Copy Cat Scammer

**Kujen** · 01-25-2011, 09:32 AM

Here's my idea - I know the devs don't get involved with trade/scam disputes. But maybe they could put a notification in the game, like a warning to help people learn how to avoid scams.
Just because someone thinks they're getting a good deal doesn't mean they deserve to be scammed. Scammers are a detriment to the community.

**Riccits** · 01-25-2011, 09:35 AM

i really hope that sts will do somthing about that... but its hard to find a unique way for all scam types that we know...

**Tsarra** · 01-26-2011, 12:43 AM

The devs probably also don't want to scare a brand new player off with "WARNING: SCAMS AND CHEATS INSIDE" plastered all over the front doors. From their perspective, it's pretty much impossible to mitigate all of this from their end.

No matter what, someone loses. If they (the devs) lose, we all lose.

I agree that something should be done about the cheating, lying, scamming, conniving wretches in the game...I just have no idea what a happy medium would look like.

**Kujen** · 01-26-2011, 11:01 AM

I think if i was new, I'd be more scared off the game if I was scammed, than if I was warned about scammers. They did put up a sticky in forum announcements about it - "be aware of trade scams" - so they do care.

They said scams are a violation of their terms of service. I bet the only reason they don't get directly involved is because people might make false claims about being scammed or because it may be harder to prove. In trade scams there may not be clear evidence, otherwise they probably would ban, like when someone tries to scam people into giving them their account and password. Thats clear as day in the chat logs.

Edit: also, I think as a community we can help prevent these scams by calling people out on it, in public chat. At least until there's a better way. You see someone doing a scam like this "I'll trade a rift set for this crummy green that is suspiciously 200k in the cs" thing, warn everyone in chat that it's a scam. Some people just wouldn't know any better and fall for it. Don't think of it as snitching, this isn't a prison, it's a game community and cheats and scammers are not welcomed.

**Thade** · 01-31-2011, 12:29 PM

Scamming is a violation of our Terms of Service.

Anything which violates the Terms of Service can result in a ban.

**TwinkTastical** · 01-31-2011, 12:43 PM

Originally Posted by Thade

Scamming is a violation of our Terms of Service.

Anything which violates the Terms of Service can result in a ban.

This isnt a scam though.. lmao.

**Royce** · 01-31-2011, 12:51 PM

Originally Posted by TwinkTastical

This isnt a scam though.. lmao.

This is absolutely a scam.

**StompArtist** · 01-31-2011, 12:55 PM

Wait a sec here. I am a little lost. Is it scamming if I exchange a torch for a complete void set? I mean if someone is willing to do the exchange it's definitely a bad deal for them but if I do not lie about the item I do not see how this would be a scam?

**mugen** · 01-31-2011, 12:59 PM

Originally Posted by Ellyidol

Also, HOW TO B DUAL SPEC 20k. Its right here free. -.-

this guys been doin that for awhile i just spam lol at him when i see him in town

**Royce** · 01-31-2011, 01:02 PM

Originally Posted by StompArtist

Wait a sec here. I am a little lost. Is it scamming if I exchange a torch for a complete void set? I mean if someone is willing to do the exchange it's definitely a bad deal for them but if I do not lie about the item I do not see how this would be a scam?

Since this is the internet, let's look a the wikipedia definition of a confidence trick (or scam):

A confidence trick or confidence game (also known as a bunko, con, flim flam, gaffle, grift, hustle, scam, scheme, swindle or bamboozle) is an attempt to defraud a person or group by gaining their confidence. The victim is known as the mark, the trickster is called a confidence man, con man, confidence trickster, grifter, or con artist, and any accomplices are known as plants. Confidence men or women exploit characteristics of the human psyche such as greed, both dishonesty and honesty, vanity, compassion, credulity, irresponsibility, naïveté, and the thought of trying to get something of value for nothing or for something far less valuable. Confidence men or women have victimized individuals from all walks of life.

The scammer in this case attempts to gain the confidence of his mark by lying and saying they will trade something of value for an item they have listed in the CS. This scammer preys on greed (and possibly naïveté) since the item listed (while dramatically overpriced) is still less than the cost of the item(s) they pretend to be offering as trade. The scam's overall goal is to acquire something of value (gold) for something of nearly no value (a crap item), by tricking the mark into buying something they would not normally buy for far over it's value.

**StompArtist** · 01-31-2011, 01:06 PM

Now I understand. I had somehow missed the CS part in this deal. I guess this is scam but I do not see how one would go about and prove it. I guess a refined scammer could use two accounts, one to list and one to sell out of CS as well... Def hard to figure out if someone is guilty of such scam...

**Cabero** · 01-31-2011, 01:06 PM

Rebel explained it much better than I did lol

**mugen** · 01-31-2011, 01:07 PM

Originally Posted by matticus08

I learned how to do this scheme a few days ago from the forums.

hmm ur proud of learning this?

**StompArtist** · 01-31-2011, 01:07 PM

Originally Posted by Cabero

You don't get it. He gets them to pay s high amount for crappy piece of gear he puts in the cs. When they buy it he doesn't trade the set for it. He just leaves the character he is on and switches to the one that had the item up abduction takes the money and runs.

Yeah. I was missing the point entirely. Sorry.

**Lesrider** · 01-31-2011, 01:09 PM

Ha if they're banning for this, then matticus really should not have admitted to doing it lol.

**Kujen** · 01-31-2011, 01:10 PM

So are these people being banned if we can provide proof like this? Devs I'm sure you can tell whether the character advertising the trade in chat and the character listing the overpriced item in the cs are from the same account, right? I've seen several of these copy cats now and I have no doubts that they're trying to scam.

**mugen** · 01-31-2011, 01:12 PM

Originally Posted by Lesrider

Ha if they're banning for this, then matticus really should not have admitted to doing it lol.

ikr sigh
/10

**Phoenixking** · 01-31-2011, 03:31 PM

Wait i dont get it what is the scammer doing?

**Ellyidol** · 01-31-2011, 03:36 PM

Originally Posted by Phoenixking

Wait i dont get it what is the scammer doing?

Taking advantage of people who want to take advantage of other people. Lol

I hate these kind of stuff because its really hard to actually have a bannable rule for this. Only educating the players would actually do good.