How to spot and avoid scams when buying or selling guns online

The most common scams are fake sellers who take payment and send nothing, and fake buyers who pay with money that later disappears. Both rely on the same things: distance, hurry and a payment method that cannot be undone. Firearms are a target because buyers expect shipping and dealer transfers, which gives a scammer room to invent steps.

Almost every scam shows at least one of the warning signs below. One sign alone is a reason to slow down. Two or more is a reason to stop.

• A price far below what the same gun sells for elsewhere
• Pressure to pay a deposit now to hold the item
• A request to pay by gift card, cryptocurrency, wire transfer or a payment app's friends and family option
• A request to leave the site and continue by text, email or a chat app right away
• A check or money order for more than the asking price
• A buyer who will send a shipper, mover or agent to pick up the gun
• A seller or buyer who refuses to use a licensed dealer for an out-of-state sale
• Photos that look like catalog or auction images, or a seller who will not send a new photo on request
• An escrow or shipping website you have never heard of, chosen by the other person

A buyer sends a check or money order for more than the price and asks you to send back the difference. The check is fake. The Federal Trade Commission explains that banks must make deposited funds available quickly, but a fake check can take weeks to be discovered. When it bounces, the bank takes the money back from you, and whatever you sent is gone.

A common version adds a pickup agent. The buyer says they are out of the country, on a ship, deployed or buying for a relative, and that their shipper will collect the gun. The extra money is supposedly for the shipper. No real buyer needs you to pay their mover. Handing a firearm to an unknown agent for a buyer in another state also skips the licensed dealer transfer that federal law requires.

Money showing in your account does not mean a check has cleared. Do not accept a check for more than the price, do not refund an overpayment, and do not release a firearm against a check from a stranger. If a check arrives that you did not expect, do not deposit it.

Yes, some electronic payments can be disputed or reversed after the fact, and sellers have lost both the gun and the money this way. A payment made with a stolen account or card can be pulled back when the real owner reports it. A scammer may also send a fake payment confirmation email that looks like it came from the app.

Buyers face the opposite problem. The FTC warns that once you send money through a payment app to a scammer, it is hard to get back, and that cryptocurrency payments usually cannot be recovered unless the other person returns them. Person to person transfers generally do not carry the purchase protections of a credit card.

Also read the terms of any payment service before you use it for a firearm sale. PayPal's Acceptable Use Policy, which Venmo's user agreement also applies, bars transactions involving ammunition, firearms and certain firearm parts or accessories. Cash App's policy lists weapons, firearms and ammunition among restricted goods. Breaking these terms can mean a frozen account and no help with a dispute. Confirm any payment by logging in to your own account, never through a link or an email the other person sent.

A fake seller usually has a great price, borrowed photos and a reason you must pay before you can see the gun. The listing is often copied from a real ad or an old auction. The seller is always too far away to meet, and wants a deposit to hold the item because other buyers are waiting.

Test the listing before you send anything. Search the photos with a reverse image search to see if they appear elsewhere. Ask for a new photo of the firearm next to a handwritten note with today's date and the seller's username. Ask a specific question about the gun that the photos do not answer. A real owner can do all of this in minutes.

Then test the transfer. Tell the seller the gun must ship to your licensed dealer, and ask which dealer will ship it for them. A seller who refuses to involve a dealer in an out-of-state sale is either a scammer or is proposing something illegal. Walk away in both cases.

A fake escrow scam sends you to a professional looking website that promises to hold your money until the gun arrives. The other person picked the site, and they control it. Once you pay, the site and the seller vanish. Treat any escrow, shipping or inspection service suggested by a stranger as part of the scam until you prove otherwise. 2A List does not offer escrow and never handles money between members.

A fake license scam uses a copied or altered federal firearms license to look legitimate. A scammer posing as a dealer may email a license copy to win your trust, or a fake buyer may send one so you will ship a gun to an address that is not a dealer.

Verify every license with ATF's FFL eZ Check at fflezcheck.atf.gov. Enter the first three and last five digits of the license number. For an active license, ATF says the tool shows the license number, expiration date, license name, trade name, premises address and mailing address. Compare those with the copy you were sent. The tool does not cover Type 03 collector or Type 06 ammunition maker licenses. Look up the dealer's phone number yourself, call to confirm they expect the transfer, and ship only to the licensed premises address.

The safest sale is local, in person and, when there is any doubt, at a licensed dealer. Meeting face to face lets the buyer inspect the firearm and lets the seller see payment before the gun changes hands. Doing the transfer at a dealer adds a background check and a paper record.

For a sale that involves shipping, the firearm should move from a dealer to a dealer, and money should move only after the basics check out. These habits stop most scams.

• Keep early conversation in 2A List messages so there is a record
• Meet in a well lit public place, or at a gun shop that handles private party transfers
• Inspect the firearm and check that the serial number matches the bill of sale before paying
• Do not pay deposits or holding fees to people you have not met
• Never pay with gift cards, cryptocurrency or a wire transfer to a stranger
• Verify any dealer license with FFL eZ Check and call the dealer directly
• Follow federal and state transfer law every time, since a person asking you to skip it is a warning sign

Act fast, because the first hours matter most for getting money back. Contact the company you used to pay, say it was fraud and ask for the payment to be reversed. The FTC lists a route for each method: your card issuer, your bank for transfers, the wire company, the payment app, the gift card issuer or the crypto exchange.

Then report it. Reports rarely recover money on their own, but they help investigators link cases and shut down repeat offenders. Save every message, email address, phone number, username, payment receipt and tracking number first.

• File a complaint with the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov
• Report the fraud to the Federal Trade Commission at ReportFraud.ftc.gov
• File a report with your local police, and include the serial number if a firearm was lost
• If the mail was used, contact the US Postal Inspection Service
• Report the listing and the user to 2A List so the account can be reviewed
• Watch for recovery scams, where someone contacts you later offering to get your money back for a fee

Open the listing and use the Report this listing link that appears on every ad. That is the fastest route, because the report arrives attached to the exact listing and the account behind it.

If the problem is a message, a user or something the report link does not cover, use the contact page and choose the safety topic. Paste the listing link and describe what happened. Include screenshots of messages if you have them. Do not confront the other person or keep negotiating to gather evidence. Stop replying and report.

No. This page is general consumer information about fraud and about lawful ways to complete a firearm sale. It is not legal or financial advice.

Laws on firearm transfers change and vary by state. Check your state's rules or ask a lawyer if you have a legal question about a sale. When you are unsure about a buyer, a seller or a transfer, use a licensed dealer.