Forum Boss
Administrator
Guys,
It happened. A Forum member disregarded ALL my advice and got ripped off by a scammer to the tune of $1400+ on a scope purchase. This crime was committed by member theallcineyes who had lurked for over a year, posting a few dozen meaningless posts. I believe the criminal was a male, with a female accomplice. This is a federal felony and law enforcement will be alerted.
Problem 1 -- Greed and Foolishness
The buyer thought he was getting a brand new Nightforce 5.5-22x56mm NXS for $1400 in perfect condition. This scope has a street price around $2100.00.
This buyer should have suspected something was wrong from the get-go. Greed made him foolish.
If the price is too good to be true... it's probably a scam!!!
Problem 2 -- NO Trader History
If a seller has ZERO Trader History be very, very, very cautious. Call them on the phone, track their location on Google Maps. DEMAND custom photos of the product. Ask for references. Verify the references. Ask for Shooting Club affiliations. This scam seller had zero Trader History.
Problem 3 -- NO PHONE TALKING
Scammers will avoid talking on the phone. For many reasons. First, they may not speak English well. Second, they will not be able to answer simple questions such as "Does the scope have caps?" and "WHAT IS THE SERIAL NUMBER?".
I have told you all before, over and over. On a high-priced transaction...
NO VOICE PHONE COMMUNICATION ... NO DEAL
REPEAT -- NO VOICE CALL, NO DEAL!!!!!!!!!!!
Don't be lazy, pick up the damn phone!
Abide by this admonition guys!!! Remember, most scammers won't actually talk to you.
Problem 4 -- NO CUSTOM PHOTOS
Guys, listen. Your #1 best protection is to require the seller to send CUSTOM NEW UNIQUE photos of the product. Any scammer can grab a photo off eBay or Gunbroker. Tell the seller to "tie a yellow ribbon" around the scope, or put the rifle on the hood of their truck with a cowboy hat on top. Anything that requires actual possession of the item and immediate response to your request.
DEMAND CUSTOM PHOTOS!
DEMAND CUSTOM PHOTOS!
This will eliminate 90% of Scammers.
Problem 5 -- Falling for the Con Job
This seller claimed he had lost a member of his family and that's why he was selling the scope so cheap. It was a BIG, FAT LIE aimed at deflecting the skepticism of the buyer, and it worked. Don't fall for tricks like this. Remember if the Deal Seems Too Good to Be True, It Probably IS!
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ADMIN Comment -- What a Quick Background Check Revealed
After learning of this transaction I spend over one hour of my time talking with the buyer and background-checking the seller who claimed to be "Mack Shawna". In fact there was a person, a female, named "Shawna Mack" living in Wilmington, Delaware, where the money was sent. She had previously been arrested in Philadelphia in 2002 for forgery.
>>> Do a Background Check if big bucks are involved and there is no trader history.
You can sign up for Spokeo.com for under $14 for one month. That will let you search email, social media sites, residence records, job records, and criminal records. A three-minute Spokeo.com search revealed that "Mack Shawna" in Wilmington, Delaware was actually "Shawna Mack", and the address for the check was a high-crime ghetto area. I suspect the real scammer, member "theallcineyes", was a man and Shawna was his accomplice. He told the buyer to make the money order out to "Mack Shawna", knowing the woman could cash it.
Here is just part of what Spokeo.com revealed (in 3 minutes) about Shawna Mack aka "Mack Shawna":
Would you buy a rifle scope from this person ^^ ?
It happened. A Forum member disregarded ALL my advice and got ripped off by a scammer to the tune of $1400+ on a scope purchase. This crime was committed by member theallcineyes who had lurked for over a year, posting a few dozen meaningless posts. I believe the criminal was a male, with a female accomplice. This is a federal felony and law enforcement will be alerted.
Problem 1 -- Greed and Foolishness
The buyer thought he was getting a brand new Nightforce 5.5-22x56mm NXS for $1400 in perfect condition. This scope has a street price around $2100.00.
This buyer should have suspected something was wrong from the get-go. Greed made him foolish.
If the price is too good to be true... it's probably a scam!!!
Problem 2 -- NO Trader History
If a seller has ZERO Trader History be very, very, very cautious. Call them on the phone, track their location on Google Maps. DEMAND custom photos of the product. Ask for references. Verify the references. Ask for Shooting Club affiliations. This scam seller had zero Trader History.
Problem 3 -- NO PHONE TALKING
Scammers will avoid talking on the phone. For many reasons. First, they may not speak English well. Second, they will not be able to answer simple questions such as "Does the scope have caps?" and "WHAT IS THE SERIAL NUMBER?".
I have told you all before, over and over. On a high-priced transaction...
NO VOICE PHONE COMMUNICATION ... NO DEAL
REPEAT -- NO VOICE CALL, NO DEAL!!!!!!!!!!!
Don't be lazy, pick up the damn phone!
Abide by this admonition guys!!! Remember, most scammers won't actually talk to you.
Problem 4 -- NO CUSTOM PHOTOS
Guys, listen. Your #1 best protection is to require the seller to send CUSTOM NEW UNIQUE photos of the product. Any scammer can grab a photo off eBay or Gunbroker. Tell the seller to "tie a yellow ribbon" around the scope, or put the rifle on the hood of their truck with a cowboy hat on top. Anything that requires actual possession of the item and immediate response to your request.
DEMAND CUSTOM PHOTOS!
DEMAND CUSTOM PHOTOS!
This will eliminate 90% of Scammers.
Problem 5 -- Falling for the Con Job
This seller claimed he had lost a member of his family and that's why he was selling the scope so cheap. It was a BIG, FAT LIE aimed at deflecting the skepticism of the buyer, and it worked. Don't fall for tricks like this. Remember if the Deal Seems Too Good to Be True, It Probably IS!
--------
ADMIN Comment -- What a Quick Background Check Revealed
After learning of this transaction I spend over one hour of my time talking with the buyer and background-checking the seller who claimed to be "Mack Shawna". In fact there was a person, a female, named "Shawna Mack" living in Wilmington, Delaware, where the money was sent. She had previously been arrested in Philadelphia in 2002 for forgery.
>>> Do a Background Check if big bucks are involved and there is no trader history.
You can sign up for Spokeo.com for under $14 for one month. That will let you search email, social media sites, residence records, job records, and criminal records. A three-minute Spokeo.com search revealed that "Mack Shawna" in Wilmington, Delaware was actually "Shawna Mack", and the address for the check was a high-crime ghetto area. I suspect the real scammer, member "theallcineyes", was a man and Shawna was his accomplice. He told the buyer to make the money order out to "Mack Shawna", knowing the woman could cash it.
Here is just part of what Spokeo.com revealed (in 3 minutes) about Shawna Mack aka "Mack Shawna":
Would you buy a rifle scope from this person ^^ ?
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