Guns.com: Keep a lookout for bogus Form 4s warns ATF
Max Slowik for Guns.com reports on a new scam impacting FFLs:
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives has put out a general alert to the public to keep an eye out for fraudulent tax registration forms being used to swindle would-be buyers of National Firearm Act-regulated firearms.
The ATF warns that there appears to be an online scheme to bait FFLs — gun shops — into putting down a deposit on one of these premium firearms with altered NFA Form 4s for a deposit and then never delivering any guns. When printed on a regular sheet of paper these false documents appear to have ATF approval, although a closer look may reveal more.
“A typical scam starts with a perpetrator (seller) claiming ownership of an NFA firearm through an altered Form 4,” warns the ATF. “If the FFL expresses interest, the seller then requests that the FFL pay a percentage of the money upfront via cashier’s check and the remainder of the money after the ATF Form 4 paperwork is finalized. All communication is done via email.”
Read the full story at Guns.com.
