AGN members,
The system we have in place to help restrict scammers works well, overall. The 10 post minimum for new members to access the classifieds has helped quite a bit by allowing you members to look at an individuals posts and decipher if they look genuine or not. It also has helped us in the "back ground" to ID potential risks that have been pointed out to us. Thanks to all of you for pointing out those potential risks!
That being said, there are still some areas of weakness and this is especially true for "WTB" ads. So, if you are thinking about posting a WTB ad, or have one up already, keep reading. Here's how the scam works... A member places the WTB ad. The scammer reads what the buyer is after and joins the forum. There are no restrictions on sending PM's without posting replies anywhere, unlike the classifieds. Implementing such a system could be problematic and would not be a guarantee against scammers. All the scammer has to do, after joining, is send a PM offering just what the buyer is after.
Please use extreme caution when you receive a response from a new member or one without any posts. Anyone can look into anyone else's profile by simply clicking on their name. Scammers like to use untraceable means of transferring money. So beware when asked to send money in a non-mainstream way. Paypal is a good tool to send money but, sending it to "friends and family" leaves you vulnerable. You "might" have a chance of recovering a loss if you pay the PP fees. Don't send cash through the mail. Beware of Western Union or "Wal-mart to Wal-mart" type transactions. Even Money Orders carry risk.
You're best bet is to be cautious! Ask for pictures. Ask for dated materials to be in the pictures such as a newspaper or hand written note. You might even request a close up picture of a particular area on whatever your wanting. You can ask to see a persons ID. Exchange telephone numbers and call each other. There are many ways to help confirm that a person is who they say they are and has what they say they do. If a deal sounds too good to be true, it might just be. WTT ads are also a point of vulnerability and a lot of these tips can also be used for that situation.
The moderators are here for you as well. We'd be happy to do what we can on our end. Just remember to send us a link! It makes our job much easier and faster. We may not be able to bring you much more information than you already have but, we'll try. We sympathize with anyone that has fallen victim to a scammer. When it does happen, we do look into it. We try to see if there's something that can be changed to stop it from happening again.
Thank you all for being members of AGN!
The system we have in place to help restrict scammers works well, overall. The 10 post minimum for new members to access the classifieds has helped quite a bit by allowing you members to look at an individuals posts and decipher if they look genuine or not. It also has helped us in the "back ground" to ID potential risks that have been pointed out to us. Thanks to all of you for pointing out those potential risks!
That being said, there are still some areas of weakness and this is especially true for "WTB" ads. So, if you are thinking about posting a WTB ad, or have one up already, keep reading. Here's how the scam works... A member places the WTB ad. The scammer reads what the buyer is after and joins the forum. There are no restrictions on sending PM's without posting replies anywhere, unlike the classifieds. Implementing such a system could be problematic and would not be a guarantee against scammers. All the scammer has to do, after joining, is send a PM offering just what the buyer is after.
Please use extreme caution when you receive a response from a new member or one without any posts. Anyone can look into anyone else's profile by simply clicking on their name. Scammers like to use untraceable means of transferring money. So beware when asked to send money in a non-mainstream way. Paypal is a good tool to send money but, sending it to "friends and family" leaves you vulnerable. You "might" have a chance of recovering a loss if you pay the PP fees. Don't send cash through the mail. Beware of Western Union or "Wal-mart to Wal-mart" type transactions. Even Money Orders carry risk.
You're best bet is to be cautious! Ask for pictures. Ask for dated materials to be in the pictures such as a newspaper or hand written note. You might even request a close up picture of a particular area on whatever your wanting. You can ask to see a persons ID. Exchange telephone numbers and call each other. There are many ways to help confirm that a person is who they say they are and has what they say they do. If a deal sounds too good to be true, it might just be. WTT ads are also a point of vulnerability and a lot of these tips can also be used for that situation.
The moderators are here for you as well. We'd be happy to do what we can on our end. Just remember to send us a link! It makes our job much easier and faster. We may not be able to bring you much more information than you already have but, we'll try. We sympathize with anyone that has fallen victim to a scammer. When it does happen, we do look into it. We try to see if there's something that can be changed to stop it from happening again.
Thank you all for being members of AGN!