I’ve always thought Doug’s long-standing warning that’s been pinned at the top of this forum to be a bit extreme, because his harsh wording there sort of implies that everyone’s a potential scammer. However, in light of recent developments with scammers hijacking people’s accounts and then dangling tempting “bait” items for sale (usually expensive gold bullion coins) under those stolen identities, perhaps Doug’s blunt warning from the past is warranted more than ever. Be very careful before buying. Know who you’re dealing with. Ask for references. And even if the transaction is with a name you recognize, confirm that it’s really them and not a hijacked account! A little homework can save you some heartache. Look for departures from the norm. For example, if the purported seller is someone who’s primarily known to deal with ancient coins, be wary if they’re suddenly offering a gold US bullion coin with scant details and no pictures. Sure, it might really be them, but take steps to be sure you know who you’re dealing with, is all I’m saying! Obviously, CoinTalk cannot be held responsible for anything that goes awry in third-party transactions like this. You’re on your own. Buyer beware! All that being said, we’ve got a nice community here, and I’m glad we do have these advertising forums for members to do business with each other. Just exercise due caution, particularly with expensive items! You might want to consider a payment option that offers some buyer protection, like regular goods & services PayPal, for example. And the old maxim that states, “if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is” definitely applies here. That’s a classic survival rule for a reason.
To elaborate on that a little bit, let me suggest you research the person you intend to do business with a little bit before proceeding. Click on his or her profile link, then the tab entitled "postings", to see their recent and past forum activity. No activity for years and now they're suddenly offering expensive items for sale? Could be a red flag. Might be explainable, but take notice of stuff like that. Another potential red flag is if you look at the sort of things they discussed in their posts and get some idea of what they collect and/or have sold in the past, and now suddenly they're offering to sell items that seem very unrelated to their past activity, then take note of that too. Again, it could be perfectly explainable, but if, as my example above notes, you've got a dedicated Ancients guy suddenly offering US gold bullion for sale, maybe you need to look a bit closer. But of course some of us (myself included) are pretty eclectic and deal with stuff from a wide variety of categories. Just get a feel for who you might be dealing with, is all I'm saying- and look before you leap. Even if it's a name you recognize, you should watch out if the items offered for sale are a departure from that member's usual patterns. Look at past posts and compare the posting style and language used, etc. Please use the "report" link to flag any suspicious posts you see. Thanks.
One other thought. Now, I'm not super tech-savvy myself, and am certainly no expert on cybersecurity, but I would guess that the scammer(s) are taking control of members' accounts by cracking the passwords, using some kind of software? Maybe it's time to consider the strength of your password, to protect your own account from hijackers who want to steal your identity and use it to rip off other people. Here are some tips from CISA.gov: Strengthen Your Passwords with Three Simple Tips A strong password follows ALL THREE of these tips. 1. Make them long At least 16 characters—longer is stronger! 2. Make them random Two ways to do this are: Use a random string of mixed-case letters, numbers and symbols. For example: cXmnZK65rf*&DaaD Yuc8$RikA34%ZoPPao98t Another option is to create a memorable phrase of 4 – 7 unrelated words. This is called a “passphrase.” For example: Good: HorsePurpleHatRun Great: HorsePurpleHatRunBay Amazing: Horse Purple Hat Run Bay Lifting Note: You can use spaces before or between words if you prefer! 3. Make them unique Use a different strong password for each account. For example: Bank: k8dfh8c@Pfv0gB2 Email account: legal tiny facility freehand probable enamel Social media account: e246gs%mFs#3tv6 ............................................. Here is how you go to your profile link and change your password:
