My first private gun sale that went bad.

[Cardboard_killer]

My stepson recently sold a Sony PlayStation for $300 to a guy who answered his craigslist ad. He was a clean-cut young guy driving a fairly nice Nissan Altima and he handed him a bank envelope sleeve with 3 $100 bills in it. My stepson took the money and started to drive off and as he was driving away he took the bills out of the bank sleeve and noticed on the bills it said "not legal tender" on the bottom. He called the FBI and they couldn't basically do anything and I told him he just learned an expensive lesson.

For things like that, I recommend meeting in the parking lot of the local police department. I would advise against doing that with a gun exchange, however.

I've bought a couple lemon firearms in person, but never been outright robbed. I did once sell a revolver to a woman and when I met her she mentioned during the exchange that the gun was for her husband. That got me worried that it might considered a straw sale (having looked up the rules afterwords, I don't think it is if the spouse is legally allowed to buy the gun); I asked her if he were legally able to own a firearm, she said yes, it was just a present. I still had qualms but sold it anyway. Even though I think it is legal, I probably shouldn't have sold it without doing the research, just because the penalties are a lot more worrisome than the $200! I wish she had flipping told me before we met and I could have looked up the rules.

 

[e3mrk]

You can call the Bank Yourself to inquire if the Check is good,I have done this on a few occasions.

 

[Steve912]

don't see why its so hard ... they are the same list.
scams are a large portion of how they fund their efforts to kill us.

They seized banks in Iraq with bushels of US dollars, and sell oil--cash is not something they're lacking.

 

[model70hunter]

This is a common scam, it is not just guns. He probably contacts as many people a day as he can.

Computers make perfect forged checks.

I have sold or bought a couple FTF. Out of state I drop them and the sale.

Face to face, in a well lit public area and I would go packing and have an armed friend close by.

P.S. I know the prosecuting attorney in Bowling Green, she is bereft of many things, moving all of her fingers at once would be one. She mistook a family member for a deadbeat and would not back off until the KY Governour told her to back off. I would not count on her to assist.

 

[bushmaster1313]

There is a scam aimed at lawyers
You get contacted by a new "client" to help collect on an overseas settlement
You get sent a check for a lot of money drawn on an American bank as the settlement
You deposit the check to your escrow account and cut a check to the "client" less your fee.
Sometime later, it could be weeks, your bank tells you the check was stolen and you are out the money you sent to your "client"

 

[Dennis]

Was trying to sell my 07 HD on Craigslist. Everytime I reposted, I would get a message from some a-hole back east that wanted to use Paypal and a "shipper" to pick up the bike.
Luckily I had read about scams on Crigslist. Usually I would respond with a "Nasty-gram". LOL .
Last time I re-stated cash only.
You know how that turned out.
One time a "motorcycle-selling service" called. Luckily i figured that one out.
Gotta be careful...

 

[vt_shooter]

Thieves leverage the fact that most people don't know the differences between collected funds, cleared check, and available for withdrawal. You can deposit a cashiers' check and a day or two later the bank may tell you it "cleared" or is available for withdrawal, and weeks (or even months if the money order was foreign) later tell you it was counterfeit and rejected by the bank it was drawn on and debit your account to cover it.


Has My Check Cleared? -

 

[ky wonder]

internet scammers are prolific, and you have to stay on guard at all times.

the reason for fed-ex rather than us-postal service is us mail fraud laws
no crime was committed when they sent it through fed ex

sorry for your experience, but there are many valid customers on line

 

[TTSH]

The ratio of scam deals to legit deals on Armslist has got to be at least 50/50 if not greater. Armslist warns plainly that all non-dealer deals should be local-only or expect to get scammed.

It's a huge problem. Legit sellers and buyer are the victims of this out-of-control nonsense. I wish Armslist would do something to improve the situation but they don't seem to be too interested.

 

[TAROMAN]

He probably has a way to scam FedEx, too. Like chagrining it to some else's corporate account that isn't monitored closely.

Exactly, before I retired, the company for which I worked had a FEDEX account.
A phone call came asking our FEDEX number to ship parts to us.
Stupid office girl gave it out.
Then the bogus charges started happening.

 

[the ringo kid]

that's funny

Um yeah, the scammed are laughing.

 

[Frank121]

I think he was referencing the bike scam email exchange I posted...at least my ego thought so

Um yeah, the scammed are laughing.

 

[the ringo kid]

I got scammed by a guy from Canada for $900 several years ago on a purchase ,not a gun, I had made from him on Ebay. Ebay didn't do anything about it but I subsequently found out I was one of several who had been scammed. We contacted the Canadian Police and, believe it or not, they got right on it found the scammer and informed him that unless he made full restitution he was immediately going to jail. It took a few months be eventually we all got our money back.
I'm posting this to show that even on an international bad deal getting restitution is possible.
On the other hand; I've sold to members of this forum and these deals have all gone without a hitch.
Jim

I had a similar international deal going on with someone who lied where he was fom-who was actually from Latvia. Latvia is a red flag in any WWII collectables thing-it seems as if the entire country is nothing but scammers wanting to scam collectors. Had I know he was from Latvia--id never have boght anything from him. The items were about 2 dozen very rare WWII photos ie: One showing two German Infantry Sergeants with MP-40s in hand-hiding behing a pile of rubble in Stalingrad-about to lead their squads on an attack. These were supposedly from the NKVD files--which real ones wer ebeing sold at the time and I knew what to look for.

Anyway, after sending paymenbt to his "American contact" (who was in Longbeach Calif) a few months passed and no images ever arrived. I dont remember the exact amount I spent? but the images were all I was looking for--i.e-from the battles of Stalingrad-Kursk etc. Finally after about 3-4 months passed, I got an envelope in the mail-from latvia-instead of the country the *** was supposed to be from. It contained maybe 12 of the some 24 or more photos I paid a dear price for--fake ans fake can be-including typed info on back--but in English-NOT Russian.

I sent message after message to the jerk-never heard a word. Then I remember his payee contact-who was at a place called Pre Tech bassed in Longbveach. I originally contacted the American liason and said what happened and I wanted all my money back. At first-he agreed-told me to contact him a few days later as he was on his way to some meeting and would be out of town till??? So I did-of course that guy never came back to the phone but, I finally got in touch with someone else who was supposedly--"handling his business while he was out of town" kinda thing. I said-I want my money back-told him the full amount including all the postage added to total for each photo--which was $6 per transaction. He said he'd send me a refund and to expect it in a week. A week passed-nothing-I called-left numerous messages-no return calls.

On my last call, I said I need a return call that day-or id get in touch with the Sheriffs Dept of the county Longbeach was in-and have them send someone over to find out why I never got my money returned etc. Finally I got a call and they said my money would be mailed the next day. I got it in a few days later--CASH in an envelope. Paid in full.

Then a couple weeks later-I got about 30 frantic emails sent to me by the thief from Latvia--exclaiming why i di what I did? that the USA payee had no authority to refund money--even thought the ebay ads this dork had-said so. Then he complained I was overpaid and requested me to send restitution and giving my routiung number. I wasnt born yesterday--and I ignoredd his messages.

The one I finally answered--this guy was begging and offering all kinds of freebies if I sent him "X" amount. I said I refure to do so--and thatb he shafted me by not answering my emailos-etc. I then said ill expose him to ebay members and the collector communities and he begged me not to. Also added that he--sent only a few of the images I wanted in the first place-the rest--some were OK--but junk as far as I was concerned.

One thing I forgot to add above dealing with his contacts at Pre Tech--iis they wanted my to send them the faked photos back--which I declined to do after I got my payment. I wasnt about to let those jerks use them to scam others. These photos "LOOKED" like original WWII photos in every way, shape and form-could fool anyone-especdially those new to the hobby. These things were "aged" professionally-by dabbing stains made of coffee or tea-onto them by dipping ra into coffee cup etc-to "aging" them by sitting them where direct sunlight would "yellow" the white areas in the photos-etc.

Anyway, I still have these fakes-so anyone needing to learn some stuff aboiut fakes-cn learn from them

 

[the ringo kid]

You can call the Bank Yourself to inquire if the Check is good,I have done this on a few occasions.

From what ive been told by my FCU-if you have somekind of check etc? deposit it into the savings account and it takes about 3 weeks to clear every hurdle it might neeed tom clear? including the othe rparty I think has that amount of time to try to get their funds back - or something to that effect? A friend of mine was scammed-recieved refund-and deposited his returned check into the savings account-so the scammers couoldnt screw him over-as they didnt have that info.

Anyway, bluffing works very well sometimes. I bluffed a scammer-and his American contacts and got away clean and free with it

 

[the ringo kid]

Thieves leverage the fact that most people don't know the differences between collected funds, cleared check, and available for withdrawal. You can deposit a cashiers' check and a day or two later the bank may tell you it "cleared" or is available for withdrawal, and weeks (or even months if the money order was foreign) later tell you it was counterfeit and rejected by the bank it was drawn on and debit your account to cover it.


Has My Check Cleared? -

Hence that 3 weeks thing that my FCU told me about. After 3 weeks-in which the scammers KNOW their money has been deposited-cannot collect after that period of time. This is IF they have access to other accounts-which in my case-only checking and not savings) because-once deposited? they can take back what they paid you-along with everything else in that account-which is why they never get my savings account info-ever.

 

[the ringo kid]

I think he was referencing the bike scam email exchange I posted...at least my ego thought so

I HOPE that is so?

 

[carpriver]

So I have learned a valuable lesson, Don't but or sell guns or other things on the internet. And that the sellers on the internet are all oversea scam artists.

I don't have a high trust factor of doing business by mail or internet. I guns I have sold been done at show shows and in person, I did one sale at the local police station, the officer did the the transfer paper work at no charge, the gun shows sales were done by a FFL and he did the transfers so there was records of the sales. I did a face to face sale and we filled out the transfer paperwork. I got a copy of his drivers licence and CPL.

I have to gun on consignment at my local gun shop. She will get a $35.00 sale fee out of the selling price.

It's just to bad that there are people that want to scam others, If they would work as hard on a job as they do to scam someone they might be able to live comfortably.

Ok back to reality.