SCAM question

[Landgroove]

Does anyone know HOW "want to buy" scams actually work?

I post on a forum that has a Buy, Sell, Trade category and ...usually... the responder uses the.. forum private message.. to respond.

I got an email from someone or something that offerred what I was looking for. I googled the email address. But DID NOT OPEN THE EMAIL.
When I googled just the email address that came in, it brought up numerous SCAM warnings!
I can't believe anyone would pay for a firearm without doing the proper transfer procedure.

So how on Earth can these scammers get guns or money?

 

[CapnMac]

So how on Earth can these scammers get guns or money?

Well, the scam, like all cons, is based on "the mark" "taking the bite."
The scammers do not care what the desired thing is (nor about legal requirements to purchase, either).

In our 'modern' age, they use scale to create profit. Technology allows them to "swamp" the markets. Buy a bunch of pawnshop junker CPUs, stand them up some place, then generate offers at 1 per second (achingly slow at computer speeds). There are 86,400 seconds in a 24 hour day. 12 machines running at one scam per second are a million per day. At 1:100.000, then that's ten "hits" per day.

But, yes, "our" knowledge of the legal requirements for firearms purchases is a good barrier to such scams. Knowing that things can be "too good to be true" and turning away from them is also good.

Knowing to not click on attachments is also good.

Tough part here lately is in "spoofed" email addresses--so, knowing that your 'known contact' is actually them has gotten a touch critical.

 

[kwb377]

Does anyone know HOW "want to buy" scams actually work?

I got an email from someone or something that offerred what I was looking for.

So how on Earth can these scammers get guns or money?

You post a WTB, scammer claims to have the item you're looking for, you send money and never see the item (because they never had it). Pretty simple scam.

 

[Landgroove]

You post a WTB, scammer claims to have the item you're looking for, you send money and never see the item (because they never had it). Pretty simple scam.

Geez! Falling for that scenario should forfeit guns.

I am amazed. Well, almost....

 

[Landgroove]

Well, the scam, like all cons, is based on "the mark" "taking the bite."
The scammers do not care what the desired thing is (nor about legal requirements to purchase, either).

In our 'modern' age, they use scale to create profit. Technology allows them to "swamp" the markets. Buy a bunch of pawnshop junker CPUs, stand them up some place, then generate offers at 1 per second (achingly slow at computer speeds). There are 86,400 seconds in a 24 hour day. 12 machines running at one scam per second are a million per day. At 1:100.000, then that's ten "hits" per day.

But, yes, "our" knowledge of the legal requirements for firearms purchases is a good barrier to such scams. Knowing that things can be "too good to be true" and turning away from them is also good.

Knowing to not click on attachments is also good.

Tough part here lately is in "spoofed" email addresses--so, knowing that your 'known contact' is actually them has gotten a touch critical.

Pretty obvious that the scammer is pretty savvy to get to email addys that aren't even associated with the ad site.
Gotta be getting ISP info or something.
Hmmm..... gotta think of a dirty trap for them.

 

[Riomouse911]

They can trick you for payment, so you pay for their “item” but you never get anything.

They can send you a bogus payment, so you ship them the item but never get paid.

They can put Trojan horse malware in the attachment for you to open. This can take over your computer and let them control it or hold it for ransom, or passively sit by and spy on your logins and passwords to let them steal your account info.

Lots of scams out there, always good to play it safe.

Stay safe.

 

[Outlaw75]

Pretty obvious that the scammer is pretty savvy to get to email addys that aren't even associated with the ad site.
Gotta be getting ISP info or something.
Hmmm..... gotta think of a dirty trap for them.

Not really. I don't know if it's common anymore, but not too long ago a lot of forum software would allow you to set your profile so that other forum members could email you directly. That's not an option here, but it could be on another forum you belong to.

 

[earlthegoat2]

Getting you to pay via Zelle, Cashapp, Bank Transfer, etc and then poof they are gone.

 

[CapnMac]

Pretty obvious that the scammer is pretty savvy

Get a "search engine harvester" and use "WTB" in the search field. The various search engines (even the 'dark web' ones) will "do the work for you."
Pay a for-hire code monkey (or, now, use chatGPT) to spin you up a script file that passes the contact info back.

Sadly, most of this is drag-and-drop right off the Nigerian National Web Page (which mostly only 'shows' on TOR). So simple a bored tween from Riley, KS can do it.

Mind, the serious hoodlums will pull a Spanish Prisoner ("I sent you $1000, send back the difference") on people looking for rare items.

In the 16 years I was an Information Warfare Officer, I have not yet divined as suitably horrible penance for these low-lifes.

 

[Landgroove]

Maybe I should have suggested using the "GUN SHOW LOOPHOLE !!"

 

[old lady new shooter]

Tough part here lately is in "spoofed" email addresses-

There is a difference between the "email address" that shows as the sender and the real email address. If you hover the mouse over the "sender" most email clients will show you the real one. Obviously if they don't match that's the end of that.