Forum Boss
Administrator
In the past two weeks, some older Forum accounts have been taken over by scammers based overseas.
We believe these were accounts with shared passwords on other Forums.
The scammers are also using sophisticated "brute force" methods now to attack passwords.
In most cases the scammers are sending PMs with solicitations. Be vary wary of an unsolicited offer!!
WARNING: If your Accurate Forum password is shared with another Forum, we advise that you change the password immediately. And it should be complex and at least 10 characters.
You must be careful when logging in from restaurants and other public places.
We recommend that sellers now use two-step verification.
PROTECTION -- BE SMART
There are three things you MUST DO to protect yourself.
1. Never buy ANYthing without a voice phone call -- Dial the seller with your phone. If there is a foreign accent, a weird connection, be wary. Ask questions about the shooter's club and shooting history and/or details of the product. If the seller refuses to give you a phone number, halt everything.
2. ALWAYS, ALWAYS insist on a custom photo. For example, tell a scope seller to put the scope inside a boot, or on a vehicle dashboard, with a cord attached to it. Remember, the scammers are stealing product images off the internet. They can't take a custom photo.
It's not enough to say "put a paper with today's date." That can be done with Photoshop.
3. If the price is way less than it should be, be highly suspicious -- Ask for a reference, and the name/address of a past customer.
4. Check the posting history. In the case of the most recent hack, the original owner had not posted since 2015 -- 8 years ago. That's a red flag.
We believe these were accounts with shared passwords on other Forums.
The scammers are also using sophisticated "brute force" methods now to attack passwords.
In most cases the scammers are sending PMs with solicitations. Be vary wary of an unsolicited offer!!
WARNING: If your Accurate Forum password is shared with another Forum, we advise that you change the password immediately. And it should be complex and at least 10 characters.
You must be careful when logging in from restaurants and other public places.
We recommend that sellers now use two-step verification.
PROTECTION -- BE SMART
There are three things you MUST DO to protect yourself.
1. Never buy ANYthing without a voice phone call -- Dial the seller with your phone. If there is a foreign accent, a weird connection, be wary. Ask questions about the shooter's club and shooting history and/or details of the product. If the seller refuses to give you a phone number, halt everything.
2. ALWAYS, ALWAYS insist on a custom photo. For example, tell a scope seller to put the scope inside a boot, or on a vehicle dashboard, with a cord attached to it. Remember, the scammers are stealing product images off the internet. They can't take a custom photo.
It's not enough to say "put a paper with today's date." That can be done with Photoshop.
3. If the price is way less than it should be, be highly suspicious -- Ask for a reference, and the name/address of a past customer.
4. Check the posting history. In the case of the most recent hack, the original owner had not posted since 2015 -- 8 years ago. That's a red flag.
Last edited:
