Possible Scammer

[8x68S]

I have a WTB ad listed for a 1895 Marlin in 45/70. I have been contacted by an individual with the user name Rooken who says they have one and provides a price. ***IP address is listed in the UK.***
Scammer will contact you via contact through a AO PM, and will send an email to what ever email address you provide in your contacts. Scammer is also viewing WTB ads in Townpost.ca, & Gunpost.ca (they will text you if you list a phone #)
I have requested specific pictures but he/she refuses to provide them. This isn't the first time so buyer beware. Definition of "rook" in England means you got "scammed", or "hoodwinked".

[wwbirds]

You have told them what you want so at first it seems they are giving you what you asked for. They provide often a low price and they take advantage of our desire to save and act quickly before someone else grabs it. They prey on filling our satisfaction for finding, getting a deal and acting quickly so I approach each one as a potential scam.

[Walleyedude]

Be VERY aware. There's at least one scammer that haunts the AO Buy/Sell, and responding to want ads is exactly his scam.

My advice is pretty simple, if it feels too good to be true, it likely is. Go with your gut. Make sure you ask for pictures, lots of pictures and Google search for images, get details and addresses, if you can, talk to the person on the phone. Pay careful attention to the details of the exchange, subtle things can give the scammer away - locations, addresses, inconsistencies in the story, etc... Finally, NEVER pay by Interac ETransfer or PayPal Friends/Family, you have zero recourse if things go sideways.

Trust me, I know, and it was an expensive lesson...

[HowSwedeItIs]

Originally Posted by Walleyedude

...Make sure you ask for pictures, lots of pictures and Google search for images...

Absolutely, you can 'reverse image search' on google now. You right click and save the photo that a would be seller sent you, then you go to google images and click on the camera icon on the search bar. Then you can upload the photo that you saved and it will search for any matches. Oftentimes these guys will grab a photo from a blog or other buy/sell site and pass it off as their own

[Black Feather]

I've learned it's never worth putting up WTB adds here or on CGN. Far safer to just wait until one pops up for sale...

[Dean2]

Scammers must discriminate against lefties.

I put up quite a few WTB ads and I have never had a scammer contact me. That said and as suggested, pay real close attention. I would never deal on line with someone who does not have an AO or CGN trader rating unless it is through E-Bay or Amazon.