Fraud Alerts on Powder Company websites

JWFilips

Well-Known Member
I was just on the the IMR Powders website and The main page opens with a Fraud Alert!
It appears the recently has been a number of new websites that are claiming to be Hodgden Powder Company and a number of other companies that we know.
They are fraudulent!
So now we know where all the primers and powder is ending up!
 

Dimner

Named Man
No no.... those websites have no inventory. They are total scam sites that take venmo and bit coin and junk and make it either look like the powder mfg sites or a reputable reloading online merchant. The scammers have no stock, no us address, no nothing.
 

462

California's Central Coast Amid The Insanity
Been going on since the very first nano-second that powder and primers became unobtainable, and probably run by that famous Nigerian prince.

Mr. Barnum's dictum continues to weather the tests of time, more so with the coming of on-line selling.
 

Snakeoil

Well-Known Member
Yup, ran into them more and more when I was searching for components. Just bought another 8 lb jug of 2400 from Midway.
 

fiver

Well-Known Member
well my sisters husband is named Steve.
now he probably doesn't hang out in california very much, but there is a distinct possibility it was him.
he has no use for powder or primers, but i wouldn't put it past him to buy some anyway.
 

Rick

Moderator
Staff member
I got an email scam today for something or other firearms related. The title of the email was . . . . . .

"To view this email open this email"

Ah, I see, so that's how that works. :rofl:
 

RBHarter

West Central AR
I got back to back calls from 775-316-10687 and 775-316-10220 .
775 makes sense someone would call from there I mean that only covers the northern 3/4 and 16 of 17 counties in Nevada. 316 is a "local" number the little wide spot has like 6 prefixes in the whole county , roughly the size of Maryland w/o an incorporated city , 5 towns and 6 FD .
There's not one prefix other than the county seat with over 2,000 numbers attached the 2 cell prefixes refeed numbers and are less than 5014 .
So getting a call from a 10,000+ is kind of unlikely nevermind it's 5 digits .

It's become almost a game with "legitimate" numbers especially with a proper name attached. I just answer like it's some friend I've been expecting a call from or haven't heard from in a while .
Heavy breathing "what are wearing" , and are you my Tender date , have been very effective in shutting down the calls .
 

RicinYakima

High Steppes of Eastern Washington
You must remember that the prison system in Texas allows outside contractors to use inmates to set up scam lines. They get about 50 cents an hour to make calls. It is know a rehabitation to become a tele-marketer.
 

glassparman

"OK, OK, I'm going as fast as I don't want to go!"
Yeah, I hoarded primers for years and I'm still using my stash now albeit slowly.

Scam sites are getting harder to spot. If it sounds like a deal too good to be true, it is.

Just stick with the vendors we have always used and even then, check to make sure the site has a valid security cert.

Also, NEVER NEVER NEVER click a link in an email!!!!! Many scammers set up sites to look like another but the URL is different by just a smidge. If you are using a computer and not a phone, in the email, let your mouse cursor hover over the link and most browsers will show you the actual location of the link . . . usually in the bottom left corner.

I have always bought my powder and primers local but that too has been difficult lately.

Mike
 

Jeff H

NW Ohio
At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I'll share this again, as it bears repeating for anyone who hasn't seen it.

There is a BUNCH of free scam-detector sites, on which you can paste in the web address of the suspect site. I did a general Internet search (I don't "Google" and refuse to allow a general Internet search to be hijacked by the idea that Google is the ONLY way to search - it's the way NOT to search) and picked one each time I've brought this up.

This link is the one I picked this time and I used Artful Bullet's address (for this thread actually) to test. Comes up "potentially legit." All of the too-good-to-be-true sites have come up with something like a score of ONE through FOUR out of one-hundred possible point score and it lists all the reasons why, one of which is always that the site it literally only days old.


You don't have to be stupid to fall for these scam sites, just tired, over-tasked, trying to squeeze in an order while you have a chance, etc.

Many of these sites have gotten wiser and are offering powder at more realistic (if not reasonable) prices, just a few dollars less than legit sites are offering.

All that said, several sites I've purchased firearms or handloading supplies from since 2008 or so were fairly new (at least to me) when I ordered, had significantly better prices than average, did not maintain stock on site (shipped from warehouses or distributors) - and no longer exist. All signs of a "scam site" today. I got great service as well. So, it's getting harder to tell who is legit and this probably makes it hard for anyone trying to get into the online business for what we want.

Play safe, boys!
 

Snakeoil

Well-Known Member
The scam sites all take advantage of human nature. I think we all want to believe that everyone is honest. Experience/wisdom may have taught us to treat every new acquaintance as a potential scammer. But down deep inside we still want to trust everyone. Couple that with a bit of panic over running out of components that nobody seems to have and you are just like that wary old walleye that has been around forever that just cannot ignore that big fat juicy nightcrawler you have dangling just off the bottom.

Having spent the majority of my career doing business in 3rd world countries, I've become a die-hard cynic when it comes to doing business. I want to be able to do a deal with a handshake. But I've been porked enough times that I just won't do it anymore. And it is very sad that it has to be that way. The few dirtbags ruin it for everyone else. The positive side of this is I have a BS detector that is about as sensitive as you can get. It is so sensitive that sometimes I even doubt what is coming out of my own mouth. :rolleyes: