Spotting Internet/Forum Scammers

[cahner]

I was going to post about LordHunt also. I received a PM and he provided images that were from other boards that are years old. When asking for verification of things he quits communicating. Be diligent.

[m1963]

PerryJay- known scammer purportedly out of Romania. Be sure to review emails used...

[ArTee]

are there any new people out there that have been on this site yet? Got a response from someone on my WTB and asked for a bunch of data just now. He's only been here since Feb this year. COMUSEC and INFOSEC were some of the areas I worked. I'm wary.

Other suggestions.

RT

[m1963]

Check page 3 in the existing scam list, on the B/S/T thread… There are several websites listed there that an assist with a current check.

If you find a new scammer, be sure to add them here

Update 3/9/25- Use caution when dealing with users blaqqq, or jayyy......they have been identified as the same person, and have been reported as a scammer on other forums. The email address used by the scammer is /byteclassified@gmail.com/

[wjwillia]

Beware of marcowilliams and his "friend" Adam...same person...tried to scam me on a Evo10 a few weeks ago. He has been called out on AirgunWarriors and AirGunNation also.

[TWebster]

Knoll Arms using knollarms@gmail.com is a scammer.

Approached me with an offer on a pistol he had seen me inquire about. Great asking price and lots of good photos. Also seemed to know a bit about the gun. But, he only joined last year and only has one post....

So I did a reverse Google image search and found he was using photos from an auction site. And he even used photos of two different guns of the same model!

Anyway, if he messages you unsolicited, just Blick him and move on.

Hope this helps.

[Matt_Dorey]

PSA: Two scammers identified from my recent WTB post.

In the search for a used SCATT MX-02 I received 2 separate inquiries - one in Target Talk DM and one to my cell number which I provided on my post.

The first person goes by "Oxeb" - recently a member (December 2024) and no posts/engagement. I was immediately suspicious. They were offering a SCATT for $700, which is also a wildly low price. I requested they send me a photo of the unit while holding a pencil in the frame, just as a test that they actually had it. Radio silence since my request. While cross-referencing the second suspicious "seller", I found the same image Oxeb used from a post 4 years ago. Gotcha!

The second person has not provided any name, but I do have their phone number: 712-524-9193. They claim they are from Iowa and sent me four seemingly legitimate photos of a SCATT in very nice condition. After the first "seller" gave me pause, I decided to ask the same from this person as well.(Picture with a pen/pencil next to the unit). They agreed, but claimed they had a "late shift at work" and needed to wait until the EOD to provide me a response. Perfectly reasonable request. They asked for my name, and I reciprocated but received no response on that specific text message. Around midnight EST they sent me the photo which I have attached to the reply. The SCATT is about 10x larger than the ballpoint pen, and is a different unit than the one they originally sent me. When I noted the clear size discrepancy, they claimed it was the "angle" of the photo and the SCATT is "extended". It was obvious they had no clue what this unit actually was, given that a SCATT is 2 inches MAX. Seemed legit, but my gut told me to push a little further.

Really disappointed with this behavior on here. I have been buying/selling from TargetTalk for over ten years. Never used to be an issue.

Stay sharp, everyone!

[PNW Skipper]

We all know that Want To Buy (WTB) advertisements are SCAM magnets. Here is an account of one that reemphasizes this point and provides a heads up on a perpetrator. For background, I have a WTB ad active on a couple of sites seeking RWS R-25 to feed a Pope built Model 1885 gallery rifle. In late February I received a private message on TargetTalk from User ID xmillionn suggesting I reach out “to King at gallerykca@ yahoo.com He has the RWS R25 for sale.” I didn’t find that message immediately, but on March 14th I reached out to that email address and after several days of email exchanges, including exchanges of photos of the product, we reached a sale agreement on March 17th and the purported seller asked that a USPS MO be sent to:
King Cheryl, gallerykca@ yahoo.com, 706 S 2nd ST, Chesterton IN 46304
On March 18th, after verifying that the address was a residence using the Google Maps street view feature, I sent a MO via USPS and a photo of the tracking info to the seller with an expected delivery date of March 24th. On Saturday March 29th the seller told me they had just picked it up (FIRST INDICATION OF TROUBLE), would cash it on Monday, March 31st and have the item shipped and provide a tracking number then. In fact, this was a lie, as when I later checked the USPS tracking it indicated that he had already picked up the item at the post office two days before at 9:24 am on March 27th (SECOND INDICATOR OF TROUBLE). Wondering why the check was picked up at the post office, I determined on Zillow that the street address was for sale (THIRD INDICATOR OF TROUBLE).
On Wednesday, April 2nd, I sent an email requesting tracking data that the seller had said they would provide 3 days earlier. I received no response. (FOURTH INDICATION OF TROUBLE)
On Monday March 7th, with no further communication, I contacted the seller and advised them I concluded they were a thief, but if that was incorrect, to provide me with a valid tracking number for their shipment by 6pm on Wednesday April 9th and, failing that, I would conclude that he had intentionally defrauded me and post this fraud alert to sites catering to smallbore shooters. I also sent a courtesy PM on TargetTalk to user xmillionn, advising them of the situation, encouraging them to intervene to set this right if they were not involved, and warning them that they would be identified as the initiator if I heard nothing back. As of 4/10/25, I have heard from neither party.
Caveat Emptor!

[newportkiller]

Yup, there’s a guy on here now about to get greased on a KK500!

[Thauglor]

Always, always always call and speak with the seller

Sorry to hear about it, hopefully it wasn't too much $

[hddriver1]

They got me for almost $2,000 two months ago. One was a wtb add for an air rifle and on another it was a real web sight that got hijacked. Both times b it was with Zelle. I only use PayPal because it’s worth the 3% fee to know my money is as safe as I can make it. You are probably on the dark web as a person who can be scammed. When I went to the police they told me about a list they keep on people who have been successfully scammed. I open no emails with links anymore, I cancelled all ways of paying someone other then PayPal, and I have learned a very hard lesson as a result. It’s not like it used to be, no matter how bad we want it. They are scum.
Pat

[hddriver1]

Hi all,
My request to purchase a Steyr Hunter was answered by someone posing as OXEB, he Joined December 11, 2024 and has not posted anything other then answering my WTB by add. I requested he send me a picture, which he did.

Scam photo

So I looked for a Blue Steyr Challenge on line and guess where the picture is from? If you guessed Facebook you are right on. The picture is from Sussex Guns from the U.K. That’s right, the above picture I received was stollen from Facebook in order to rip me off. Just search “Steyr Challenge HFT” and you will get to Facebook. So even in this sacred air gun sight we are infected . Just a heads up.
Hddriver1

[XM21]

same here on my wtb Anschutz trigger I reported Oxeb to the moderator Hope Karma takes a giant dump on that clown.

[newportkiller]

WTB ads are the breading ground for scammers… look at the Snipers Hide website; it’s rampant with scammers targeting WTB ads. And with PayPals updated used agreement you have no protection if the item is “shooting” related.

I always use AI to scour the internet for the identical picture even if it’s an older account.

The newest scam involves targeting people who post “I’ll take it” the scammer quickly makes an account with a similar name, sometimes adding a period or space in the name. Then they PM the victim and provide payment details hoping the victim doesn’t check the sellers account time.

[wjwillia]

Same thing almost happened to me on a WTB Steyr EVO air pistol...the scammer (marcowilliams) sent me pics taken from screenshots of a Youtube video 10yrs ago. I tagged him on several other airgun sites as a scammer.

[ScottG]

If you want to have an afternoon of fun, tell the scammer you just sent the money via PayPal. It drives them absolutely crazy. They’ll be asking for confirmation and screenshots and please recheck the address. In the end, they’ll actually be angry with you, which is a fun thought. Nothing like a little free fun at the expensive of a true piece of crap.

[nelsoncain3]

I told a scammer I could only pay with a USPS money order and needed an address to mail it to. He gave me a address and I called the police in that city. A detective said he would go there and scare the hell out of him, The detective seemed to enjoy doing it.

[James Storm]

I was recently told that USPS money orders have some provision for getting your money back if the transaction turns out to be fraudulent, I have not had the opportunity to check this out with the PO.