[Tony_Bacala]

Hey all,

As the internet ages, and our forums along with it, there are a lot of members who have been inactive but still have accounts. Folks can forget about them, and eventually have their password leaked publicly via tons of different ways (other sites/stores, using public Wi-Fi, mistake, etc).

So, just because they are a member here, and a long time member here, doesn't mean you are 100% dealing with the real person. This has always been the case, but there are more schemers out there trying to rip people off now.

Whenever you are going to send personal info and/or money to someone, do your research first.

Check their user profile. From there, look at their recent activity. See if they were inactive, then recently came back online and immediately wanted to start trading. Just because they did this doesn't mean it's no good, but it's a possible warning sign. Key is, check for big gaps in post dates/times, see if their posting style changed.

Search their name - Can do that here: https://www.hisstank.com/forum/search.php - Enter their name into the keyword box, not the username box. Choose "entire posts", and "Show Results as - Posts". In case there are any people mentioning a problem.

Never accept friends and family requests. There is no way to get help from Paypal if you do this.

Ask for pictures. If possible, have them put a hand written note with a unique phrase next to the item. Have them put their hand/fingers in a unique pose next to the item. That still isn't 100%, but it will help verify the person has said item, and they took the picture after you asked.

Search their HissTank username, or real name if you know it, over on Google, Facebook, Instagram, etc. In case something pops up which hasn't happened on HissTank.com.

Bottom line - Buy Sell Trade on any forum is a risk, it's between you and the other person. There aren't as many safeguards as there may be on eBay, Facebook Marketplace, etc. So do your best to protect yourself by trying the things above before pulling the trigger.

Feel free to leave other tips below if you have any.