Forum Boss
Administrator
Yesterday afternoon, a long-established member account, with a Silver Upgrade, was hacked, we believe with a stolen password, possibly that had been used on another Forum.
The hacker turned off the notices of PMs so the legitimate account owner did not know what was happening.
Thankfully, a smart, savvy member Saltonman thought something was up when he received a suspicious message offering an item for sale. Saltonman then sent a notice to Forum Boss.
The seller demanded payment via PayPal Friends & Family and refused to provide a custom photo or a phone number to call.
FOLKs -- this shows that you must always, always be careful. Sadly, with the modern internet, a legit account with years of good history can be hacked in a few seconds.
1. NEVER EVER buy anything with PayPal/Venmo F&F, Zelle, ApplePay, or Google Cash -- you have no protection. PayPal Goods and Services (with FEES) is OK (but is not allowed for guns, primers, ammunition).
2. ALWAYS do a VOICE phone call! Read that again, people -- pick up the phone and call the seller and confirm his identity and ask questions about the product.
3. Insist on a custom photo that puts the item in a different location, preferably with something attached to it (such as a rope) and a physical note listing the current date and your city.
4. Be wary of any unsolicited PM Offers from Non-upgraded members
We do NOT allow non-upgraded members to send unsolicited PMs offering items for sale. In this case a hacked Silver member account was used. But if a non-upgraded member tries to sell you something via an unsolicited Private Message, notify Forum Boss immediately. That seller is breaking our rules and his account will be terminated permanently.
The hacker turned off the notices of PMs so the legitimate account owner did not know what was happening.
Thankfully, a smart, savvy member Saltonman thought something was up when he received a suspicious message offering an item for sale. Saltonman then sent a notice to Forum Boss.
The seller demanded payment via PayPal Friends & Family and refused to provide a custom photo or a phone number to call.
FOLKs -- this shows that you must always, always be careful. Sadly, with the modern internet, a legit account with years of good history can be hacked in a few seconds.
1. NEVER EVER buy anything with PayPal/Venmo F&F, Zelle, ApplePay, or Google Cash -- you have no protection. PayPal Goods and Services (with FEES) is OK (but is not allowed for guns, primers, ammunition).
2. ALWAYS do a VOICE phone call! Read that again, people -- pick up the phone and call the seller and confirm his identity and ask questions about the product.
3. Insist on a custom photo that puts the item in a different location, preferably with something attached to it (such as a rope) and a physical note listing the current date and your city.
4. Be wary of any unsolicited PM Offers from Non-upgraded members
We do NOT allow non-upgraded members to send unsolicited PMs offering items for sale. In this case a hacked Silver member account was used. But if a non-upgraded member tries to sell you something via an unsolicited Private Message, notify Forum Boss immediately. That seller is breaking our rules and his account will be terminated permanently.
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