Potential crooks at ammo vendor..be wary

[norcal77]

I got a call from my bank today saying some guy in Tennessee tried to cash a check using a fake Id with my information on it. The guy was apprehended and all..thankfully. I see the deposit in my account too..

About a week ago I placed an ammo order with a company called Wideners that is out of Tennessee. Had to fax the drivers license over to complete the purchase. The town in question where this guy tried to cash check is not that far from where they are are located. I suspect they have a crooked employee working there gathering peoples personal information and selling it or something. I am not 100% sure this is related but the facts paint a pretty clear picture to me.

Has anybody had this happen to them before?...this totally sucks.

[Maltese Falcon]

I have ordered from Wideners many times, no problems. I would say they are reputable. Have you contacted Wideners with your concerns?

[norcal77]

I have ordered from Wideners many times, no problems. I would say they are reputable. Have you contacted Wideners with your concerns?

Yeah...I did. Only reason I think it is related is that I have never faxed my license to anybody for anything. Only people who have seen it are me...the DMV and the guy at the store checking my ID for liquor. The fact that they are in the same state where some guy tried to use my info fraudenltly rings a bell for me. After going through this crap I hope at least my order gets fulfilled..the item I wan't shows out of stock.

[lawaia]

Wideners is OK. I've ordered a few times from them, and never a problem. It does take them a while to ship, though. So be patient.

I've never had to send them my ID for ammo purchases. Maybe I live in a "non-restricted" area.

[gunn]

Wideners is OK. I've ordered a few times from them, and never a problem. It does take them a while to ship, though. So be patient.

I've never had to send them my ID for ammo purchases. Maybe I live in a "non-restricted" area.

Q: Did you pay widener's by check or by credit card? If credit card, then I don't think Widener's is involved.

In order to steal money from you, they would need your checking acct number. The ID is secondary.

Either way, I dont' think the ID is the issue here. All they need to know is that your name is X and you live at this address. I seriously doubt they used a copy of your DL (with your mug on it) to cash a check -- they probably just pulled your info and made their own Fake ID.

I've personally dealt with Wideners several times w/o any problems but just because Wideners is OK as a company doesn't mean they don't have a bad apple in the bunch.

If you paid Widener's by check, the problem could be with any number of people in widener's check cashing chain from the actual envelope openers to the people who process the checks at the bank. Of course, it could also be anyone else who has your name, address, and checking account number. Do you do epayment of any bills? Any scum at PG&E, for example, could skim your checking acct # and pass it on.

Then its a simple matter of making making a check (you can print these) and making an ID (a little harder).

The bottom line is if I were Widener's owners (I'm assuming like most mail order businesses they are a small shop), I would want to know about this cause. You may want to call and ask them for the email address of the owner.

Who knows? it may be as simple as "the perp caught was name Jojo Foobish.. and Sammy Foobish, his cousin, just happens to be the new accounting clerk @ Wideners." If I was Mr. Widener, I'd like to know about that.

-g

[dwtt]

I have ordered powder and other reloading supplies from Wideners in the past and don't remember ever having to fax my driver's license to them. They seem like a reputable company.

[AK4me]

They need proof of age, http://www.wideners.com/itemview.cfm?dir=18
I had to email a copy of my drivers license to place an order.

[Vtec44]

I never had to send over anything to order from them. I've ordered a few items from them before, seems like a legitimate company. It could have a rogue employee, happened to me before with a hotel chain.

[kcs1211]

I've ordered ammo from them and didn't have to give a copy of my D.L.

BTW they said 16-18 days to ship and it shipped in 7. I must of gotten lucky.

[norcal77]

Q: Did you pay widener's by check or by credit card? If credit card, then I don't think Widener's is involved.

In order to steal money from you, they would need your checking acct number. The ID is secondary.

Either way, I dont' think the ID is the issue here. All they need to know is that your name is X and you live at this address. I seriously doubt they used a copy of your DL (with your mug on it) to cash a check -- they probably just pulled your info and made their own Fake ID.

I've personally dealt with Wideners several times w/o any problems but just because Wideners is OK as a company doesn't mean they don't have a bad apple in the bunch.

If you paid Widener's by check, the problem could be with any number of people in widener's check cashing chain from the actual envelope openers to the people who process the checks at the bank. Of course, it could also be anyone else who has your name, address, and checking account number. Do you do epayment of any bills? Any scum at PG&E, for example, could skim your checking acct # and pass it on.

Then its a simple matter of making making a check (you can print these) and making an ID (a little harder).

The bottom line is if I were Widener's owners (I'm assuming like most mail order businesses they are a small shop), I would want to know about this cause. You may want to call and ask them for the email address of the owner.

Who knows? it may be as simple as "the perp caught was name Jojo Foobish.. and Sammy Foobish, his cousin, just happens to be the new accounting clerk @ Wideners." If I was Mr. Widener, I'd like to know about that.

-g

I paid with my credit/check card. According to my bank...the guy was using my info on a fake ID with his picture. She said he tried to deposit a check using that ID then tried to withdraw money right after that. He succeeded making the deposit because I can see it in my online account. The fact that he was able to get that far is kind of scary to me...I wonder how long it will be before they take the money back?

I did notify the vendor via email since they are not answering phone calls. We'll see what happens...

[DDRH]

Wideners is good, no issues from them wat so ever...but good to know, n i'll keep an eye on it too, thanks for the heads up!