is they then have your account number and bank routing number.
A service like PayPal that will hold your funds, tell the seller the funds are standing by, and wait for your OK that you received the item before releasing the funds would be ideal...,

But (iirc) PayPal will drop you if they find out you're selling anything like a BP gun...

LD

I’ve used PayPal almost from their inception. Problem is the only way that I know of to pay for some items is a direct transfer to another’s account. That’s no more secure than a cashiers or money order.

 

[RedFeather]

If the transaction involves a gun PayPal will wash their hands of it as such sales are prohibited. Even air rifles. And, from what I understand, PayPal "Friends and Family", used by some to avoid the fee, has zero recourse. One thing a person might do is contact the seller and ask for a dated picture, as in posted with a recent newspaper. If you explain you've been previously burned, an honest seller shouldn't have a problem with it.

 

[KCode98]

This forum seems to attract them. I almost got hit 7 weeks or so ago. Think I’ll just say personal check mailed to a street address or no sale.

No.....They are everywhere. Sigtalk and HKpro are very trafficked placed by them. The other sites seem to weed them out much quicker. I hate to say it, but I feel the members on here are probably much more susceptible to being scammed. This forum as awesome as it is a very small and in the corner forum compared to others in the firearm world. Guys I don't mean that in a bad way but please read the next thing closely

Things today are nothing like they used to be. Each day scammers are getting better and better at scamming us out of our money using the internet and technology. You no longer can go off a man's word and hand shake. Learn the signs!!!!!!!!!!!!

• Low post count
• New member
• Odd posts with nothing pointing out knowledge of topic of this forum
• Bad spelling
• Directing you to reach out to someone else

And then if you are not 100% sure that the person you are talking to is trustworthy ask for something that can reassure you and give you more tools to validate the situation.

• More pictures of item they are claiming to sell you
• Ask details about item that someone outside of this hobby wouldn't know right off the bat.
• Pictures of items with proof that they have possession then and there of said item
• Ask for proof of prior sells
• Search their username across the internet and see if they are members on another forum (another site you can research THEM and their activities on)
• Talk via email and see if their email address throws flags
• Talk via phone or text and see if their phone number is local to US or are they out of India

I hate to see you guys get scammed here but honestly each one of you that got scammed could have avoided it if you wanted to.

 

[VA Hawken]

I'd add a photo of the item being sold, with a dated "today" local newspaper from the city the seller is claiming to be in.

 

[Dstone1992]

A good way to know if it is a scam or not is to ask the seller to post a picture of the gun with a peice of paper next to it with the time and date and your user name or a message you ask them to write with it. It is not bullet proof but most of these guys just pull images of guns from other sites and never had the gun to begin with.

 

[Elkhorse]

In 2019, consumers reported more than 173,000 instances of online shopping fraud to the Federal Trade Commission (PDF); it was the third biggest source of complaints.

 

[Col. Batguano]

That's really sad to hear. With that volume of complaints, the number that they actually follow up on has got to be a low percentage. The 3% up charge that people often charge for a credit card transaction would seem to be cheap insurance, and provide you with some level of recourse.

 

[RobWheeler]

What address did you mail the money order to ?

His mailing address is:

Curtis Fawvor
5312 FM 365
Port Arthur TX 77640

phone number

956-970-0290
432-245-3965 cell

I have gotten ahold of him on both numbers.

rob

 

[RobWheeler]

File a report/complaint with your local postal inspector. I don't know what their time line is these days for how long you have to wait after mailing the money order, used to be 45 days, but mail fraud cases are still investigated by the Secret Service. Postal money orders are a lot easier to trace than a personal or cashier's check.

I intend to; and I told him so. I think mail fraud is a felony.

rob

 

[vintovka]

His mailing address is:

Curtis Fawvor
5312 FM 365
Port Arthur TX 77640

phone number

956-970-0290
432-245-3965 cell

I have gotten ahold of him on both numbers.

rob

Check this out on a Curtis Fawvor port Arthur TX:

https://www.mylife.com/curtis-fawvor/e216613110078

Heres the Sheriffs Info: Police Department | Port Arthur, TX

Probably already well known to them

 

[dave61965]

I intend to; and I told him so. I think mail fraud is a felony.

rob

What exactly did he have to say when you talked to him ?

 

[user 48702]

I intend to; and I told him so. I think mail fraud is a felony.

rob

Mail fraud is indeed a felony and ultimately falls within the purview of the U.S. Secret Service, generally after receiving a referral by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service or local law enforcement. Even aboard a military installation, if while conducting an investigation into other crimes committed aboard the base and determined that mail fraud or wire fraud was involved, military investigators are required to notify the U.S. Postal Inspection Service as well as the Secret Service. These agencies have the opportunity to either assume or decline the investigation regarding the mail/wire fraud aspect of the case. If they decline the investigation, jurisdiction falls back on the shoulders of the referring agency. I think the smallest amount regarding a case which I worked back in the early 1990s, was for a money order in the amount of $65, and that particular case helped solve/close several other cases/crimes. The Secret Service worked that case just as if they were working a case involving thousands of dollars.

 

[dave61965]

Check this out on a Curtis Fawvor port Arthur TX:

https://www.mylife.com/curtis-fawvor/e216613110078

Heres the Sheriffs Info: Police Department | Port Arthur, TX

Probably already well known to them

The mylife description is not accurate.

 

[Miles42]

have gun will travel. There has to be some one.

 

[vintovka]

The mylife description is not accurate.

How so?

 

[William Lincoln]

In the prior post "FOR SALE well I just got scammed "I gave the way to sell and buy with
safety from someone who has done it over decades. I am out of the market now, but the
old safety methods still work today. You never buy without speaking directly to
and interviewing the seller. You always request a "Bore-check" from a third party.
If they balk or resist-then pass--also ask for text photos of bore and barrel stamps.
Read my past posts on it with tips. Many buys --never one rip off. Buyers always
beware-- and put in some effort. Never assume anything.