Starting in late 2019 and up through early 2021, a number of stand-alone scam game seller websites started popping up, and several discussion threads were posted about some of them asking "is that website legit?"

More often than not, if you feel you need to ask that question, the answer is usually no.

Most of these sites can be stumbled upon in a google search using search terms related to buying a pinball machine.

Starting in late 2022 through 2023, these scammers started using facebook and instragram with increasing frequency to either conduct their scams directly on those platforms, to simply accompany their scam websites, or to help promote/advertise their scam websites.

No matter how much you might want to believe that a deal is true, don't forget that scammers are liars; they will say anything to get you to send them money. They will make up stories and/or tell all sorts of excuses.

That said, there is a list below of several known scam sites and social media pages/profiles, though this will probably not be comprehensive. There is also a list of some previous threads that have been posted, plus some tips about what things to look out for.

For lists of legitimate retail game dealers, many of them can be found listed on the distributor pages of pinball manufacturers. Some only sell NIB (New-in-box) games, and some also deal with older refurbished games.

• https://sternpinball.com/buy-a-game/
• • https://sternpinball.com/find-a-dealer/
  • https://sternpinball.com/find-a-distributor/
• https://www.jerseyjackpinball.com/distributors/
• https://www.american-pinball.com/distributors/
• https://www.chicago-gaming.com/distributors/23
• https://www.dutchpinball.com/distributors
• https://www.pinballbrothers.com/alien/
• http://homepin.com/

Note that not every retailer will be listed there (since some dealers might only sell used games, and thus wouldn't be on a NIB distributor list), but those lists are fairly comprehensive, especially if you're looking to purchase a brand new game. Beyond that, there are also many private collectors who sell games. They usually list games here in the Pinside marketplace, in various buying/selling groups on Facebook, various other pinball or arcade discussion forums, Craigslist, and and handful of mailing lists.

Note that all of those platforms do have their own set of scammers present, but this guide will mainly focus on stand-alone scam websites, which have been tricking people who are new to the hobby or inexperienced about buying a new game. This group of individuals is likely the most susceptible to a website scam since they have probably not yet joined any sort of pinball community, where they might be warned about potential scams. They are likely just googling for information on their own about buying a game when they encounter these scam websites.

If you have a question about a dealer or anyone else, don't hesitate to ask. There will likely be someone who can provide feedback on a seller, or be able to help determine if something is a scam.

List of known of scam sites:

• 3d-pinball.com
• 47pins.com
• andrewpinballmachines.com.au
• arcade1up.click
• arcade1up.one
• arcade1up-clearance.com
• arcade1up-sale.shop
• arcades1up.us
• arcadegamehouse.com
• arcadegamesshop.com
• arcadegamevendor.com
• arcademachines.com
• arcadepinballs.com
• arcadepinballshop.com
• artifexsp.com
• atlaspinball.co
• avmpinballmachines.com
• axmpinballmachines.com
• barsandgames.com
• bestpinballmachines.com
• bonzerarcadeshop.com
• bunkerhousearcade.com
• buypinballarcadegames.com
• buypinballarcardegames.com
• buypinballexpress.com
• buypinballmachine.ca
• buypinballmachine.com
• capitalpinball.com
• casinomachinesforsale.com
• cgtechpinballs.com
• classicpinballguru.com
• classifiedpinball.com
• elitepinballstore.com
• flippersonlineshop.com
• gameroomshop.com
• globalpinballcompany.com
• greatpinballmachines.com
• homeluxurygames.com
• jackgameshub.com
• jmpinballmachines.com
• kaizooperationsbv.com
• kingarupinball.com
• kingarupinballs.com
• libertygamehall.com
• livingstreampinballmachines.com
• markwellpinballs.com
• masterpinball.com
• mavpinballmachines.com
• mossdistr.com
• mrpinballmachines.online
• newarcadegame.com
• nitropinball.shop
• officialpinballmachines.com
• oldiesgames.us
• pacificpinballshop.com
• pgpinballs.com
• pinball805llc.com
• pinbalflippers.com
• pinballandparts.com
• pinballarcadehouse.com
• pinballarcademart.com
• pinballarcadeshop.com
• pinballarcarde.com
• pinballavenue.com.au
• pinballballarcardegames.com
• pinballbase.com
• pinballbusinessgroup.com
• pinballcorner.com
• pinballcrypt.com
• pinballdirect.us
• pinballelite.com
• pinballengines.net
• pinballenterprise.com
• pinball-entertainment.com
• pinball-factory.com
• pinballfantasy.org
• pinballflipper.com
• pinballftries.com
• pinballftry.com
• pinballhem.com
• pinballhouse.us
• pinballgamegallery.com
• pinballgamesales.com
• pinballgamestore.com
• pinballgamesusa.com
• pinballmachine.bigcartel.com
• pinballmachinecenter.com
• pinballmachinesdeals.com
• pinballmachineforsale.co
• pinballmachineforsale.net
• pinballmachinery.com
• pinballmachines.eu
• pinballmachines.online
• pinballmachines.shop
• pinballmachines.us
• pinballmachines.world
• pinballmachines.xyz
• pinballmachinesale.com
• pinballmachinesandparts.com
• pinballmachinescompany.com
• pinballmachinesforsale.shop
• pinballmachinesretialstore.com
• pinballmachinessale.com
• pinballmachineshop.com
• pinballmachineshub.com
• pinballmachinesupplier.net
• pinballmachinesstore.com
• pinballmachinesusa.com
• pinballmaskine.com
• pinballmaskiner.com
• pinballmax.com
• pinball-max.com
• pinballnations.com
• pinball-nations.com
• pinballnmore.com
• pinballonlinestore.com
• pinballowner.com
• pinballpoint.online
• pinballretails.com
• pinballsandmore.com
• pinballsarcadegames.com
• pinballshore.com
• pinballshoreonline.com
• pinballsmachines.com
• pinballsowners.com
• flipper-space.com
• pinballstoreonline.com
• pinballstores.com
• pinballstork.com
• pinballtheatre.com
• pinballtopstore.com
• pinballtradingllc.com
• pinballworld.com.au
• pinballworldsupplies.com
• pincardiaarcade.com
• pinespinball.us
• pinwallstore.com
• pirateslifepinballstore.com
• portunionpinball.com
• premiumpinballmachinesforsale.com
• premiumpinballs.com
• primegamesusa.com
• primepinballmachines.com
• pushvendingmachines.com
• qualitypinballmachine.com
• quantumpinballmachines.com.au
• refinepinballs.com
• retroluxurypins.us
• rexopinballmachineshop.com
• royalpinballshop.com
• roughbiz.com
• ruvneh.com
• shopzcity.com
• smart-electronics-shops.com
• sportyartsbv.com
• sportyartsbv.nl
• stellarpinballs.com
• tandempinballmachines.com
• thearcadegamemachines.com
• thearcadetxas.com (note: cloned the address, about us info, and logo from a legitimate arcade with a similar domain name)
• theepinlab.com (note: this is a fake clone site of a legitimate pinball organization)
• theluxurycloset-us.com
• thepinballcompany.co
• thepinballcompany.us (note: this is a fake clone site of a legitimate pinball retailer)
• thepinballcompanyusa.com (note: this is a fake clone site of a legitimate pinball retailer)
• thepinballgamehouse.com
• thepinballgameroom.com
• thepinballhouse.com
• thepinballmachines.com
• thepinballmachineshop.com
• thepinballmachinessale.com
• thepinballnation.com (note: this is a fake clone site of a legitimate pinball retailer)
• thesilgoo.com
• toppinballmachines.com
• usedpinballmachines.shop
• vendingnationstore.com
• vintagehallgames.com
• worldclasspinballs.com
• worldofpinballarcade.com
• yourpinballshop.com
• zendohyd.com
• zumangames.com

List of scam social media profiles:

• bonanza.com/booths/HanaVee
• facebook.com/2023-Sup%D0%B5r-%D0%9D%D0%BEt-Dis%D1%81%D0%BEunt-St%D0%BEr%D0%B5-104457879014800/ (2023 Super Hot Discount Store; note that the URL and name for this one is using alternate ASCII/encoded characters that can look like regular letters within the alphabet, but actually aren't)
• facebook.com/centurypinball (Century Pinball Machines, Pinball and Vending Machine Market)
• facebook.com/dona.blis (Dona Blis)
• facebook.com/ericko.kips.35 (Ericko Kips)
• facebook.com/groups/1048267171921775/user/100082061724426 (TH Pinballs arcade)
• facebook.com/kwenchia.georgina.9 (Vitor Vitor)
• facebook.com/lamfu.roman (Sandro Roman)
• facebook.com/lako.lako.526438 (Lako Lako)
• facebook.com/njakoi.falucia (Stephen Francline)
• facebook.com/paul.mcgintygreat076234 (Paul McGinty; hacked account reported 9/9/23)
• facebook.com/people/Arcade-for-sale/100086927626524/ (Arcade for sale)
• facebook.com/pinballmachineus (Pinball Machines USA)
• facebook.com/pinballroomaussie (Thierry Eck)
• facebook.com/profile.php?id=61550227220675 (Veron Champel)
• facebook.com/profile.php?id=61550353483778 (Pinball Machine USA)
• facebook.com/profile.php?id=61551132012648 (Selena Bray)
• facebook.com/profile.php?id=100053636733606
• facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064067510863
• facebook.com/profile.php?id=100066707871511 (Refurbished And Used Pinball Machines For Sell)
• facebook.com/profile.php?id=100068844525181 (Danny Mclntosh)
• facebook.com/profile.php?id=100070876352956 (Dominick Anderson)
• facebook.com/profile.php?id=100070137123833 (Clarissa Martinez)
• facebook.com/profile.php?id=100073345140511 (Geoff Franke)
• facebook.com/profile.php?id=100073382253502 (John Martinez)
• facebook.com/profile.php?id=100073621836191 (Pinballmachines)
• facebook.com/profile.php?id=100074678494650 (Barrett Robin)
• facebook.com/profile.php?id=100076246921424 (Eau Claire Games and Arcade, impersonating a legitimate business; or George arcade & games, or Gamestop)
• facebook.com/profile.php?id=100077113221042 (Sports Shop, Weed420)
• facebook.com/profile.php?id=100078103771966 (pinballmachines)
• facebook.com/profile.php?id=100080902077148 (pinballmachinez)
• facebook.com/profile.php?id=100081275971730 (Noah David)
• facebook.com/profile.php?id=100081571956732 (Marie Tamai)
• facebook.com/profile.php?id=100082615092029 (Weiler Beiler)
• facebook.com/profile.php?id=100082855356770 (Arrey Wilson)
• facebook.com/profile.php?id=100083063246731 (pinballmachine)
• facebook.com/profile.php?id=100083271876175 (Pin balls machines for sale)
• facebook.com/profile.php?id=100083140181697 (pinballmachines)
• facebook.com/profile.php?id=100083318300429 (Emmanuel Williams)
• facebook.com/profile.php?id=100083436184704 (Dokota Pinballmachines)
• facebook.com/profile.php?id=100083471951371 (Pinball-Machine)
• facebook.com/profile.php?id=100084103914113 (Davis Scott)
• facebook.com/profile.php?id=100084248804442 (Allison G Rangel)
• facebook.com/profile.php?id=100084739856865 (Pinballmachineforsale)
• facebook.com/profile.php?id=100084746550993 (Sarekha Punam)
• facebook.com/profile.php?id=100084804283037 (Mark Jason)
• facebook.com/profile.php?id=100085025456706 (Robert's pinball shop)
• facebook.com/profile.php?id=100085073972758 (Kevin Milar)
• facebook.com/profile.php?id=100085119952259 (Pincardia)
• facebook.com/profile.php?id=100086214229711 (Pinball N More)
• facebook.com/profile.php?id=100086304252610 (Barbou Efa Elie)
• facebook.com/profile.php?id=100087281019126 (Pinball Machines In USA)
• facebook.com/profile.php?id=100087373104590 (Lionel Mark)
• facebook.com/profile.php?id=100088419536463 (pinball machines for sale)
• facebook.com/profile.php?id=100089003689496 (Mr pinball machines)
• facebook.com/profile.php?id=100089200974727 (pinball machines for sale)
• facebook.com/profile.php?id=100089406849982 (Pinball machine shop)
• facebook.com/profile.php?id=100089456350332 (Pinball Arcade Games)
• facebook.com/profile.php?id=100089629410029 (Stephanie’s Game Store)
• facebook.com/profile.php?id=100089638686854 (pinball machines for sale and rent USA)
• facebook.com/profile.php?id=100089703114065 (Prather Myers)
• facebook.com/profile.php?id=100089797134165 (Classic Pinballs And Arcade Games)
• facebook.com/profile.php?id=100089858502966 (Vending Machines)
• facebook.com/profile.php?id=100090220345183 (Pinball machine for sale)
• facebook.com/profile.php?id=100090247024916 (sternpinball)
• facebook.com/profile.php?id=100090283909013 (Fon Ken, or Smith William)
• facebook.com/profile.php?id=100090822200002 (Jack Williams, William Copper, Jack Copper)
• facebook.com/profile.php?id=100090877567004 (PinBall Gaming Machines For Sale)
• facebook.com/profile.php?id=100090925344111 (Brian Tinsley)
• facebook.com/profile.php?id=100091469847605 (Liquidation Pallets)
• facebook.com/profile.php?id=100091468345534 (Pinball Machines For Sale Near Me)
• facebook.com/profile.php?id=100091520508718 (PinBall Heaven New, Used and Refurbished redistribution)
• facebook.com/profile.php?id=100091742761980 (PinBall Heaven New, Used, and Refurbished redistribution today)
• facebook.com/profile.php?id=100091889045248 (Perfect Pinball.Inc)
• facebook.com/profile.php?id=100092265657044 (Pinball Room Australia Pty Ltd, or Pinball Barn Pty Ltd)
• facebook.com/profile.php?id=100092397753896 (Ben Hunter)
• facebook.com/profile.php?id=100092409535475 (Bunker House Arcade)
• facebook.com/profile.php?id=100093068456358 (Omaha Lilbigworld)
• facebook.com/profile.php?id=100093193425937 (1970s to 1990s pinball machines)
• facebook.com/profile.php?id=100093880693300 (Global Pinballmachine Distributors)
• facebook.com/profile.php?id=100095014925614 (Jose Ciminelli)
• facebook.com/profile.php?id=100095514723599 (Pinball Machine For Sale)
• facebook.com/adamou.njoya.98837 (Sander Danan Bradley)
• facebook.com/batman66pinball
• facebook.com/boris.joel.501 (Boris Joël)
• facebook.com/Chardliebrown
• facebook.com/chofor.fon.9 (Billy Jackson)
• facebook.com/djonzo.ngon (Peter Ruell)
• facebook.com/etienne.andegue (Brad Middleton)
• facebook.com/Flo.Grown214 (Dominick Anderson)
• facebook.com/Fun-Huz-Arcade-100529362578813
• facebook.com/fedrick.Wod.1987 (Wood Fredrick)
• facebook.com/jamesctuggle (Jame C Tuggle)
• facebook.com/james.bigmcqueen (Michael Auricchio)
• facebook.com/Johanessstacks
• facebook.com/nadesge.ngalle (James Arlen)
• facebook.com/ndille.muke (Walter Jimmy)
• facebook.com/Oswalds-pin-ball-games-108279908499571
• facebook.com/people/Global-Pinball-company/100068366123307
• facebook.com/PG-Pinball-Machines-107300687790357
• facebook.com/pinballarcarde (Pinball arcade)
• facebook.com/Pinballballarcardegamescom-107588015376194
• facebook.com/Pinball-Entertainment-100211611938360
• facebook.com/PinballGameRoom (Pinballmachines shop; or Pinball Arcade Shop)
• facebook.com/Pinball-Games-Machines-Warehouse-113740494412821
• facebook.com/PinBall-Machinaries-105920815267247
• facebook.com/Pinball-Machines-for-sale-689814164687845
• facebook.com/Pinballmachineforsales (pinballs.com, Golden Star Auto Parts)
• facebook.com/pinballmachinesforsaleusa
• facebook.com/pinballmachinesforsell
• facebook.com/pinballmachinesupplier
• facebook.com/Pinball-N-More-101046349454818
• facebook.com/pinballstoreonline
• facebook.com/Premium-Pinball-Machines-For-Sale-Online-105248785440121
• facebook.com/sangano.cedric (Sangano Cedric)
• facebook.com/Smith.Alan231
• facebook.com/Sporty-Arts-BV-105730078527744
• facebook.com/ThePinballGameroom
• facebook.com/thepinballmachines
• facebook.com/Vendingnationstore
• instagram.com/arcadefunmania
• instagram.com/arcade.house33
• instagram.com/Arcade_games22
• instagram.com/arcademan_6
• instagram.com/arcadepinball_machines_shop
• instagram.com/arcade_sales
• instagram.com/arcgames7
• instagram.com/awesome_pinball_machines
• instagram.com/flippers_home_arcade
• instagram.com/funandpinball
• instagram.com/funarcademania
• instagram.com/george_maso9n
• instagram.com/homearcadecorp
• instagram.com/homearcademania
• instagram.com/jacabcouzo
• instagram.com/jmpinballmachines_0
• instagram.com/mundopinball
• instagram.com/Pinball_12
• instagram.com/pinballarcade_
• instagram.com/pinball_arcade1
• instagram.com/pinballarcadegames
• instagram.com/pinball_arcade_games22
• instagram.com/pinball_arcade_games.shop
• instagram.com/pinball_class2
• instagram.com/pinballflipperi
• instagram.com/Pinball.fun
• instagram.com/pinballfunmania
• instagram.com/pinball_game09
• instagram.com/pinballgamemania
• instagram.com/Pinball_games44
• instagram.com/Pinball_gamesales
• instagram.com/pinballl_space
• instagram.com/pinb.allhomemania
• instagram.com/pin_ballmachine
• instagram.com/pinball_machine404
• instagram.com/pinball_machines00
• instagram.com/Pinball_machines44
• instagram.com/pinballmachines1
• instagram.com/pinballmachines97
• instagram.com/pinballacademachinesfosale60
• instagram.com/pinballmachines_gallery
• instagram.com/pinballmachinesales
• instagram.com/pinballmachines_shop
• instagram.com/pinballmachines_shop1
• instagram.com/pinballmemory
• instagram.com/pinballshop3
• instagram.coml/Pinballshop6
• instagram.com/pinballstore.22
• instagram.com/pinballworld
• instagram.com/pinballworldusa
• instagram.com/pincardiaarcade
• instagram.com/pinn_homes
• instagram.com/Pintrade6
• Instagram.com/ppinball_gamez
• instagram.com/ppinbball_gamez
• instagram.com/space_arcaade
• instagram.com/the_arcadegamemachines
• instagram.com/the_arcade_home
• t.me/gamerspinballmachine
• t.me/pinballmachineshop
• twitter.com/BuyPinball
• twitter.com/pinballflippers

List of scam shipper sites:

• alphacourierservices.com
• glowexpress.net
• External list of fake/scam shipping & freight websites: https://scam.delivery/

List of questionable/unconfirmed sites:

• demaretpinball.com
• dishshopzon.com
• pinballtrader.us
• pinball-translite.com
• gameroomplanet.com
• zamouse.com
• facebook.com/Arcades.Shopping.Centre
• facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063658161788 (WE-MOVE)

Note that if a suspicious website is reported and they are actually shown to be a legitimate seller/distributor, the posts concerning that site will be removed from this thread so as to not unfairly associate or connect that site with this thread.

Other discussions: (listed oldest to newest)

• https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/i-got-scammed-for-27k-beware
• https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/buying-advice-from-online-site-seem-shady
• https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/is-pinballshorecom-a-scam-store-or-legit-shop
• https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/legit-or-not
• https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/caution-pinballshorecom
• https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/has-anyone-heard-of-pinballshore-inc
• https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/attention-don-t-get-scammed/page/3#post-5940118
• https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/i-think-i-may-be-getting-scammed-help
• https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/is-buypinballmachinecom-a-legit-website-
• https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/pinball-base
• https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/should-i-be-wary-of-sellers-that-wont-let-you-discuss-their-ad#post-5940088
• https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/pinball-theatre
• https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/scam-too-good-to-be-true
• https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/beware-pinballmachinecenter-is-a-scammer
• https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/pinball-game-sales-
• https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/is-pinbalflipperscom-thrustworty
• https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/is-this-a-scam-it-must-be-
• https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/anyone-bought-from-arcadegamehousecom
• https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/question-kansas-thepinballcompanyus-legit
• https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/anyone-here-ever-buy-a-game-from-pinball-machine-center
• https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/pinball-game-gallery-
• https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/warning-fake-pinbot-ads-and-fishing-on-facebook
• https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/can-anyone-validate-this-site-as-legit
• https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/looking-for-feedback-on-seller-possible-scam-1
• https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/pinballmachinesstore-ummmmm
• https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/stern-godzilla-pro-brand-new-494910-new-in-box-tnt-amusements
• https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/what-s-the-word-on-artifex
• https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/scammer-chris-giroux-aka-mike-shonevis
• https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/anyone-ever-see-their-house-in-a-scam-for-sale-ad
• https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/paypal-purchase
• https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/looking-for-buying-advice-1
• https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/beware-of-fraudulent-ebay-sellers
• https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/any-experience-with-arcadepinballscom
• https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/possible-scam-oldiesgamesus
• https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/scammer-alert-5
• https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/thesilgoo-can-t-find-much-background

If you spot any additional sites or discussions, please feel free to add them to this thread.

Here are some ways to spot a scam site. Not all scam sites will bear all of these identifying attributes, but they generally have one or more of them.

Prices
The prices on scam sites tend to be significantly lower than you see anywhere else. This helps attract potential marks thinking they could get a deal, and pressures them to act fast before they miss out on it (aka FOMO--Fear of Missing Out).

Poor English
Scam sites usually feature content written by a non-native speaker. Therefore, there may be odd word choices, unusual sentence structure, incorrect verb tenses, and so on. If you read it aloud, it just sounds wrong.

Stolen Content
Often times, scam sites will lift content from websites of legitimate pinball distributors. For whatever reason, they seem to favor some of these sites:

• The Pinball Company: https://www.thepinballcompany.com/
• Fun!: https://pinballandmore.com/
• Great American Pinball (GAP): https://www.greatamericanpinball.com/

Sometimes if you do a search for a few sentences that you find on the scam site, either on individual product listings or an about page, you will see results of those same sentences found on other (and sometimes legitimate) websites.

Stolen Images
Scam sites don't take their own photographs of games. They pretty much always steal them from other sources such as legitimate distributors or private seller ads. Use google's reverse image search or https://tineye.com/ to do a reverse image search on the images. If you see results pop up elsewhere, it's very likely that the images were stolen.

Note that sometimes you might not get a reverse image result, but that doesn't mean the image hasn't been stolen--just that it hasn't been indexed by the search engine. If a reverse search fails, try searching older game ads, restoration guides/threads, game room threads, or various other places where game images may be posted. Sometimes if you search for images just based on the game title, it may show up in search results, especially if the image on the scam site was altered, cropped, recolored, rotated, or otherwise altered in a minor way.

Sometimes, scammers will take screenshots of YouTube videos. Unfortunately, those won't pop up in a reverse image search, but if you search for videos of the game in question, you may be able to find the video that the scammer used.

Domain Name Lookup
This is a bit more technical than the other red flags, but reveals a lot more information.

If you are unfamiliar with how domain names work, this is a quick overview: in order to use a domain name, you must buy it from a domain name registrar. Ownership information is then added to the purchased domain name's record, which is called a whois record. This record shows who is in control of a domain name and how to contact them--this is information that is completely public. However, since most people don't want their private contact and billing information made public, you can mask it using private registration information provided by the registrar. So, any information sent to the masked contact information listed in the whois record will be forwarded to your real contact information.

To check the registration/whois details of a domain, you can visit any number of domain registrar sites, but I prefer to use https://whois.domaintools.com/ because of the additional details that they provide.

The domain name used for a scam website is generally relatively new. Since these scams started appearing in late 2019, the creation date of the domain may be between late 2019 and early 2021. However, these scammers seem to keep generating new domains and websites every so often, so if a domain name is only a few months old, it's certainly something to be suspicious about.

Occasionally, a scammer may take over an older abandoned/expired domain name. If a domain has age to it, you can check a website's saved history: https://web.archive.org/ . In situations like this, the original site is typically very different than the new (and potentially scam) site.

Whois records may also contain contact information for a foreign entity, such as masked private registrar information provided by a company in China.

The nameservers listed in the record may also be from foreign companies, and may be based in places such as India or Pakistan. Additional technical info: Nameservers hold the routing information for the website domain, which directs the domain name to the server where the website resides. Normally, the nameserver is provided by the domain registrar or website host. If it's instead with a foreign 3rd-party, more often than not there's something fishy going on. A 3rd-party nameserver makes it easier for a scammer to pivot to a new web host if they get booted from an old one.

The hosting provider/server that is used to host the website might or might not be foreign. More often than not, it is based in the US since this is where the target audience is, and basic web hosting is really cheap here.

Hosting providers and some domain name registrars make it pretty easy to pay for services using various payment methods, and since they don't mail anything, a scammer can easily provide false contact info. So, a scammer can effectively remain anonymous.

Contact Information
If contact information is provided on the website, search for it in google and see what else comes up. Sometimes the same contact info will appear on other scam sites or scam warning sites.

Sometimes contact information will just be a phone number or whatsapp number.

Many of the scam sites have a whatsapp number and/or whatsapp-branded chat box. Legitimate distributors do not typically have this. It's very rare for a legitimate retailer to advertise the use of *any* messaging platform or system. These systems are generally free to use and typically hide the user's real location and identity, hence their popularity with scamming.

If a phone number is displayed, search for it on https://www.freecarrierlookup.com/ to determine what the phone carrier (ie, service provider) is. Beware of SMS-only carriers and virtual carriers, such as bandwidth.com (aka google voice). Common service providers like Verizon, Sprint, AT&T are generally ok, but prepaid "burner" phones can also operate on these networks.

Location Information
Sometimes the location information will be a legitimate pinball distributor/dealer or arcade. Use google maps and the street view feature to see the building at the address. Retail distributors usually have signage on their building, so if the signage doesn't match the name on the website, then the website might not be legit. Also, if the location doesn't have street view available, it may have been purposefully selected so that you can't see the building in street view. A random nondescript warehouse without signage can also be suspicious, especially if the street view image is only a year or two old.

If the seller provides address information that indicates that they are located on any floor other than the ground floor, that may be suspicious. Most legitimate pinball businesses are located on the ground floor due to the challenging logistics of moving & shipping pinball/arcade games from any upper floors.

Facebook Page Details
In many cases, these scam sites are being accompanied by a facebook page.

On facebook pages, there is a "Page Transparency" section that lists when the page was created and from where it is being operated from. If the "page manager location" lists a foreign location, then chances are high that it's a scammer.

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Automated Scam Site Checking Tool
https://www.scamdoc.com/ is a tool you can use to check a website for some of the red flags that can help identify a scam site. It uses some of the identifying markers as described above, plus various others (such as other websites or the lack of websites that are linking to the scam site).

Note that automated tools shouldn't be trusted blindly, as they can be tricked by scammers as they change, update, and use tactics to help avoid detection.

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Up until this point, this has been about the website itself. If for whatever reason you end up making contact with the scammer, here are couple things that would stand out:

Seeing a Game
Overall, a legitimate seller would typically invite and encourage you to see and play the game in person with no strings attached.

A scammer will likely come up with all sorts of excuses as to why you (or a friend/family member in the area) can't see a game in person. Excuses could include: it's currently somewhere else (at a different location or warehouse), it's being cleaned, it's on location and inaccessible, the business is closed during any proposed days/times, etc.

Sometimes the scammer will initially agree to a viewing, but then make it impossible using various excuses.

Sometimes a scammer will try to get you to pay some sort of deposit fee up front prior to letting you see any game(s) in person. They sometimes come up with all sorts of excuses as to why it's necessary (ie, to pay for staff) and/or that it's a standard practice (hint: it's not, and this is just another scam tactic to get you to give them money when it's clear you won't immediately click the buy button for a game on their website). However, as a minor note, making a deposit on a game is a legitimate practice in certain situations where you are specifically making a commitment to buy a specific game--just make sure it's a legitimate business and/or individual first.

Fake Verification Images
For many years, it's been fairly common for a potential buyer to ask a seller to hand-write the date and either the buyer or seller's name on a piece of paper and place on the object in the photo to prove that they currently have the item in their possession.

Unfortunately, this kind of thing fairly trivial to photoshop.

These scammers have proven they can do this without much trouble, so do not take one of these kinds of images as proof of legitimacy.

Fake verification image with photoshopped note:
Fake verification image with photoshopped note

Original photo found in a marketplace ad:
original marketplace photo

Payment Methods
Most retailers will take just about any legitimate form of payment--credit cards, checks, cash, paypal, wire transfers. However, scammers don't want to run the risk of a reversed payment or a payment that can be tracked. So, they will request payment in the form of gift cards, bitcoin, and sometimes venmo/zelle or wire transfers.

If your bank warns you about making a venmo/zelle payment LISTEN TO THEM. There have been several instances of people reporting that they were scammed, and that they ignored their bank's warning about it before proceeding to send money to the scammer.

With wire transfers, the name on the account should match either the seller/owner's name or the business name, but if it doesn't, it might be an account controlled by a scammer.

A legitimate seller will *never* request gift cards, and it's very unlikely they will request any form of crypto currency.

Pinball Terminology
Scammers are getting to know our hobby fairly well, and have become familiar with pinball terminology. However, they tend not to be familiar with some simple technical questions, concepts about maintenance, anything to do with repair, or anything that has to do with opening a pinball machine or seeing what is inside of it. They also don't appear to be familiar with all game titles, and will say that they have a game title in stock even if it's fictitious. Note that this may change as they become even more familiar with our hobby. Legitimate retailers generally know their products inside and out, while scammers tend to provide nonsense answers.

Unknown Freight/Shipping Company
Depending how far you are pulled into the scam, the scammer may send you to a shipping company to either arrange shipping, arrange shipping insurance, or to check a tracking number they give you after payment is made. Unfortunately, most of the time, this is a fake shipping company website being operated by the scammer (as a companion site). Giving you a tracking number to follow is a delay tactic that allows them time to get away with your money and disappear before you catch on to what happened.

Shipping Delay Tactics
If you are arranging shipping as the buyer, sometimes a scammer will go so far as to interact with a legitimate shipping company. They will simply try to stall, delay, and endlessly reschedule as long as possible. Or, they will instruct you to send a shipper to their address for pick-up and the shipper will find nobody there since it's not a legitimate address. Then scammer may try to string you along as long as possible claiming a mistake was made, that there was a scheduling error, that there was an unexpected emergency, etc.

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Be Aware of New or Changing Tactics
Smarter scammers tend to update, modify, and change some of their tactics as people start to recognize how they operate. So, be aware that they may attempt to minimize some of the red flags identified above.

These scammers have caught on that people are hungry for pinball machines and that people are looking for good deals on pinball machines. They use this and FOMO (fear of missing out) to their advantage to try to quickly strike a deal and get you to send money before your common sense kicks in.

It seems that these scammers are not going away, and have instead been increasing their activities. Unfortunately, these scammers seem to have found it worthwhile to spend a lot of time on setting up and maintaining all these pinball-related scam websites, pages, and profiles.

What can you do to help combat these scammers?
Share the domain name of the scam site so we can add it to the list. When people search for information on the scam site, this thread will likely appear in their search results.

Report Stolen Content
If the images were stolen from a retail site, you can contact the owner to let them know about it. Since they would be the copyright holder of the image, they may be able to file a DMCA claim against them website's hosting provider or registrar to try to get the website taken down.

Note that only the copyright holder or an authorized representative can file these complaints. Since you will likely have no connection with the owner of the stolen content, you will not be able to file a DMCA claim on their behalf.

Report Scams to Government Agencies
You can report the scam website to various government agencies here: https://www.usa.gov/stop-scams-frauds

I'm not sure how quick or effective this is, but it can't hurt.

Report the Scam to the Website Hosting Provider
Most hosting providers do not want malware or scammers being hosted on their servers. It's bad for business and opens them up to liability. So, what you can do is report the website to them for a "terms of service" violation.

To check who the hosting provider is, Do a DNS lookup for the domain here: https://mxtoolbox.com/DNSLookup.aspx

Enter the domain name of the website, click the IP address listed in the search results, and the hosting information will appear. So, for the "PTR" record, look at the domain name listed. This will show the full address of the web server that the website is hosted on. Try visiting the main domain name (if the name is something like b14.core.hostfx.com, just visit hostfx.com). That should bring you to the company that owns the server.

Then take a look at their "abuse", "terms of service", and/or "acceptable use" pages to see if you can find instructions about reporting scam sites or fraud. Use the instructions to report the site, or you can't find instructions, use the general contact information/form provided on the company's website.

Note that if you do get the scammer's hosting services suspended, they will likely set up shop with another website hosting provider. But--this will mean some downtime for the scammer, and limit the places where they can go for hosting services. Plus, the more time they have to spend managing their scam website, the less time they will have to actually be running scams on people.

Report the Scam to the Domain Registrar
Using the domain whois information, you can determine who the registrar of the domain name is. Visit the registrar's website, and look for an abuse or abuse complaints section. There will usually be instructions on where to file the complaint.

Report the Facebook Pages
Some of these scam sites have facebook pages that accompany them, usually populated with the website address and other contact info, as well as posts with stolen images. If you visit the page, click the facebook page's menu options and click "find support or report page". Click the "scams and fake pages" option, then the "fake pages" option.

What to do if you are a victim of this scam
We have been advised by a police detective that if you were scammed, to please contact your local police department. We have also been advised that there is at least one individual based in the US who is facing felony charges related to their participation in scamming someone trying to buy a pinball machine.

It might not always be possible to prosecute the perpetrator(s) of the crime (since they are sometimes not located within the US), but there are still processes that can be followed to have these sites removed and help protect other potential victims.