How not to get swindled on long distance private purchase

[AlaskanInTexas]

Curious.. how was he looking to receive payment?

Post Office money order.

[ripnbst]

Yeah, PO MO is not as safe as everyone thinks. Is it mail fraud? Yes. Are there thousands of cases of mail fraud committed daily? I don't know, but it wouldn't surprise me. Postal Inspectors don't have time to investigate every case. I was looking into something long distance also paying via PO MO and had a local LEO on a gun forum volunteer to go check out the address I was supposed to send the money to. It was a dump of a house and he went by there and asked if someone by the name given lived there, never heard of him. Guy said he was a veteran, sent me a pic, dude was white. The people occupying the address given were...not white. If the guy owns a gun worth the same amount as the car he drives then I'm a millionaire.