Personal checks vs GunTab
Money orders are how scammers prefer to be paid.
What is a personal check?
Personal checks are an alternative to GunTab. They must be written by hand or drafted via your bank's "Bill Pay" feature online, then physically mailed to the seller.
Do scammers use personal checks?
Yes, personal checks are a preferred payment methods for scammers. They do not protect buyers, they leave very little paper trail, and they expose your bank account information to further fraud. As indicated by StopGunScams.com, personal checks are one of the most commonly accepted payment methods for gun scams.
Side-by-side comparison
| Personal checks | |
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| Guns & ammo allowed |
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| Gun parts allowed |
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| Online |
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| Card payments |
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| Bank payments |
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| Unlimited amounts |
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| Buyers safe |
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| Sellers safe |
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| Guaranteed |
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| Guided steps |
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| Automations |
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| Service fee | 2.9% or less | None |
| Card fee | 3% | n/a |
How good is a personal check?
Personal checks were a common way to pay for online transactions before payment platforms like PayPal existed. They are an increasingly rare method of payment, because they make users extremely vulnerable to various scams.
Buyers extremely vulnerable
Personal checks may be the single worst payment option for buyers. That's because no other method of payment increases the buyer's risk of being scammed like personal checks. Personal checks include your name, address, and bank account number, so they provide a scammer with information to impersonate you in future scams. Not only can you lose the payment itself to the scammer, you risk having your bank account cleaned out.
Sellers vulnerable
Sellers are also at risk, because checks are subject to chargebacks. That is especially relevant because personal checks are easily forged or used fraudulently. The bank account holder can wait up to 6 months to issue a chargeback, but as soon as they do your bank will immediately seize the funds from your account.
Which is better?
In short, using personal checks for online transactions is a terrible idea. They are extremely dangerous for buyers, and quite dangerous for sellers as well. There is a reason personal check payments are so rare. GunTab is clearly the better choice.