• Watch Out for Scammers!

    We've now added a color code for all accounts. Orange accounts are new members, Blue are full members, and Green are Supporters. If you get a message about a sale from an orange account, make sure you pay attention before sending any money!

**Scammer Best Practices**

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HMFIC of this Shit
Staff member
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Minuteman
  • Apr 12, 2001
    35,483
    39,178
    Base of the Rockies
    www.snipershide.com
    Scammer Alert

    Sniper's Hide like many other sites that include an online marketplace has scammers. Scammers are part of organized criminal groups that prowl the internet looking for unsuspecting members.

    Scammers are not individuals, you are dealing with a group of people who are actively working to rip you off so please do not help them. While their names change, their methods have been identified over the years. If you follow these simple rules you will not get caught by one of these groups.

    1. There is no deal on the Internet. If you can't believe your luck to find such an awesome buy, odds are it's a scam. Gun Components are currently selling at a premium and most gun owners are well aware of what they have. Scammers steal ads from older, closed sales from across the internet. They replace the key information and change the price to sell.

    2. WTB Ads are a Scammer Mating Call, if you make a post on here, WTB My New Sought After Product, you will get scammed. This is their first choice in ripping you off. Like Dracula, you invited in your house and now they have you. If you receive an unsolicited private message informing you of where to buy your prize, please report them. Any message asking you to contact their friend about it, is a scam.

    We have a report button at the bottom of posts and private messages, please use the report button.

    3. Send the check to my friend, another common method. They use cut outs and mail drops. In fact one scammer gave a member the address of Lincoln's Childhood Home. Do your homework, google the address and make sure if they tell you they live in California you send it to California and not New York.

    4. Broken English or the misspelling of common words, another red flag, if the email exchange with your contact is less than perfect, decline the transaction. Yes we are the great melting pot, but in this case, protect yourself at all times.

    5. Phone Numbers, try making a phone call to speak with them directly. When exchanging details of the sale, do not compromise just to make the sale. Many people are lulled in with the idea that someone will complete the transaction in record time. You can decline any transaction on SH for any reason today. If it doesn't feel right and your Spidey Sense is climbing, walk away.

    6. Image Searches, before committing to a transaction do an image search online. You can search images to see if they appeared in other ads. This goes for names and emails too. Google is your friend and takes no time to double check.

    7. Lucky Number Seven, a picture with your user name and date, alongside the actual product.

    Follow these best practices, please don't feed or engage with the scammers or trolls let us deal with them. Many of these scammer account make dormant or multiple accounts with minor variations on the name. If you report the user using the Report Button we can easily and quickly remove all posts, remove all private messages and search for linked accounts. If you don't do this and string us along we can't do that as easily.

    Do not make posts, you are telling scammers are looking and finding them, as well it just clutters the site. The user name of this scammer is irrelevant, the methods are what we want to identify. If you are making posts about member ACON48675309 Ripping you off, that name has changed they moved on before you hit send. So just report it and move on.

    Hacked Accounts

    Hacked Accounts are a different case, most of the time your account was found in a different hack and they are checking to see if you have similar log ons. Their method for hacking is simple, they change your email and password and then make posts to rip people off on your reputation.

    We can fix and repair this if you contact us immediately. Give us the User Name and Email address to repair or replace. We will go in and change it back to your account and delete anything they posted. You can then make a post letting people know what happened.

    Do not make a new account, The system can not replace your email with your email, only one email per account. So if you make a new account we have to jump through hoops and do everything twice. Contact us, let us fix it. Do very little until we give you the all clear sign.

    Don't panic, it's an easy fix and they are not accessing your Supporter Account. We don't keep any financial records on the site.

    Common Sense is a great defense

    if it doesn't look or feel right, it's probably a scammer. They are out they, they do score so they won't stop, but we can protect ourselves at all times and reduce their impact.
     
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    Also be aware there are a number of scam websites that are using actual gun shop names.

    Red flags - Has large inventory of items which other website do not. And payment requiring Paypal, Zello, or other payments methods that are "cash" payments. If you can't use a credit card move on.
     
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    There are always a few whose wants, needs and impulsiveness for the latest item, override their common sense.