If someone who knows nothing technical about cars, starts selling you parts, you’re probably dealing with a forum scammer
Forum scammers are a new entity, but their behavior is deeply rooted in history. People feigning friendship in order to scam others was a key plot driver in many Shakespearean plays. Think Brutus to Julius Caesar, Iago to Othello, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to Hamlet. It’s how that dear sweet Nigerian Prince swindled so many well-meaning strangers out of their retirement savings.
Since those days, most of us have stopped forking out for penis enlargements. And we’ve gotten wise to the scammers on Facebook, posting real photos of real products made by real companies that are actually completely unrelated to the scammers selling them. Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, I could have made a full-time job out of reporting false companies claiming to raise money for the Ukrainian relief effort.
But scammers are evolving organisms. The latest scam craze involves your favorite [insert hobby here] forums. Most notably, car enthusiast forums.
Forum scammers have discovered that car enthusiasts tend to be men of a certain age, with money they’ve been saving since they were seventeen, for the core purpose of one day renovating their classic car. In other words, they’re wealthy enough to have cash, salt of the earth enough to not have lawyers on speed-dial, and in the perfect age range to know how to use the internet just enough to get themselves into trouble.
How do “forum scammers” work?
Forum scammers join a group, and immediately post generic, non-specific comments in order to get their contribution numbers up. Then they approach group members offering to sell them parts. They insist on being paid in gift cards, or as an F&F (friends and family) purchase through PayPal.
Offering to let the buyer use PayPal tricks people into feeling safe, as PayPal is well-known for refunding money where there’s a dispute. However, the catch is that PayPal DOES NOT provide refunds where the payment was a designated “F&F” transaction.
How do I tell if a forum “member” is a scammer?
Look out for these tell-tale signs that you’re dealing with a forum scammer:
- Avatar that looks like it was made using AI
- Forum scammers use “bots” and algorithms to look for key posts to reply to, but they often don’t look for dates, and end up replying to old (six months’ or so) posts—something a genuine member is unlikely to do
- Generic and inclusive replies, such as “we’re a helpful group”, but the poster has only been a member for a day or two
- Listing parts that look familiar. Forum scammers often pull sales information for parts sold by someone else earlier in the year. If you’re a frequent member of your niche of car forums you might recognize the photos or the description.
- New members selling rare parts, especially if they’re for a too-good-to-be-true price
How do I avoid being scammed?
Follow these suggestions to keep you and your money safe:
- Check who the seller is, and how long they’ve been a member.
- Don’t just check the number of comments the seller made, also check their actual comments. Reliable sellers will have a track record of specific and technical comments, which receive multiple thumbs ups from other members.
- Private message other members (especially those you know are OGs) and ask their opinion. Devoted enthusiasts have a keen sense about which members you can trust, and which ones are dubious
- Likewise, heed the opinion of someone who’s been on the group for twenty years saying “guys, this is a scam.” They’re more reliable than a seller, who’s been on the group for two weeks insisting “no, I’m for totes real.”
- Google search/Ebay search the item. If there’s an old listing showing the same photos and descriptions, it could be a sign that the seller has grabbed that information for their own nefarious purposes.
- Never, ever, ever pay someone with a gift card. Only pay using methods that you can get your money back if the item never shows up.
A real-world example of a forum scammer buttering up the group
Before a forum scammer starts selling parts, they begin by befriending the group. Here’s a typical comment is from a member of ONE DAY on a genuine post from SIX MONTHS EARLIER. Note the generic remarks, like “good call starting a thread in the brakes and suspension section.” And the seeming knowledge of the group: “a lot of members here have dealt with similar issues”, when the commenter is brand new to the site. At no point does the comment seek to resolve the actual issue the initial member needed addressed.
What to do if you suspect a post is from a forum scammer?
It depends on the way each forum is created. But here are a few suggestions:
- Contact the moderator, and let them know why you suspect the post is from a scammer
- Private message other members and ask their opinion on what to do
- Sometimes a public naming and shaming is the appropriate course of action
- Look for an option on a post or comment to “report this post” or “report this member”
Final words
Don’t be afraid to report a suspected forum scammer. You could be saving another member of the group from losing their money. Plus, the less money the scammers can trick out of people, the sooner they’ll give up on haunting forums and harassing members with false sales.