Recently, a small number of member accounts were compromised where hackers posted fake sale threads under the usernames of trusted members without their knowledge.
Indicators of a suspicious ad:
- A guitar (or other gear) offered at an unusually low price.
- Spelling and grammatical errors inconsistent with the member, suggesting that English may not be the hacker’s primary language.
- Photos and text which may have been copied from other ads not necessarily posted on the AGF.
- Not willing to accept normal PayPal (email provided may not work), only willing to accept Family & Friends, or some other non-protected form of payment.
What to do if you notice a suspicious ad:
Do not hesitate to
notify the moderators via the red and white triangle alert, upper right corner of each post, or
contact a mod directly by clicking on any of our usernames found in bright red at the bottom right of each
subforum page.
What to avoid to protect your account:
- Be careful not to be duped by a received malicious link prompting you to unwittingly provide login information.
- If you are prompted to change or enter your password and/or email via any link through email or PM, go straight HERE to make a change (as needed) and don't click on any links in any messages.
- Create strong passwords and change them frequently.
If you did provide any detail, the hacker might then change the email address and go from there to create and post a fake ad.
What the moderator team will do upon realization of a suspicious ad:
Please trust that the mod team will undertake all necessary measures to expeditiously alleviate the situation, protect member accounts and appropriately deal with the offending perpetrator(s).