This is good news and I've been waiting as well. I'm at the stage in life where thinning the herd is the smart move, and prefer to do that here where possible with long-term members who are known solid individuals. Over the years I've done business with established Sigforum members, I never had a worry in the least. That's worth a whole lot in in my world.

quote:

Originally posted by wrightd:
Over the years I've done business with established Sigforum members, I never had a worry in the least.

Well, actually, you do need to worry, because the modus operandi of the current crop of thieves is hijacking the accounts of established members.

You read this in August of 2025, and you need to read it again: Who is a thief in Classifieds?

Commit the following to memory and think of it any time you Classifieds: The only way this is going to work, is if you start any transaction assuming that the person on the other end is not who they say they are- that they are a thief scheming to steal your money, and then work backwards from that assumption to prove to your satisfaction that they are who they say they are.

You must do this. You MUST. Thieves want easy pickings, and it must be that they have to go elsewhere for easy pickings.

There are things I'm going to do and going to change here that will serve as substantial impediments to thieves, but if any of you guys go strolling in to a deal like there aren't people just waiting to pounce on you and take your money, it's not going to work.



And to drive it home with a sledgehammer:

The only way this is going to work, is if you start any transaction assuming that the person on the other end is not who they say they are- that they are a thief scheming to steal your money, and then work backwards from that assumption to prove to your satisfaction that they are who they say they are.

The only way this is going to work, is if you start any transaction assuming that the person on the other end is not who they say they are- that they are a thief scheming to steal your money, and then work backwards from that assumption to prove to your satisfaction that they are who they say they are.

The only way this is going to work, is if you start any transaction assuming that the person on the other end is not who they say they are- that they are a thief scheming to steal your money, and then work backwards from that assumption to prove to your satisfaction that they are who they say they are.

The only way this is going to work, is if you start any transaction assuming that the person on the other end is not who they say they are- that they are a thief scheming to steal your money, and then work backwards from that assumption to prove to your satisfaction that they are who they say they are.

The only way this is going to work, is if you start any transaction assuming that the person on the other end is not who they say they are- that they are a thief scheming to steal your money, and then work backwards from that assumption to prove to your satisfaction that they are who they say they are.

The only way this is going to work, is if you start any transaction assuming that the person on the other end is not who they say they are- that they are a thief scheming to steal your money, and then work backwards from that assumption to prove to your satisfaction that they are who they say they are.

The only way this is going to work, is if you start any transaction assuming that the person on the other end is not who they say they are- that they are a thief scheming to steal your money, and then work backwards from that assumption to prove to your satisfaction that they are who they say they are.


There are things I'm going to do and going to change here that will serve as substantial impediments to thieves, but if any of you guys go strolling in to a deal like there aren't people just waiting to pounce on you and take your money, it's not going to work.

I edited my profile to make my registration email different from my display email as recommended in the linked 2025 thread in Para's post above.

While looking at my profile there were many fields I left blank because 16 years ago, I wasn’t comfortable adding the info. 16 years have given me a much better comfort level so I added my cell number to my private profile. If there is a question about my account and it makes the mod's job easier to just call me rather then wait for me to check my e-mail, I'm good with them having my number.

quote:

Originally posted by ss9961:
Sometime around noon, my wife will ask me what time I’ll be home. I don’t have set hours so I take a good guess when I’ll be done.
I say I’ll be home at about 515pm.

At 516pm, she texts,” still 515? Where are you ?
You said 515!”

”Sometime before midnight.” The 5:17 looks a lot better then. It is all about setting expectations.

quote:

Originally posted by parabellum:
The only way this is going to work, is if you start any transaction assuming that the person on the other end is not who they say they are- that they are a thief scheming to steal your money, and then work backwards from that assumption to prove to your satisfaction that they are who they say they are.


There are things I'm going to do and going to change here that will serve as substantial impediments to thieves, but if any of you guys go strolling in to a deal like there aren't people just waiting to pounce on you and take your money, it's not going to work.

In addition to these starting points, a pretty easy way to at least ensure the item you're asking about is at least owned by the person you're talking to is to think up a random combination of numbers and letters and ask them to write that down as a password of sorts on a sheet of paper, along with their username and/or email address plus the date and time and have that piece of paper included with all pictures of the item. Anyone willing to actually sell an item won't mind. A thief and scammer will immediately start in with acting insulted that you don't trust them. If someone won't timestamp a gun, then just immediately walk.

Can the timestamped paper be photoshopped? Yes. Can it be done really well and convincingly in multiple pictures from different angles and distances? Not yet that I've seen. It's not totally foolproof, but it's another layer of security that is easy to ask for, it's easy for a seller to do, and it makes a casual or tech-dumb scammer tend to walk.

I have seen as of about a year ago that scammers are using AI and filters to fake an appearance and voice on video calls, so those are not a totally bombproof method of verification, either. I would guess they're only better now since the video a friend sent me of someone who tried to scam him. Anyone who badly enough wants to screw you and has the technical know-how can make a really good run at it. Layers of impediments, being wary and suspicious, and listening to your gut is key.

Years ago I did a lot of higher-end transactions on forums. The mantra of the forumites was "trust the seller, not the item". Even some decades ago, I would tell people, a username is not a seller/person, it's a communications channel. VERIFY the seller, -- then you can choose to trust the seller.

I have never been scammed on a forum classifieds, but I have had to irritate many sellers in the vetting process, and I have also had to walk away from deals that in all likelihood were perfectly fine, but my spidey senses were squirming.

Trust your gut, and work to verify that the esteemed long-time forum member on the other end of that email is really him, and not a scumbag that phished the old timer.

My concern is the tl;dr folks among us.

When I finally do get around to posting the thread outlining how we are going to go about reopening and adequately securing Classifieds, it's going to be a lot of text, and in order for those who intend to utilize Classifieds to buy from others to avoid scammers, they will need to read and comprehend what I am saying, and as sure as I'm typing this right now, there will be those whose eyes glaze over at the sight of all of it and go marching blindly into getting ripped off, and each time the scammers succeed, they'll be more emboldened. We have to shut them down entirely, and to do so, we need a battle plan, and everyone involved needs to understand what's required.

quote:

tl;dr

Not too long to read your advice.

Is this really para making this post?

Does the Pope wear a funny hat?

Pending on one's beliefs.

Does he have lung cancer?

Not trying to provoke you. Simply double checking, and thinking forward about how to trust a post.

ETA: We have so many wise members here, I believe the hourly or minutely guys who constantly monitor posts will greatly and gladly assist in gang-raping scammers.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Cope,

Ain't no thang

quote:

tl;dr

Learnt me another term......


and yep, they exist.... those tl:dr people

Parabellum.

Do you really want or need the aggravation that will most assuredly come with reopening of the Classifieds?

Is your blood pressure better now than what it was before it was closed?

Have you asked your wife (Happy upcoming Anniversary!) if you look less stressed now than pre-closing?

Trust your intuiton, my dear friend. Time is either invested or spent.

Very best to you and your loved ones,
J

ETA: Fwiw, one of the things I was taught back in the day was to assess risk.

There are three(3) kinds of risks. Necessary risks, unnecessary risks, and to-hell-with-it-
I'm-taking-it risks.

Capisce!