Non-Member Scammer Posed as Seller via TEXT

[boatammo]

Answered a bullets for sale ad, {cooletti15340] with my phone number. A person answered by text and gave me his name and address I sent a USPS M.O. then I found out the scammer had just capitalized on another persons ad. I texted him back and gave him a chance to do the correct thing. he declined and just kept my money. I made a mistake but learned from it. First time I've been stolen from.
his address and phone#
Ryan Moore
116 Madrone Ave.
South San Francisco, CA 94080
1 218 646 3454
Beware of this person

FORUM BOSS: We have called that 218 phone number and there is no answer. How did the scammer contact you?

Also the Cooletti15340 account is NOT Ryan Moore.

 

[DDRanch]

Was that from a ad on this board?

 

[hogpatrol]

Zero trade history, caveat emptor.

 

[boatammo]

Yes it was from this forum. I ended up getting the bullets from the correct person but was out 140.00.

 

[shoot4fun]

Answered a bullets for sale ad, {cooletti15340] answered and gave me his name and address I sent a USPS M.O. then I found out he just capitalized on another persons ad. I texted him back and gave him a chance to do the correct thing. he declined and just kept my money. I made a mistake but learned from it. First time I've been stolen from.
his address and phone#
Ryan Moore
116 Madrone Ave.
South San Francisco, CA 94080
1 218 646 3454
Beware of this person

Area code is MN and that user has a location in PA?
I hope you have reported this to @Forum Boss because you have yet to provide the user proper feedback.
He could easily screw someone else over before he gets banned.

 

[Raydee]

Scum

 

[L.Sherm]

That sucks but, 9 month member, zero posts or no trade history, mN area code given CA address but PA one on accurateshooter = bad juju

 

[george]

Because you used a US postal money order that is now a postal fraud contact post office

 

[boatammo]

Will do

 

[AR10T308]

Curious to know how the scam worked ( so I don't fall for something similar). Did he PM you and pretend he was the seller on a legitimate add post and ask for you to send him the asking price?

And yes, alert the post office, as this is federal felony fraud; using the post office to commit fraud.

 

[Forum Boss]

It appears that a non-member of the Forum pretended to be Cooletti15340 (who is actually a guy from PA named Steve).

It appears Boatammo was contacted by TEXT by the scammer, after boatammo put his phone number in a posted reply.

FOLKS —
1. Never do a deal without a VOICE phone call. VOICE!
Ask questions about the product, ask for the guy’s shooting club.
2. Always insist on a custom photo.
3. Read the seller’s profile and confirm the location.
Here it was obvious that the guy who created the thread is based in Pennsylvania yet boatammo sent a check to San Francisco.
4. You should not post your telephone number publicly in the forum. Send a PM to the real seller, ask for his phone, check the area code, and then call him.

 

[praveen]

I will stress on the last point. When dealing with ads posted on AccurateShooter, make sure you ‘Also’ have a private conversation in DMs. That will ensure that in all likelihood you are indeed talking to same forum member you intended to talk with.

 

[Rimneck]

Also watch out for slight spelling differe6in the user name. On another board a scammer registered under a similar (1 letter different) username & pm'd me a contact email. I almost fell for it.

 

[esromvre1]

I watch there profile for how long on this forum than look at some post before I jump. It's nice with the banners but some people have to be careful with the money they have and how they spend it.

Sucks that some POS scammed a good forum member.

 

[bozo699]

I have bought so much stuff off this site and never been scammed, I rarely call anyone as I been on here a long time and usually repeat buyer from the seller but I do agree with Paul about calling, last year I bought a rifle from a long time member but I had never dealt with him before, called him talked in depth turned out to be a great deal for both of us and he was a great guy. In June I bought a high end 1911 off the forum from another guy I never dealt with I asked to call him and he had a hearing problem and wanted to text instead so I was very reluctant. His reviews were good and I pm’d several members who had purchased from him, they only had good things to say about him so I sent the 2k we have since became friends. If it sounds shady looks shady it probably is shady.
Wayne

 

[Forum Boss]

Here are 5 key reasons to ALWAYS make a voice call:

1. You can often detect a foreign accent and when you ask questions the respondent will probably not be able to make logical sense about firearms parts and calibers or his shooting club.

2. The scammers typically use some kind of call forwarding so there is usually a considerable delay between dialing the number and having someone answer. That is a red flag. There may even be audibly different ring tones as the call passes overseas.

3. You can ask the person what their shooting club affiliation is and what guns they shoot -- they will probably either not be able to answer or will tell lies or make mistakes. I asked one seller what kind of fifty caliber rimfire he shoots. He was caught out and then started cursing in Arabic.

4. You can ask very detailed questions. For example, if the guy claims to be from Pennsylvania, you can ask questions about PA sports teams and he will probably not be able to answer. Or ask about local weather and parks. Some criminal crook sitting in Nigeria will not be able to answer.

5. Ask about acceptable payment methods. If the seller asks for PayPal friends and family, or Zelle, or CashApp, or ApplePay, you should not do the deal. Those payment services have absolutely no buyer protection. PayPal GOODs and SERVICES with fees is OK.

 

[Jtate]

I asked one seller what kind of fifty caliber rimfire he shoots. He was caught out and then started cursing in Arabic.

funny stuff right there

 

[divingin]

Area code is MN and that user has a location in PA?

Unfortunately, that kind of thing is more and more common, given that cell phones work nationwide, and people don't like getting new phone numbers when relocating. I have a buddy in the SF Bay Area who has his 10+-year-old New York cell phone number as his primary. Used to be a PITA to dial before the powers that be made our entire locality a 10-digit dialing area.

 

[joshb]

Unfortunately, that kind of thing is more and more common, given that cell phones work nationwide, and people don't like getting new phone numbers when relocating. I have a buddy in the SF Bay Area who has his 10+-year-old New York cell phone number as his primary. Used to be a PITA to dial before the powers that be made our entire locality a 10-digit dialing area.

Yeah, my cell number originated in Pa. and has a 610 area code. I moved to Delaware and lived for 20 years. All of my clients and friends had my number so I kept it. Now I live 6 months in Texas. Maybe I’ll get a new number this winter and only give it out to a few close friends.

 

[rijndael]

Maybe I’ll get a new number this winter and only give it out to a few close friends.

It's getting harder and harder with every website from credit cards to medical insurance wanting to SMS a 2 factor code for logins. I would consider transferring the number to Google Voice and just keeping it around for a year or so.