Gun and ammo scams

I did a web search for small pistol primers and found most brands of primers at unbelievable prices. They have Federal small pistol for $35.00/1000 and CCI small pistol primers for $50.00/1000.

I was suspicious but went through the order process. The cart did not result in taking my credit card information even though I opted for credit card payment instead of PayPal. It ended with a message saying I would be contacted for my payment information. An hour or so later I received an email giving me the payment options of PayPal,
Cash app, or Apple Pay. No credit card option.

I did some research. The domain was created on February 24th, 2021. Hmmm…

Their “About” page an other pages say “WELCOME TO HOUSE OF FIRE ARM”. That wording is a little odd… The email address they sent the payment request from is “House of Firearms houseoffirearms@gmail.com”.

The website says the company is located in Kansas. But a business search on the Kansas Security of State web site comes up empty for the names:

  • House of Firearm
  • House of Fire Arm
  • House of Firearms
  • House of Fire Arms

I am almost certain it is a scam.

I found another web site, again with awesome prices, with similar wording on many of their pages which I am very suspicious of. I haven’t fully investigated them yet.

Be careful out there. If something is too good to be true it probably is.

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15 thoughts on “Gun and ammo scams

  1. ”I am almost certain it is a scam.”

    Almost? Say it is not so.

    If you’re questioning whether it’s a scam you wouldn’t make it through my daily spam deleting process at the business. “WELCOME TO HOUSE OF FIRE ARM” is a 100% guarantee that it’s fake. You see that, and you move on without looking back. Having had the same business e-mail address for some 20 years, I could scarcely get through a single day without recognizing and instantly filtering out junk like that. If I spent only a few minutes researching every assertion as worded so obviously in deception, I’d never get through my legitimate e-mail. My customers would suffer and I’d probably have some kind of breakdown. I’d have to hire several e-mail vetting underlings and, they being most likely less discerning of such things, it would be a nightmare.

    But here’s how it (meaning the whole world) works, and this is why I bother to comment at all on such a seemingly minor issue as a few dollars for some scarce ammunition components— Because of your desire for something you think you lack, or because of your desire for a “good deal”, or a “score”, or etc., you’re willing to overlook some of the most immediate and obvious signs, and even outright proofs, of deception.

    Exactly by that process, millions of people are running into the open, welcoming arms of that old whore of Babylon, and so they’ll be destroyed. We often can’t look past the lipstick on the pig, and so we go for the pig with the lipstick. If you’re merely suspicious then of course you’ll waste a bunch of time for nothing.

    Credit card purchases are protected for 90 days. If you’re cheated you can contact your card issuing bank and have the charges reversed. A pirate would make sure not to accept such transactions. He’ll be located in a foreign country, with multiple layers of identity and location deception, and so unless you’re going to switch occupations and become a pirate hunter-seeker-destroyer, just move along.

  2. These ammo scam websites have been a thing for over a year. The way you can tell it is one is very easy: Price is too good to be true and they don’t take credit cards.

  3. Another tell is:
    Everything is in stock. When all other reputable vendors are out.

  4. Yeah, I got suckered in to a place called Ranier Arms in Alaska on 12 ga sporting clays ammo. Had to buy a gift card. I went through the purchase, checked the card as to where the funds went about 4 hours later, and it was some apple watch shop. Fortunately, I disputed the charge immediately with my cc company. Took about 4 months, but I was reimbursed every penny. I was VERY lucky. Good lesson for me on research.

  5. Generally the only iron clad purchase protectons consumers have is to use a credit card such as MC or Visa. Most other options leave your hiney dangling in the wind.
    Any vendor NOT allowing the use of a credit card is with few exceptions shady….at best.

  6. Miguel over at GFZ posted about “finding primers” on line. A quick look at the site and they had those primers in stock. I dropped them in the cart and looked for CCI. Wow, they had those too.

    Price was “reasonable” $60/1000 which is twice what I was paying pre panic.

    Domain name suggested that it was a shop that specialized in primers so them having it might be “special arrangement” with the manufacturers. Or they might have been the sort that could afford to buy 1,000,000 primers at a go.

    Then the 2nd warning, the “view cart” button didn’t work. Ok. I do web development and stuff like that does happen, but 404 on “view cart?” That’s a big one.

    Then on the checkout page they had all the options except for Credit card. Not even Paypal.

    Yeah, they were a scam.

    To repeat what others have said:
    * Items in stock that nobody else seems to have
    * Prices that are a little to good
    * Web site has multiple errors. (spelling errors, grammar errors, missing major pages)
    * Missing or strange contact us page. (no phone number, email addresses are not domain name based)
    * If you look in `whois` the domain is a recent domain
    * If they don’t take Credit cards!!!!

    Be careful out there, they want to take your money and they don’t care.

  7. Fortunately I stocked up on primers a few years ago from, I think, Grafs.
    I bought 5000 of CCI SRP and CCI LRP, 1000 each of SPP and LPP.
    2000 left of the LRP, 1500 left of SRP, 500 SPP and 300 LPP.
    My problem is finding powder, H335 in 8LB jug.
    I have some H322 and CFEBLK and Trail Boss, about half a bottle each.
    I could use some .223 brass, I have several hundred Hornady Match .224″ 75gr. BTHP.

    • In late 2019 I was going through nearly 1000 rounds of .40 per week. I have about 3500 SPPs left and consider my supply exhausted.

    • A few minutes ago I placed an order for 8 pounds of CFE Pistol from Powder Valley. I received a shipment of 8,000 bullets last week. I’ll finish off my existing small pistol primers in the next couple of weeks.

      I think I can get some 20+ year old WSP primers from brother Doug that he won’t be using in the next few months. And I’ll soon order more bullets to match the primers and powder I will have left.

  8. Found a source that said he had primers. Didn’t have a credit card button. He took my info and assured me all was well. Same day the card showed, instead of $140 to the ammo place, I saw $100.44 to TicToc admin services.
    Canceled the order.

  9. Seeing more auctions on GunBroker that have few to no feedbacks and only accept a USPS Money Order as payment.

    Some very desirable (to me) items, but (so far anyway) I’ve managed to restrain myself. 🙂

    I did buy a pistol from an individual once with a MO, and it did work out (I had enough contact to dispel my paranoia).

    Be aware.
    Be careful.

  10. Another cute trick is to misspell the url to look like a real company. Instead of the outdoor armory.com they spell it the outdoor AMORY which is easy to overlook. Ran into a different one that claimed to take credit cards but would give you a 15% discount for Bitcoin.

    • It’s called “typo squatting”. At my company we get email alerts for new domain registrations that are suspected to be typo squatters. Some of them we can order taken down notices for brand infringement or obvious fraud. Others we just have to “sit on” and wait for them to go active. We get about 100 per week.

      I just made some improvements to my code to detect such domains this morning…

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