For Sale : $2200 - Swarovski ATX 95 Angled Spotting Scope with 30-70x Eyepiece in Box

[WAB]

Question to the moderators and AH members: Given how easy it appears to be for a scammer to post a classified on this forum and steal money from a member, should there not be a requirement for a seller to be vetted and approved before being allowed to post a classified?

Perhaps one process could be that a person wanting to post a classified has to submit a "request to sell" that goes out to the members that provides certain information about the seller (not the product), and then at least one other long-standing or well-known member has to send the moderators an approval, vouching for the seller...only then would the seller be allowed to post to the classifieds. Whatever we come up with, it seems to me that we need to do better to protect our own.

Personally I think it’s too much to ask of the moderators. Perhaps a set of guidelines for buyers? This one had a lot of red flags. We need to help folks recognize them.

 

[rookhawk]

Question to the moderators and AH members: Given how easy it appears to be for a scammer to post a classified on this forum and steal money from a member, should there not be a requirement for a seller to be vetted and approved before being allowed to post a classified?

Perhaps one process could be that a person wanting to post a classified has to submit a "request to sell" that goes out to the members that provides certain information about the seller (not the product), and then at least one other long-standing or well-known member has to send the moderators an approval, vouching for the seller...only then would the seller be allowed to post to the classifieds. Whatever we come up with, it seems to me that we need to do better to protect our own.

Scammers are cheap. they will never pay a penny to perpetrate a scam. If AH required an initial silver sponsorship to be a seller, the fraud would dry up quickly.

As to hijacked accounts, it’s a real thing. I’ve asked AH several times if they could enable multi-factor authentication, a technology that eliminates account hijacking because it requires a PIN or SMS text to your phone to log in. Unless a scammer steals your user ID, password, AND your phone, you’re good.

 

[Wyfox]

A paywall will help but not eliminate scammers. Another forum I'm on does a paywall for classifieds, scammers will use stolen paypal accounts/credit cards or just pony up the money to make money on high dollar items.

As a buyer you need to do due diligence and vet the seller ie; facetime, google meet, phone call, more specific pics, etc.

Trust your gut, if it sounds to good to be true it is. No one is going to sell a new 4k spotting scope for 2k then he happens to have two when another member missed out???

Use reverse image search, look at user posting history and feedback. Hennie had a 300prc listed, Using reverse image search I found that rifle was on 3 other forums for 2k more by another username in another state and listed as sold before it was ever listed here.

 

[Mtn_Infantry]

Question to the moderators and AH members: Given how easy it appears to be for a scammer to post a classified on this forum and steal money from a member, should there not be a requirement for a seller to be vetted and approved before being allowed to post a classified?

Perhaps one process could be that a person wanting to post a classified has to submit a "request to sell" that goes out to the members that provides certain information about the seller (not the product), and then at least one other long-standing or well-known member has to send the moderators an approval, vouching for the seller...only then would the seller be allowed to post to the classifieds. Whatever we come up with, it seems to me that we need to do better to protect our own.

I posed this question before to another member earlier.

Maybe set something where a new member can’t post a classified ad until they have 75 Posts or unlock something in terms of a certain number of reaction scores so their posts are actually valid and contributing.

 

[rookhawk]

I posed this question before to another member earlier.

Maybe set something where a new member can’t post a classified ad until they have 75 Posts or unlock something in terms of a certain number of reaction scores so their posts are actually valid and contributing.

Lots of sites try this…it doesn’t work. All people do is spam the forum with “nice gun” and other comments to pad their post minimums.

The give-away that something is fraudulent is language and correspondence.

1.) If you have the financial means to buy a $4000 discretionary item that is used in a $20k-$100k per year discretionary hobby, you have financial means. With such financial means usually comes the ability to communicate and write a cogent sentence. You don’t meet too many upper middle class people that can’t string together a few words.

2.) Unwillingness to provide a phone number. Scammers don’t want to reveal their accent nor their lack of knowledge of the purported article they are selling, hence they will not give you a way to contact them via phone. Anyone legit wants to hear from you via phone to size up your legitimacy, potentially add other items to the package, or confirm shipping details in a verbal exchange unless both parties are well-known to a forum.

This sale broke both of the normal truths above indicating high probability it wasn’t legitimate.

 

[Dewald]

Lots of sites try this…it doesn’t work. All people do is spam the forum with “nice gun” and other comments to pad their post minimums.

The give-away that something is fraudulent is language and correspondence.

1.) If you have the financial means to buy a $4000 discretionary item that is used in a $20k-$100k per year discretionary hobby, you have financial means. With such financial means usually comes the ability to communicate and write a cogent sentence. You don’t meet too many upper middle class people that can’t string together a few words.

2.) Unwillingness to provide a phone number. Scammers don’t want to reveal their accent nor their lack of knowledge of the purported article they are selling, hence they will not give you a way to contact them via phone. Anyone legit wants to hear from you via phone to size up your legitimacy, potentially add other items to the package, or confirm shipping details in a verbal exchange unless both parties are well-known to a forum.

This sale broke both of the normal truths above indicating high probability it wasn’t legitimate.

I can not agree with this more.

In addition, the name Hennie is very much an Afrikaans name, diminutive form of Hendrik, and I would venture a guess that the profile picture is 90% likely that of a South African guy on a shooting range in South Africa with an AR.

Again, this is another incongruency given a story of being in Seattle, and other places in the US.

Everything simply doesn’t add up.

 

[BRICKBURN]

Whatever we come up with, it seems to me that we need to do better to protect our own.

Are you volunteering your time and energy to be available 24 hours a day 7 days a week to do this simple task?
I doubt it.
AfricaHunting.com cannot and will not be responsible for any transaction.

Here is the protection.

Posted right at the top of the Classifieds.

"Classifieds ​

PLEASE READ RULES BELOW & Consumer Tips to Avoid Internet Classified Scams BEFORE PARTICIPATING IN THE CLASSIFIEDS!

RULES: Buy, sell, trade or want ads. The use of this site by members is a privilege that can be limited and/or revoked at any time, for any reason and/or any length of time. Please respect the rules of our community.

All transactions must be in accordance with all Country, State and Federal Laws. Private party Classifieds. No dealers, resellers or manufacturers. No commercial posts. No links. Don't post or offer an item that is not yours. For sale threads must have a price listed. Images need to be uploaded into your post and cannot be hosted or embedded from elsewhere. If you intend to list your item on another website/platform or if you already have it listed elsewhere please indicate this with the following wording in your listing: LISTED ELSEWHERE. Avoid listing Classifieds items simultaneously on auction site. Members will not have editing/deleting capability in the Classifieds after a half hour as we do not want users to change the post, offer or wanted ad after the fact and so that the buyer in case of a dispute can refer back to the original post, offer or wanted ad. Posts, offers or wanted ads are not deleted, they archive themselves with time. We reserve the right to edit, reject or cancel any post in the Classifieds section at any time. USE CAUTION in the Classifieds it is a use at your own risk forum for buyers and sellers alike, caveat emptor. Buyers and sellers assume any and all risks as AfricaHunting.com cannot and will not be responsible for any transaction. DO NOT post your personal information publicly! If you want to provide someone your personal information please do so in the Conversations/Private Messages (PM) system. Make payment via an escrow service like Escrow.com whenever possible. Once the item has been sold we request that we please indicate that in the thread."

 

[BRICKBURN]

Hennie was banned last night.

 

[WAB]

Hennie was banned last night.

I hate it for the member who got scammed. Too bad we can’t send a high voltage pulse through to the bastard’s keyboard.

 

[JD Noblin]

Are you volunteering your time and energy to be available 24 hours a day 7 days a week to do this simple task?
I doubt it.
AfricaHunting.com cannot and will not be responsible for any transaction.

If a workable method can be developed and implemented that actually provides real protection to our members and defeats scammers I will be glad to volunteer time and energy to help this good forum. I bet there are others on this forum who would be willing to assist as well. I don't know how the "back office" works on an internet forum but I am willing to learn if someone is willing to teach. You can call or PM me for further discussions.

 

[Mtn_Infantry]

I’m sure there are a couple other members who would gladly volunteer some time to be mods and help.

I do agree that a simple post count would be defeated with welcome posts which is why I thought about feedback having a number. That’d mean they can’t post until they’ve contributed actual helpful info or comments. In my opinion it’d make it slightly more challenging to defeat but not 100% fool proof. I don’t think there’s a completely fool proof method.

 

[akph24]

did you call the guy over the phone ? scammer are pretty easy to "smell"

 

[FDP]

He got me earlier this week on another deal. Just glad he is gone. For now.....

 

[BRICKBURN]

Defeat the scammers by screening them before you ever send a dime. Please.

 

[FDP]

Well, I have a positive update regarding the Hennie scam. My hit was only $300 but paypal refunded it to me. Amazing. I thought, what the heck, try to request it and they approved it. Hopefully kingfish0000 here has tried to get with paypal on his situation. It actually worked in my case. Lesson learned!

 

[dchum]

Who would spend thousands with someone and not speak on the phone first

That isn’t even 100% but…

The guy was speaking in broken English