Federal Bureau of Investigation
FRANKFORT, KY (5/2/13) – Criminals capitalize on current events highlighted by the media, especially when the topic draws a significant amount of attention. The Internet Crime Center (IC3) often sees evidence of this via complaints. One topic in particular that has continued to receive national attention is gun legislation reform. As a result, gun sales have skyrocketed.
Consumers are not only purchasing firearms in stores, but online as well. The IC3 has seen an uptick in the number of complaints recently filed reporting fraudulent advertisements for firearms. Criminals entice victims into purchasing the firearms by using photos and descriptions hijacked from online firearm ads and advertise the firearms for below market value. The majority of the type of firearm that victims were attempting to purchase was a long gun.
In order to convince the buyer the transaction is legitimate, the criminal sometimes provides the victim a copy of a military photo ID via email, which they claim is theirs. Criminals also appear to know the procedures of transferring firearms by arranging for the firearm to be delivered to the victim’s local Federal Firearm Licensee (FFL). Many of the complainants fell for the scam, losing hundreds to over a thousand dollars in each transaction.
Remember, when dealing with someone online or over the phone, if it sounds too good to be true, it more than likely is.
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