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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;ToughCOINS, post: 8629203, member: 20480&quot;]There are numerous forms of fraud out there that should concern industry participants, and some can look deceptively innocuous to those who aren&#039;t yet aware of it.&nbsp; </p><p><br /></p><p>I constantly get emails inquiring about purchases.&nbsp; From established customers they are most welcome, but many also come from out of the blue.&nbsp; When I&#039;m not familiar with the interested party, I scrutinize the email carefully.</p><ul> <li>Who is it coming from? An established business or collector already known to me, even if we&#039;ve not done business before?<br /> </li> <li>If a business, was the email sent during business hours for their locale?&nbsp; Example . . . sent at 2:30 AM EST from an Ohio dealer.<br /> </li> <li>Is the composition of the email literate, without errors in diction, grammar (tense in particular) or spelling?</li> <li>Do they include familiar expressions, themes, or even duplication of content used in previous inquiries identified as suspicious?</li> </ul><p>I&#039;ve received multiple emails this past week, all identical except for the email address, signature and locale, the content reading as follows . . . </p><p><br /></p><blockquote><p>&quot;Hello, I am interested in purchasing 3 pieces of any one ounce gold coin or any $20 liberty common date. Also please let me know if you accept Visa Or Master payment, will you be able to deliver to Fort Myers, FL. I&#039;m looking forward to your reply. Thank you Kind Regards, ________.</p><p><br /></p></blockquote><p>Big red flag!&nbsp; I don&#039;t accept credit card payments directly . . . only through PayPal, and only when I&#039;m able to deliver in accordance with their requirements for seller protection.&nbsp; My preference is to use checks and money orders instead.&nbsp; Old school works better for me.</p><p><br /></p><p>I&#039;ve even received such inquiries about coins from familiar email addresses hacked by ne&#039;er-do-wells.&nbsp; One of our most notable members (unnamed) with whom I do a bit of business knows exactly what I&#039;m writing about, as both his and his wife&#039;s email addresses have been hacked and used to contact me.&nbsp; We continue to do business with each other, but not using those addresses.</p><p><br /></p><p>In a nutshell, the predators are everywhere, and you need to be on the lookout for them.</p><p><br /></p><p>Don&#039;t drop your guard at the prospect of a profitable sale . . . it could well end up a larger loss.</p><p><br /></p><p>Mike[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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