ATF warning Ohio gun shops about the fraudulent use of credit cards to illegally obtain firearms

 

The federal government is warning the nation’s 136,643 federal firearms license holders of a scam intended to defraud not only bank-card institutions and gun dealers, but also appears intended to steal firearms.

What has occurred, says the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (commonly referred to as simply “ATF”) is an increase in firearms transfers involving the use of suspected fraudulent credit cards.

The illegal activity involves the transfer of firearms from out of state, or within the same state, for pickup at firearms dealers in Ohio, the ATF says.

Ohio has 4,556 holders of FFL licenses, though not all are firearms dealers. The ATF has 11 different classifications of FFL licenses. Among them is the “01” classification, or “Dealer In Firearms Other Than Destructive Devices (Includes Gunsmiths).”

In the U.S., the ATF has issued 53,816 such licenses, among which are 2,057 in Ohio.

Similarly, the ATF has issued 53,211 Classification 03 FFL licenses, called “Collector of Curios And Relics” licenses. Holders of these licenses cannot sell firearms, and are also limited to buying from a select group of permitted antique, relic and curio (odd) firearms with less governmental red tape. Ohio has 1,512 such Classification 03 license holders.

The ATF recently notified via text and e-mail to FFL license holders – including 01 and 03 types – of the scam.

What is occurring and what FFL license holders need to be aware of, the ATF says, is that a suspected individual “completing the transfer has been arriving at area firearms dealers unannounced, indicating they are receiving a notification of the delivery of the firearm.”

“The transferring individual then completes an ATF Form 4473, provides their ID, and completes the transfer,” The ATF notification says.

The selling firearms dealer then has been receiving charge-back notices from a credit card company at a later date resulting in the selling firearms dealer being at a financial loss, the ATF says.

To safeguard against such fiscal fraud and thus help prevent individuals from illegally receiving firearms, the ATF is requesting that firearms dealers implement a couple of steps before completing a transfer from another firearms dealer. This, in order to “reduce additional illegal firearms transfers of this nature,” the ATF says.

First, FFL license holders should review the purchase invoice details related to the purchased firearm, and determine if it actually matches the address of the transferring individual prior to transferring a firearm.

Secondly, if a purchase invoice is not included with the firearm to be transferred, contact the selling FFL license holder and request in writing or verbally confirm the billing information is the same as the address of the transferring individual.

“Please contact your area ATF Field Office if there are any questions regarding this FFL Alert. If similar purchasing activity has already occurred at your location, please report this information to your area ATF Field Office,” the ATF concludes with its alert notice.

Jeffrey L. Frischkorn

JFrischk@Ameritech.nt

JFrischk4@gmail.com