By default no one's email address is visible to the public, unless you shared it in a public field.
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Detecting Scammers in the Classifieds
- Thread starter rootdude
- Start date
Hi Michael!
I set up a test account to verify that my statement is correct.
First screenshot is my account now, after adjusting my Privacy settings.
Second screenshot is a test account I set up and checked the Privacy settings immediately after registering. As you can see, "All Visitors" can view my profile details.
Third screenshot are the account details that "All Visitors" can view - which includes my email address.
I should mention, that I use an iCloud service that creates email aliases for all online accounts I have to keep my email address unique and private to each website I register on - meaning the email address I have used to register here is unique - no one can find it unless the website allows it to be leaked. So, that person [email protected] got my email address from the forums here - before I noticed that my email address was exposed because the default settings do not make that information private to Members here.
I'm not posting this to cause any drama, but I believe that the default settings for new registrants should be changed at the very least, and perhaps those more restrictive permissions to account details can be applied site-wide to help close the door to this kind of data harvesting.
Any protection from scammers would be greatly appreciated @Michael and changing these settings would be helpful - as an Administrator the change should be trivial.
Thanks again for the awesome resource - I love the community here!
Regards,
Mark
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Kindly share where you think a viewer is shown a members information like an email address. As far as I know the only information presented is within the About section of a users profile (which does not include any field for an email address). Take for example the other Admistrator account. Here are the Privacy settings:
And here is what you should see on it's About page
Neither viewers nor members should have access to another members email address or their Privacy settings or Account Details. If you can see the email address associated with that Administrative account please specify exactly where you see it and share it here.
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Mark,
Thank You for sharing your expertise, I'm not internet saavy so some of your ideas I had no inkling of.
I'm new here, most of my experience is on firearm websites.
WTB ads are a scammer magnet. They're so bad I quit posting them a couple of years ago. At one point not all, but several of the WTB ads I posted got a response from one, sometimes more than one scammer.
Fake internet stores; A surprise to me was (a couple of years ago) I was looking to buy a Marlin Model 1894 in 357 Magnum. A google search turned up a store (supposedly in Alaska) that had what I was looking for. It was a new gun, in fact they had several Marlins. Red flags; 1.) the prices were too low, about what Marlin was charging before Remington bought them. 2.) Marlins in that model were not that plentiful. 3.) the Marlins advertised were out of production - how did they get so many of them(?) So I looked at payment methods... no credit cards, the only payments accepted were methods that you were unable to recover your funds due to fraud. Their web store was impressive. It looked like any other of the major storefronts (like Midway, Natchez, etc.). Looked to my IT naive eye like it took an incredible amount of work to build it.
Fake feedback; I saw this on Gunbroker. A guy selling something I was interested in, he had something like 11 or 12 positive feedback reviews. Nothing out of the ordinary, but I looked up his reviews and they were from the same 3 users. I checked their reviews, and he was posting positive reviews for his reviewers. So they were all the same person opening multiple Gunbroker accounts under different email & user names. Just a footnote, I contacted gunbroker, attached the ad and told them of this, crickets. Contacted them the next day, the next day, nothing from them and the ad was still up. The item sold, no way to contact the buyer - I gave up. They (Gunbroker) may have gotten better since then(?), I base this on contacting them recently about a non fraud issue and they responded within a day.
Username copycats; On another site I waste my life at, scammers were taking a known (by this I mean a frequent posters) username and adding one letter, digit or symbol at the end of it. The name looked familiar and people bought the item that the scammer had posted.
Hacked passwords; or that is at least what the 'real' user figured what happened, apparently the 'real' guy had used the same password on several forums. His account on another site was hacked and the scammer was able to log in to his account on the forum I was on and advertised some stuff. The 'Real' user saw the ad and posted to everyone that it was not him that posted the item, that he did not have any such thing for sale and not to send any money.
My method; I feel safer buying from a forum, because if the site has reviews I can look at those. I can see how long the user has been a member, most scammers are found out in short order and booted off of the site. If the seller is not known to me I will look up their posts to see if they look legitimate or not==> eg. often a 'real' member will have posted something, or even pictures of the item he is now selling, on the other hand a scammer often only post short cryptic answers that indicate they do not have any experience with or knowledge of the subject just to get their post count up, or only posts in the classifieds for instance.
Jerry
Thank You for sharing your expertise, I'm not internet saavy so some of your ideas I had no inkling of.
I'm new here, most of my experience is on firearm websites.
WTB ads are a scammer magnet. They're so bad I quit posting them a couple of years ago. At one point not all, but several of the WTB ads I posted got a response from one, sometimes more than one scammer.
Fake internet stores; A surprise to me was (a couple of years ago) I was looking to buy a Marlin Model 1894 in 357 Magnum. A google search turned up a store (supposedly in Alaska) that had what I was looking for. It was a new gun, in fact they had several Marlins. Red flags; 1.) the prices were too low, about what Marlin was charging before Remington bought them. 2.) Marlins in that model were not that plentiful. 3.) the Marlins advertised were out of production - how did they get so many of them(?) So I looked at payment methods... no credit cards, the only payments accepted were methods that you were unable to recover your funds due to fraud. Their web store was impressive. It looked like any other of the major storefronts (like Midway, Natchez, etc.). Looked to my IT naive eye like it took an incredible amount of work to build it.
Fake feedback; I saw this on Gunbroker. A guy selling something I was interested in, he had something like 11 or 12 positive feedback reviews. Nothing out of the ordinary, but I looked up his reviews and they were from the same 3 users. I checked their reviews, and he was posting positive reviews for his reviewers. So they were all the same person opening multiple Gunbroker accounts under different email & user names. Just a footnote, I contacted gunbroker, attached the ad and told them of this, crickets. Contacted them the next day, the next day, nothing from them and the ad was still up. The item sold, no way to contact the buyer - I gave up. They (Gunbroker) may have gotten better since then(?), I base this on contacting them recently about a non fraud issue and they responded within a day.
Username copycats; On another site I waste my life at, scammers were taking a known (by this I mean a frequent posters) username and adding one letter, digit or symbol at the end of it. The name looked familiar and people bought the item that the scammer had posted.
Hacked passwords; or that is at least what the 'real' user figured what happened, apparently the 'real' guy had used the same password on several forums. His account on another site was hacked and the scammer was able to log in to his account on the forum I was on and advertised some stuff. The 'Real' user saw the ad and posted to everyone that it was not him that posted the item, that he did not have any such thing for sale and not to send any money.
My method; I feel safer buying from a forum, because if the site has reviews I can look at those. I can see how long the user has been a member, most scammers are found out in short order and booted off of the site. If the seller is not known to me I will look up their posts to see if they look legitimate or not==> eg. often a 'real' member will have posted something, or even pictures of the item he is now selling, on the other hand a scammer often only post short cryptic answers that indicate they do not have any experience with or knowledge of the subject just to get their post count up, or only posts in the classifieds for instance.
Jerry
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#1 in my internet selling ............ SET YOUR TERMS & STICK TO THEM !!!!!
If someone argues, disagrees or wishes to change your terms is a Red Flag
Be confident enough to say NO Thank You and move along to another potential buyer.
If someone argues, disagrees or wishes to change your terms is a Red Flag
Be confident enough to say NO Thank You and move along to another potential buyer.
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When i sell a air gun,i put my e-mail address in the add under the pic. Scammers hake this. except on e-bay.
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WOW. So much info on scamming. I have sent stuff to Alaska, Florida and Comifornia. And everywhere in between. I have been so lucky. But I am careful. Thanks for the info.
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Thank you Mark,
I got a message from a scammer today. I posted a WTB for a VERY VERY VERY rare pcp air revolver and within 24 hours I get response from someone who had joined in the last month and only had 11 posts, all within the last 4 weeks. I've asked them for photos and I suspect they'll send me generic photos you can find online via google images. The thing is I already own one copy of this revolver and it should take seconds to take a photo and post so i plan to ask him for photos of certain key spots that are known for wear. Let's see what he comes back with, if at all, and i'll share his email/user name here, because he also shared his email immediately.
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@rootdude @Airgun Nation I can confirm the user loug647 is a scammer, a very lazy blatant one at that...please see the attached screen shots.
I clicked the report button by their user name what else should I can I do?
I clicked the report button by their user name what else should I can I do?
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And he joined AGN on July 5 2025?
I ask because I had the same type of response to a WTB
- Immediately sent email address to deal out of AGN
- sent generic pix
- failed to perform a simple test of the rifle that I asked him to make (after agreeing to do it)
- turned up the "sales pitch"
- Dropped out of sight from follow up emails
just my 2 sense
Edward
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I always crop my feet out of my pic's, but then again I am not selling them just sharing their beauty.
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The guy that hit you was it the same user name as the one messaging this guy here ? Just curious. I generally always include a phone call. You can tell a lot from that generally. Is the other party completely open to that , if not red flag. I usually always offer that if I’m selling something. I’m pretty sure we had a phone conversation before the sale of my streamline. Just how it should be done.
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It's the same guy as mentioned by @rootdude
Username Louge647, with email to me from Anthony Lucchetti05 <[email protected]
When I reported him today AGN indicated the account had been blocked
So, maybe AGN caught one
FWIW he told me he was from Nevada, but that too could be a lie
Shop as safely as you shoot
Edward
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100%. I’m pretty sure there was an Anthony going around AGW and American Airgun Classifieds scamming awhile ago. I think his last name and phone number changed a cpl times. Probably same guy.
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He hasn't replied to my emails since. All eleven of his posts are from the month of July 2025 , the same month he joined...He hasn't been active much outside of few threads.
The other thing that was a major red flag to me was if you look through the screen shot I shared of all eleven of his thread replies/responses, he clearly states he's new to airguns. Yet less then a month later he's somehow a long term owner of an ultra rare (hen's teeth rare) Saxby Palmer model 54 with the full cylinder ?? Yeah freaking right!!
HEre's my collection of Brocock and Saxby Palmer Revolvers...I also have the brocock para me9 in .22 (uses micro bacs instead of longer larger .38 special sized BAC/TAC) there's only been 2 mported state side, Brocock Predator (3 imported), Uberti Cattleman (blued, 5 imported), in climate controlled storage with their accessories.
It took me longer to write this post and edit it then it took to take the photos and upload them.
No excuse in the modern era with smart phones for someone to hesitate sharing photos/short vids or get on a call.
The models I don't have and want in my collection are the Saxby Palmer Model 52 or 54 full cylinder, or the even rarer Brocock Me Pocket revolver (j frame model 36 snub nose look a like). these were all confirmed imported state side in small batches no greater than 5-7 units each back in the 80s and 90s. mind you many get lost or in the pile of " I think this is a real gun " and some are sold off in estates and thrown away or tossed into some attic somewhere or worse handed into police during buy backs.
I'm probably one of 4 collectors in the states that's actually got a large collection of these guns in functioning order with all of the accessoires and spares., but they are still scattered out there with individuals who may not know what they have or just don't think much of it becasues they never got to shoot it. THey do work well when you know how to maintain them. 6-7 ft lbs of energy with the right pellet weights and 210-230BAR (3000-3400 PSI) . I have also machined brass adapters that use 209 primers to propell them and these can generate enough energy to penetrate through a 1 inch particle board.
YEs i'm an American so I own fire breathers too.
This is the first time i've posted to this extent on them. I may do more down the road of the rest ...
The other thing that was a major red flag to me was if you look through the screen shot I shared of all eleven of his thread replies/responses, he clearly states he's new to airguns. Yet less then a month later he's somehow a long term owner of an ultra rare (hen's teeth rare) Saxby Palmer model 54 with the full cylinder ?? Yeah freaking right!!
HEre's my collection of Brocock and Saxby Palmer Revolvers...I also have the brocock para me9 in .22 (uses micro bacs instead of longer larger .38 special sized BAC/TAC) there's only been 2 mported state side, Brocock Predator (3 imported), Uberti Cattleman (blued, 5 imported), in climate controlled storage with their accessories.
It took me longer to write this post and edit it then it took to take the photos and upload them.
No excuse in the modern era with smart phones for someone to hesitate sharing photos/short vids or get on a call.
The models I don't have and want in my collection are the Saxby Palmer Model 52 or 54 full cylinder, or the even rarer Brocock Me Pocket revolver (j frame model 36 snub nose look a like). these were all confirmed imported state side in small batches no greater than 5-7 units each back in the 80s and 90s. mind you many get lost or in the pile of " I think this is a real gun " and some are sold off in estates and thrown away or tossed into some attic somewhere or worse handed into police during buy backs.
I'm probably one of 4 collectors in the states that's actually got a large collection of these guns in functioning order with all of the accessoires and spares., but they are still scattered out there with individuals who may not know what they have or just don't think much of it becasues they never got to shoot it. THey do work well when you know how to maintain them. 6-7 ft lbs of energy with the right pellet weights and 210-230BAR (3000-3400 PSI) . I have also machined brass adapters that use 209 primers to propell them and these can generate enough energy to penetrate through a 1 inch particle board.
YEs i'm an American so I own fire breathers too.
This is the first time i've posted to this extent on them. I may do more down the road of the rest ...
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The scams called out here are not unique to this site. I've seen all this on other firearm related sites, vehicle enthusiast sites, etc. Gotta watch out and be vigilant. Before I send payment to anyone I ask them for a picture of the item, their face, and something that shows current date. I've only had sketchy ones push back on this.
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Agreed!
If you do not jump headlong into a reply to your WTB ad there are many questions and tactics that can be used to help weed out the fakers.
You must be on your toes every step of the way.
just my too sense
Edward
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