I’ve seen a proliferation of scam websites in the last year and a half, both firearms related and non-firearms related. And I have seen several posts on gun boards asking if specific sites are scams. So, I thought I would pass along some tips on how to spot scam firearms-related websites. Many of the tips also apply to non-firearms-related websites.
Note that I'm talking about plain, out-and-out crooks and not businesses who may have poor customer service, etc. And, keep in mind that a legitimate business might have one or more warning flags. In the end you have to exercise your own judgment.
Here’s what I would suggest for any unfamiliar website.
1. Do what is known as a “whois” search. This will tell you when the website first obtained its domain name. The shorter the time registered, the redder the flag. But, new, legitimate businesses may not be registered very long either. There are several sites where you can do a whois search, but I usually go to https://lookup.icann.org/lookup and type in the website address. The only data that matters for our purposes is date the registration was created.
2. If there is a physical address listed on the website, plug it into Google Maps and go down to the street level view and see if you see the business. I found one scam site that was very professional looking, but with a physical address at a mobile home park in Florida. If the website doesn’t list a physical address somewhere, then that’s a red flag for me.
3. Does the area code of a listed phone number match up with the physical address? Most retail firearm-related businesses are not likely to have a phone bank in a different state than their bricks and mortar store.
4. Does the business take real credit cards like MasterCard or Visa? If it accepts payment only through PayPal, Venmo, or some other “peer-to-peer” payment system, be wary. In fact, PayPal doesn’t allow use of an account for the sale of firearms, ammo, and some gun parts.
5. If the website sells guns (by sending it to a dealer in your state), go to the ATF website and download the list of all firearms dealers in the state where the dealer is located for the last month available (there is also a national list available). It can be downloaded in an Excel spreadsheet format or text spreadsheet format. Look under the column listing the business name and the column listing the dealer name. I find it easier to sort the appropriate column alphabetically. The spreadsheet also lists the physical address and mailing address of the licensee. That way, you can double-check that the website hasn’t spoofed someone else’s name. Download at: https://www.atf.gov/firearms/listing-federal-firearms-licensees.
Hope this helps someone.
Note that I'm talking about plain, out-and-out crooks and not businesses who may have poor customer service, etc. And, keep in mind that a legitimate business might have one or more warning flags. In the end you have to exercise your own judgment.
Here’s what I would suggest for any unfamiliar website.
1. Do what is known as a “whois” search. This will tell you when the website first obtained its domain name. The shorter the time registered, the redder the flag. But, new, legitimate businesses may not be registered very long either. There are several sites where you can do a whois search, but I usually go to https://lookup.icann.org/lookup and type in the website address. The only data that matters for our purposes is date the registration was created.
2. If there is a physical address listed on the website, plug it into Google Maps and go down to the street level view and see if you see the business. I found one scam site that was very professional looking, but with a physical address at a mobile home park in Florida. If the website doesn’t list a physical address somewhere, then that’s a red flag for me.
3. Does the area code of a listed phone number match up with the physical address? Most retail firearm-related businesses are not likely to have a phone bank in a different state than their bricks and mortar store.
4. Does the business take real credit cards like MasterCard or Visa? If it accepts payment only through PayPal, Venmo, or some other “peer-to-peer” payment system, be wary. In fact, PayPal doesn’t allow use of an account for the sale of firearms, ammo, and some gun parts.
5. If the website sells guns (by sending it to a dealer in your state), go to the ATF website and download the list of all firearms dealers in the state where the dealer is located for the last month available (there is also a national list available). It can be downloaded in an Excel spreadsheet format or text spreadsheet format. Look under the column listing the business name and the column listing the dealer name. I find it easier to sort the appropriate column alphabetically. The spreadsheet also lists the physical address and mailing address of the licensee. That way, you can double-check that the website hasn’t spoofed someone else’s name. Download at: https://www.atf.gov/firearms/listing-federal-firearms-licensees.
Hope this helps someone.