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Warning - Con Artist on Gunstar!


Frenchieboy
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Just thought I would give a heads up on what I believe is a Con Artist on Gunwatch.

I have a Hatsan Escort for sale and received an enquiry asking if it were still available. I replied that it was and got the e-mail back which I have copied and pasted below.

I have heard of these sort of cons before but I'm not 100% sure how they work - But I'm not taking the chance.

I just wanted you guys to be aware and not get conned.

Here's the e-mail that I have just received and been advised to ignore - The sender/con atrist uses the e-mail address of mikewilliams19376@gmail.com

 

Hello
am sorry for my late responce i will like to let you know that your asking price is affordable by me.
I paid another uk seller whose the item got damaged some days ago: and is no longer be available for sale or even repairs. This is the main reason why i decided to buy yours because they are almost the same and similar, I hope you understand?
shes ready to refund back my total money by check from their bank account . I decided you handle the check as you also live in uk. I'm a US Citizen and currently working on the ship in the Pacific; it's advisable I use same money to pay your own im going to instruct her to issue the paycheck and make it send to you if you agree please do get back to me with your full details also want you to know that the check will 100percent clear in your bank account before pickup of the item here is the details needed for the payment
Your Full Name....
Your Complete Address....
Phone Number .....to reach you
EDIT: Sorry, I have just double checked my e-mails and found that this scam was quite clearly sent through GUNWATCH and not GUN STAR as originally claimed.
I apologise for any misunderstanding, I am on some quite heavy painkillers at the moment and they are effecting me more seriously than I thought.
Edited by Frenchieboy
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IDENTICAL spiel to the earlier post on here re. an airgun sale on GunStar!!

 

Nigerian scam, or another of that ilk with a different view out of the window.

 

Ignore it & report to GunStar - as otherwise the site will be as valid as an extended warranty for a Chicken dinner.

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I these sort of things the grammer is a give away.

My thoughts exactly! It hasn't even warranted a reply.

 

If anyone really needs alerting to this crude tripe they deserve to be ripped off

Maybe so but I really would not like to see any unsuspecting member ripped off.

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He,s ingleesh is velly gudd he learns him from a buuk,fair play for warning peeps Pete not everyone is weary of scams .The trusting get ripped off however pathetic looking the scam some people are too trusting and end up paying in more ways than 1

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It was my post mentioned above. my would-be scammer was in the American Navy, yours just works on a ship. Clearly mine was way more genuine than yours.

 

The way it works is you get all set up to receive the money (for example £500) and they say it's gone but not cleared. They tell you you have to make a payment to Western Union Bank of say, £200 and after that they'll be able to pay £700. The scam is for that payment of £200. If you refuse, fake emails of much woe and destruction appear from paypal promising the 5th horseman of the Apocalypse, namely Lawsuit. The hope is that scares people into paying up. Then they run for the hills.

Edited by chrisjpainter
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It was my post mentioned above. my would-be scammer was in the American Navy, yours just works on a ship. Clearly mine was way more genuine than yours.

 

The way it works is you get all set up to receive the money (for example £500) and they say it's gone but not cleared. They tell you you have to make a payment to Western Union Bank of say, £200 and after that they'll be able to pay £700. The scam is for that payment of £200. If you refuse, fake emails of much woe and destruction appear from paypal promising the 5th horseman of the Apocalypse, namely Lawsuit. The hope is that scares people into paying up. Then they run for the hills.

 

It isn't even that. They make a surplus payment - so MORE than what your item is for sale for - to you via Western Union, or a dodgy cheque, and ask you to send the goods and to refund them the difference.

So if you're selling something for £500, you get a payment for £700, and send them the refund for £200 or £150 (as they very generously tell you to keep £50 yourself for all your trouble) and the goods.

Then the cheque bounces, or the WU payment gets rescinded. You now have no goods, and you are down by £200/150 as well.

Edited by robbiep
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Not only guns. Just had a local farmer ripped off on a deal for a baler. His fault because it was more blatant than this one. They are about, keep sharp and have a good look at your bank account when it arrives. My bank just spotted a bad one and stopped my card straight away. Offenders should be stripped naked apart from florescent arm bands and let loose up on Llangattock Moor for night time target practise.

 

I'm sure we could find somewhere appropriate up near Rossendale as well :-)

Edited by Walker570
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Hi

 

I had exactly the same reply to one of my ads seemed ok at first then not when delving deeper. Definitely a scam, mine supposedly came from mikewilliams19376, he was supposedly in us navy in the pacific, I looked up our membership list and there does seem to be a m.williams so someone may have stolen his id. I'm new to this chatting in forums but have reported it as phising in Gun Star as that is where the original e mail was routed through.

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Do the Mods on here have access to IP numbers of members ? How can you get an IP number from an e mail ..if you can ?

If this con merchant is registered on GunStar they should be able to get his IP number and that will locate his front door.

Edited by Walker570
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Do the Mods on here have access to IP numbers of members ? How can you get an IP number from an e mail ..if you can ?

If this con merchant is registered on GunStar they should be able to get his IP number and that will locate his front door.

 

IP addresses arent reliable sources of geolocation. Some will give you a rough idea of where the activity was but more and more are roaming or just from a fixed proxy location. The type of thing you are talking about is more of a law enforcement capability.

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Yep there out there ok. Recently I have received a couple like this >>>>

 

 

$6,280,000.00 USD remittance, reply for details

 

Caroline Ramsay

Fri 15/07/2016 23:02

Deleted Items

To:

carolinermy@yahoo.co.jp;

 

Good Morning,

 

 

Are you the owner of this email address? If yes, we are not sure you received our previous message but we wish to congratulate and inform you that after thorough review of all unclaimed lottery funds, inheritance funds, contract funds, etc in conjunction with the United Nations and Worlds Bank auditors report, your payment file was forwarded to our office for the immediate transfer of $6,280,000.00 USD with reference number: UNR/LN/160B5, to your bank account, as compensation for your delayed funds.

 

The audit reports given to us shows that you have been going through hard times by paying a lot of money to certain groups of individuals for the transfer of your funds, which has been delayed by some dubious officials.

 

We therefore advice that you stop further communication with any correspondence outside this office since you do not have to pay any money or fee to receive your funds since you have met up with the whole funds transfer requirements.

 

Should you follow our directives, your $6,280,000.00 USD will be credited to your bank account and transfer copies forwarded to you and your bankers for confirmation within the next three (3) working days.

 

For further details and confidentiality of its contents, kindly reply back with your TELEPHONE number to my private email: carolinermy@yahoo.co.jp

 

 

Yours faithfully,

 

Mrs. Caroline Ramsay

Financial Officer, FCA-UK.

 

UCMGNIZTKNWZNYJKFPEXUXSTJVQRYHPKZYRPRQ

 

Good ole Caroline. I think the term >> It's like 4 monkeys up 3-1/2 sticks comes to mind.dubios officials If you please!

Edited by fortune
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I have edited my original post as after double checking the e-mail I have found that the scam was in fact sent to me from my GUNWATCH advertisement and not from a GUNSTAR advert as I originally said so if you are advertising on GUNWATCH please be aware and take care!

Maybe (If at all possible) the Moderators could alter the title of the post from GUNSTAR to GUNWATCH please.

Sorry for any confusion guys!

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