Attention Profile Posts for Registered Users disabled due to rampant fraud.

Spark

Spark

HPIC - Hatas gonna Hate
Staff member
Administrator
Super Mod
Moderator
Joined
Oct 2, 1998
Messages
15,211
In an effort to protect the userbase, and due to rampant fraud being committed by scammers, I've disabled the ability of Registered Users to make new profile posts.

Despite all of our warnings to NEVER use Paypal Friends & Family for sending payments, especially without verifying who you are sending it to, we are getting daily reports of people being ripped off. This is largely occuring because people are using profile posts to divulge sensitive information such as PP account addresses, personal email address, etc, again despite our warnings not to do just that.

Thus, I'm turning this feature off for Registered Users and am tempted to turn it off for everyone.

My suggestion for sellers is that you contact the buyer by PM for their payment info, doing something smart like posting a picture of the knife with your username, your contact email address in the image, and you do it privately. If you have no means of doing it privately, create a public burner email that you can have the buyer contact you by.

If you are buying knives and are considering sending several hundreds of dollars to someone you've never met and has no track record? Might be smart to get a paid subscription so you have direct & private comms with the person you are sending the money to.
 
Thank you, Kevin...this is the best option, going forward, IMHO.

I've been trying to convince folks for weeks that they should invest the 83 cents a month it costs for a "Basic" membership simply to assist in protecting the integrity of their purchases on the site which run into hundreds, if not thousands of dollars.

This will be a large step toward protecting members from themselves and putting themselves at risk for the fear of missing out on a good deal.

If all one cares about is being able to buy safely on this site, then a "Basic" membership will go a long way toward getting you there. You can delete your PMs as you go so that you'll be able to message privately with another seller the next time a good deal comes around.





Screenshot 2024-04-09 9.17.29 AM.png
 
I agree both on not using PP FF and PM being the much prefered payment method, but see one problem with your solution(and correct me if I am wrong)

This is just going to move people to post the email in the thread rather than the profile page. The profile page at least restricts viewing to members rather than the general public.
No doubt there is a problem
 
That is an issue that still needs dealing with...though hopefully folks will begin to see the light and take steps to protect themselves and their money.
(At the moment it will be up to sellers to choose only to communicate via PM, thus cutting down on the number of incidents resulting from the public display of email addresses.)

(An unplanned but positive element of the new policy is that the inability to post on one another's profile pages will prevent non-paying members from skirting the rules of the Exchange as is frequently done.)
 
Peter Hartwig said:
I agree both on not using PP FF and PM being the much prefered payment method, but see one problem with your solution(and correct me if I am wrong)

This is just going to move people to post the email in the thread rather than the profile page. The profile page at least restricts viewing to members rather than the general public.
No doubt there is a problem
Click to expand...

If you can view profiles by being a non-paid member, it's a moot point. I don't doubt that non-paying members will just start posting their email though.

Honestly I think that no matter what steps the admin's take, at the end of the day it's going to be up to the buyers/sellers to do their own due diligence and use their better judgement. There is no way admin can mitigate all of the risk even though they have certainly tried.
 
Blues said:
(At the moment it will be up to sellers to choose only to communicate via PM, thus cutting down on the number of incidents resulting from the public display of email addresses.)
Click to expand...
This is the approach I have moved to
 
Here’s my approach


I will not sell to non-paying members-However I will deduct/refund the basic membership costs from the purchase price if you pm me a receipt showing you signed up to buy one of my knives.
 
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As a newbie that was burned despite warnings by the moderators - I learned my lesson and shared my experience with others, like most others that have been burned, in a post with hope others would not be scammed as well.

Word of advise to non-paying members ... paying $30 a year for a gold membership allowing you to send PRIVATE messages, as well as helping to fund this great forum, is nothing in comparison to sending $400 like I did, and allot less than others, to some SOB that will ghost you after receiving your money.
 
DennisM said:
As a newbie that was burned despite warnings by the moderators - I learned my lesson and shared my experience with others, like most others that have been burned, in a post with hope others would not be scammed as well.

Word of advise to non-paying members ... paying $30 a year for a gold membership allowing you to send PRIVATE messages, as well as helping to fund this great forum, is nothing in comparison to sending $400 like I did, and allot less than others, to some SOB that will ghost you after receiving your money.
Click to expand...
They can PM for as little as $10

On a positive note to the change. If the email is posted in the thread it is a moderated area, by both administration and members, so they may be warned to the dangers before loosing their money
In any case worth a try
 
I honestly wish the entire Exchange were closed to anyone without the ability to communicate via PMs. It pains me to see people taken, even those too lazy, myopic or unaware to help themselves.
 
Blues said:
I honestly wish the entire Exchange were closed to anyone without the ability to communicate via PMs. It pains me to see people taken, even those too lazy, myopic or unaware to help themselves.
Click to expand...
That likely would give the impression that Spark was trying to make money vs save them money.
but $10 of protection seems well spent.
You can't save some. People are still buying Sebenza clones on Ebay for $60 and wonderig if they are the real thing.
 
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Blues said:
I honestly wish the entire Exchange were closed to anyone without the ability to communicate via PMs.
Click to expand...
Someways I agree with you to protect others and cutting out crap like this the moderators have to deal with. But ... looking back ... if I was not able to make transactions via free membership - I may not have joined w/o knowing this forums value. I made about $2k worth of transactions before I was scammed and THEN became a member because its been a fun ride and I want it to continue.

I am super frugal because I grew up lower middle class and haven't forgot my roots now that I am in a better place financially.
 
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