Strange Email from ATF

[electronman1729]

Got this toady from the AFT. Anyone else get one?

"Good Evening,

I am reviewing your Form 1 submission and wanted to verify the model you provided by obtaining a photo of the engraved markings (model, serial, etc) on the firearm. Please get me this photo ASAP so that I may move forward with your application.

Thank You"

[mtnrider]

Sounds like a Scam to me. They either approve or decline. They don't ask questions like that.

[mahabali]

A few folks on Arfcom have recently received the same email. Appears to be legit, but odd.

http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_6_17/461390_ATF_Requested_Photos_of_the_Engraved_Markin gs_for_My_Form_1_SBS.html

[Great-Kazoo]

Got this toady from the AFT. Anyone else get one?

"Good Evening,

I am reviewing your Form 1 submission and wanted to verify the model you provided by obtaining a photo of the engraved markings (model, serial, etc) on the firearm. Please get me this photo ASAP so that I may move forward with your application.

Thank You"

Do you have a F1 in process? Did the notification come from the actual ATF.doj or.gov e-m addy? If no to either if these, disregard.

[electronman1729]

Do you have a F1 in process? Did the notification come from the actual ATF.doj or.gov e-m addy? If no to either if these, disregard.

Got a Form 1 in now. came from a .gov email address. Lets see what there is to complain about.

[Hound]

Something is odd, I would agree. So how would you send a pic of something that cannot exist yet? The grammer is also off. They dont' usually say something like ''Please get me". Very weird.

[SAnd]

I received a phone call asking about an Form 1 snail mailed in January. She asked about an unusual model number. I had enclosed a picture that showed the caliber, serial number and model number. When I asked if she had the picture she said all she had was the form and that they separated any other contents of the application somewhere else. She said she would get the picture. I never heard back from them so I figure the picture satisfied her.

I have had another time when I was contacted by phone about a model number. The first Form 1 I e-filed I received a phone call and ended up e-mailing a picture to him. He said they have to check on anything if you type something in instead of using something from the list. Since then any time I have had to enter a number that wasn't on the list I have included a picture of the odd thing and they have gone through ok. I figure they can trash anything they don't need.

[Brian]

These are fairly common lately. ATF is trying to clean up the registry, which as you may know, is really messy - both existing items and items that are new and getting added. Usually they're looking to confirm the markings that are/were on the device in question. If you were making an SBR for example, you might not have recorded what they wanted under the original manufacturer, serial number, etc.
If you suspect it might not be legit, you could always cross check the name of the examiner or email Ted Clutter for confirmation.

Keep in mind with the popularity of NFA items lately, ATF is dealing with a lot of people who don't know what they're doing and they're getting a lot of bad submissions. Not saying that's the case for you, but this type of thing is a side effect of that as well.

[electronman1729]

I guess the important thing is that I may have a another Form 1 tomorrow

[SAnd]

Something is odd, I would agree. So how would you send a pic of something that cannot exist yet? The grammer is also off. They dont' usually say something like ''Please get me". Very weird.
If you are making a Short Barreled Rifle or Shotgun from an existing firearm you will enter the existing model, serial number, and the manufacturers name.
The ATF examiners have been polite and friendly in both my contacts with the ATF.

[WETWRKS]

If there are problems or questions keep in mind there is an ATF office down town Denver. I have been there and the folks I dealt with were friendly and helpful.

[hurley842002]

If there are problems or questions keep in mind there is an ATF office down town Denver. I have been there and the folks I dealt with were friendly and helpful.

This seems like the strangest part of the thread, you mean all .gov employees aren't complete turds? Interesting....

[sarcasm]

Sorry, back to the topic at hand, I can't afford NFA, but wanted to be in the discussion anyway :-)

[Hoser]

These emails are much more common lately. Just be glad you got an email instead of a disapproval.

[Hound]

I have talked to the ATF on several occasions. I can't remember any time they were not nice and easy to work with. What I was pointing to is that they usually talk differently. Something closer to "A photo is needed to complete the form 1" instead of personal words like 'me' and 'ASAP'.


If you are making a Short Barreled Rifle or Shotgun from an existing firearm you will enter the existing model, serial number, and the manufacturers name.
The ATF examiners have been polite and friendly in both my contacts with the ATF.

[Not_A_Llama]

They've been hiring pretty aggressively lately, and being more engaged with the efile process. It wouldn't surprise me if they needed some leadtime to "professionalize".

[Alpha2]

I know that the ATF, BATFE, etc. gets a bad rap these days, and "do I trust them implicitly?" No, not by a long shot...however, when I was applying for my FFL, the Denver based agent that did my interview was professional, personable, and very helpful. FWIW. If I ever have a question or concern, I wouldn't hesitate to call him.

Of course, having said all that, any mispelling, bad grammar, etc on a ".gov" email would set alarm bells going off. Until, maybe, when you consider the level of competence in .gov types these days.

[SA Friday]

It's more than likely legit. If you have concerns, call the NFA office and ask to speak to the examiner. The local office is just going to to refer you to the NFA office in WV. They have new examiners and they have also been cracking down on erroneous make/model/marking issues. I've heard this from multiple sources.

In all my years dealing with military and federal email addresses (.mil and .gov), I have yet to hear of someone being able to set up a fake email with the intention of stealing info. It's possible, but I'm not sure it's worth it. They can just hack the NFA server in WV and download the register.

[electronman1729]

Got it approved! The issue was with the model number. Make sure you know every number on your reciever. The manufacturer listed the wrong model number on the website which is different than what's on the gun.