I have bought 3 guns off the internet from the classifieds of sportsmans message boards. All were face to face. I would never send money to a complete unknown. It is a shame, but the internet was made for liars, cheats, thieves and scammers. In fact, I got my Marlin 45-70 guide gun from the classifieds of a sportsmans message board. I am mglad you smelled a rat and didn;t lose much.