Detect and report fraud

Most users on Gunfinder act honestly. Still, there are occasional fraud attempts. If you know the typical warning signs and report suspicious cases, you protect yourself and others. Additionally, read under Safe trading on Gunfinder how to complete a transaction securely.

Warning Signs in Listings and Users

• Unrealistic bargains: The firearms market is price transparent. If a listing is suspiciously cheap, be cautious.
• Unusual language: If the language in the listing is noticeably awkward or suddenly replies in English, the seller often lacks the acquisition permit for your country – the listing is often fake.
• IBAN from another country: If the money is supposed to go to an account in a different country than where your trading partner lives according to their profile, be especially careful. You can identify the country of the account by the first two letters of the IBAN.
• Pressure and advance payment: If your counterpart pressures you for a quick transfer without guarantees, end the contact.
• Suspicious bank details with a known profile: If an account was hacked, the bank details often change. Watch out for inconsistencies.

Find out as much as possible about your counterpart: ask for phone number and address and verify them. For high-value items, we recommend a purchase contract and checking the acquisition permit.

Recognising Fake Emails and Phishing

Phishing is when a third party tries to get your data via fake emails or websites – username, password, or payment details. They pretend to be trustworthy, for example, as a Gunfinder employee. Typical warning signs:

• poor, incorrect, or suspiciously simple language
• a sender address that does not end with @gunfinder.de
• the email does not address you by your username
• the email is sent to an address you are not even registered with at Gunfinder

In such cases, do not disclose any data and do not click on any links.

How to report a suspicion

If you are unsure about a user, listing, or an email, report it to us – so we can check and protect others:

• Report suspicious users or listings directly through the platform or by email to [email protected].
• Forward suspicious emails to [email protected].
• In case of a concrete fraud case, also file a report with the police and provide all data (report number, bank details, phone number, message history).