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Scamming Methods Exposed

KeynesAlley said:
I got a PM and the guy asked it I wanted to buy some pants. I told him NO, that I already had some. Then he asked if I wanted to trade my 7 ped pants for his 100 ped blue pants.

I was curious on what the scam was, so I said YES.

Anyway, so he brings up the trade window and tells me to put my pants in the trade window, so I do. Then he puts in OJ pants. When I questioned him about it, he claimed that it was a glitch in the game's trade window, but they were really worth 100 ped and would be blue once I got them in my inventory.

Of course when I refused the trade I got called several not so nice names.
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This is at least inventive.

Hey I'll trade you my adj fap for, oh say, 35k ped. I know it looks like just a bottle of sweat, but that's just a bug in the trade window. When you get it, it will be an adj fap. It's not a scam, not a too good to be true offer. Really, trust me, errr :rolleyes:

Never never never click confirm on a trade unless you are absolutely sure you are getting what you expect. If something looks wrong, it probably is....cancel the trade.
 
Pepper said:
This is actually not a scam, especially since you're getting a head-up by MA to check the rules of distribution for a Team when you join. It may be an exploitation of peoples trust, or simple laziness, but there's a limit to pampering too. ;)
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lol, I agree. The more damage you do the more ped it costs you, so you should get more of the loot. It's far from perfect but ther is nothing wrong with it ( still a big gamble as to what you might get or not !)
 
Trade scam

A scam which been seen frequently in use over the past weeks ( it's actually one of the oldest ingame scams) is the TT item markup scam.

Items from the Trade Terminals are sold as "rare items" with a markup to noobs who doesn't know better.

This scam is easily avoided by:
  • Checking the markup value (click on the item in trade and click the markup value button in the down right corner of the pop up window)
  • Ask in main chat what items you should buy as noob. There are usually several helpful people who will answer.
Heads-up: Don't go private chat with someone who claims to want to provide you with either information or items, just read what people are telling you in main. Scammers will always want to keep your conversation secluded from others, keep that in mind.
 
Pepper;935260[B said:
Heads-up[/B]: Don't go private chat with someone who claims to want to provide you with either information or items, just read what people are telling you in main. Scammers will always want to keep your conversation secluded from others, keep that in mind.
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Well, public chat is ok as long as you're not in PA (Port Atlantis) :lol:
 
KeynesAlley said:
MA doesn't care about scams unless they break the EULA or some other official rule.

There are plenty of posts floating around here with responses from MA support on this issue saying "next time be more careful" and "all PvP transactions are final".
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And on the other side of the coin, there are several posts floating around here with responses from MA support saying that the scammer has been reported by other people as well and thanking them for the information. In a few of those cases some of the lost property was returned.

If you get scammed, raise a support case. MA won't take action unless they are given sufficient evidence that a scam has taken place, so the more reports they receive, the greater the chance they will take action. A report of a scammer from one person could be the result of an offline trade deal gone bad or from someone that misunderstood what was being traded through no fault of the other party. A report of a scammer from several different people will make MA sit up and take notice.
 
Midori Fairlona said:
And on the other side of the coin, there are several posts floating around here with responses from MA support saying that the scammer has been reported by other people as well and thanking them for the information. In a few of those cases some of the lost property was returned.

If you get scammed, raise a support case. MA won't take action unless they are given sufficient evidence that a scam has taken place, so the more reports they receive, the greater the chance they will take action. A report of a scammer from one person could be the result of an offline trade deal gone bad or from someone that misunderstood what was being traded through no fault of the other party. A report of a scammer from several different people will make MA sit up and take notice.
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I've read those posts/threads too.

What I've seen is that those were about the scammer breaking the EULA or some other official rule as part of the scam.
 
well i made a support case about my trade scam i said earlier where she had stated very clear in chat what she would pay me. And there wasnt anywhere in that chat mentioned that she wasnt to pay. Still they looked at the trade and saw that she got the item but i got nothing back, but didnt say anything about that it didnt go over with chat. So i dont think they even look at chat logg. I also only got the be more carefull next time.

But on the other hand i understand if they dont keep chat logs that there isnt much they can do as i dont have any proff. Also it could all be a set up or like some said a misunderstanding or even friends that started an arguement and one of them now regret. But i hope there come a day where its gonna be easier to bring scammer down and where MA can do something more about it......
 
KeynesAlley said:
I've read those posts/threads too.

What I've seen is that those were about the scammer breaking the EULA or some other official rule as part of the scam.
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Perhaps, but not every case is an obvious breach of the EULA. It is far better to suggest that everyone writes a support case if they are scammed in case they can get their items back instead of telling them that they will never have a chance of getting something back.

It is rare for someone to receive things back from MA as certain requirements must be met first, but it is misleading to suggest it is impossible. ;)
 
KeynesAlley said:
I've read those posts/threads too.

What I've seen is that those were about the scammer breaking the EULA or some other official rule as part of the scam.
Click to expand...

Midori Fairlona said:
Perhaps, but not every case is an obvious breach of the EULA. It is far better to suggest that everyone writes a support case if they are scammed in case they can get their items back instead of telling them that they will never have a chance of getting something back.

It is rare for someone to receive things back from MA as certain requirements must be met first, but it is misleading to suggest it is impossible. ;)
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Indeed it is.

MA do care - but they are still obeyed to follow Swedish law. When there are scammers operating, they do break the EULA just by the fact that they're breaking:
16:c (EULA). You cannot interfere with any other Participant's ability to enjoy the Entropia Universe according to its rules.

What MA in fact does, is to earmark participants who cannot behave. If enough valid support cases comes in, they can and will act upon that according to the EULA - it happened before. But MA can't ban people just because one or two claims of scamming comes in. But they do investigate if the scamming is continuous and documented.
Again: take screenies, note time place and avatar name.

But I can see the need to get some perspective on MA's role in this matter:

If you loose, say your Pixie and your Opalo to a upgrade scammer you've lost lets say 20 ped. What we're talking about then is 2 $.
Try this: Run into the nearest police office, screaming bloody murder, and demand that the person who stole your 2 bucks will be punished and in prisoned. Do you seriously believe you will get help based on that?
It's a petty theft, and there are far worse issues to deal with. You have to protect yourself by using your common sense. Furthermore the money you used are most likely sweat money - which you got for free (from depositing players). So, in fact you've lost nothing. The time you've spent sweating is not a job, it's what you choose to do in game to try it out.
This may sound really tough to some of you - but I think it's important to get the fact straight here. Of course it's bad to get scammed - but please consider what role you have, and what role MA's got - before you scream bloody murder.

But do report scammers to MA. This is a typical answer you might get when reporting a scammer:

Thanks for reporting this to us. You did exactly the right thing and it will help us to ear mark participants that engage in scamming activities.

Unfortunately these unscrupulous characters do exist within the Entropia Universe and we must remind you to always remain vigilant for these types of participants. Always double check before closing a deal.

MindArk are committed to making the Entropia Universe an enjoyable experience for all and we thank you for helping us to reach that goal.

Regards,
Entropia Support


I can assure you that MA's got no intention in getting the reputation to run a game which is an easy target for scammers. That would be a dead end for any business company.
 
Pepper said:
Indeed it is.

MA do care - but they are still obeyed to follow Swedish law. When there are scammers operating, they do break the EULA just by the fact that they're breaking:
16:c (EULA). You cannot interfere with any other Participant's ability to enjoy the Entropia Universe according to its rules.

What MA in fact does, is to earmark participants who cannot behave. If enough valid support cases comes in, they can and will act upon that according to the EULA - it happened before.
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Every game has that clause in their EULA and rarely is it ever treated to count scamming. It's more about harassment and such.

I have never heard that Swedish law treats in-game crimes {scams, etc} as real life crime like South Korea,Taiwan, China, etc do.

But MA can't ban people just because one or two claims of scamming comes in. But they do investigate if the scamming is continuous and documented.
Again: take screenies, note time place and avatar name.
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I'm sure the EULA has a section that lets them ban for any reason or no reason at all.

I haven't seen a EULA without this clause.

Here's from Ma's own website;

The Entropia Universe Scam Prevention Policy

Due to the diversity of human nature, not all participants in the Entropia Universe will be honest upstanding citizens. Just like in real life, the virtual universe may be home to unscrupulous people looking to scam others out of their hard-earned possessions. MindArk PE AB ("MindArk") does not support or condone this exploitative behavior inside the Entropia Universe. However, if one is 'scammed' out of goods or funds, MindArk is in no way responsible. The company cannot and will not return items lost in a scam. The loss is your own responsibility.

If an Entropia Universe participant reports another participant as a 'scammer', MindArk will investigate and determine if any action needs to be taken. Each case is unique and will be treated as such. One means of disciplinary action is the issuing of a warning and a call for the behavior to cease. If the behavior persists, the participant risks suspension of his or her account, or permanent expulsion from the Entropia Universe.

ADVICE

Always be cautious and wary of people offering deals that seem too good to be true - they usually are!

When trading, always research the market to see if the suggested price is reasonable. People will use all kind of arguments as to why a certain price is the correct one, or why a certain piece of equipment is the best.

Do not trust anyone unless you know them personally.

If someone attempts to sell you many items and you cannot see them, they probably don't exist.

If you want to make a purchase, buy items one at a time.

Always remember to right-click on the offered items to view their individual ITEM INFO data.

If you have a valuable item that someone wants to see, do not just show it willingly. Place it in the trade window instead. This allows both parties to view it. Remember! Do not hit the 'ACCEPT' button. If the other user says he or she cannot see it or get the information on it, you are probably dealing with a 'scammer' at work.

Do not listen to 'hard luck cases'. Scam artists will say or do almost anything to get your items from you.

If you kill a creature that was close to death and then loot it, do not give up the loot to someone claiming it as theirs. The user who does the most damage has the right to loot the kill.

Think a deal through, as all trades are final.

Remember that MindArk will not return items lost in a scam, so protect yourself!
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KeynesAlley said:
Every game has that clause in their EULA and rarely is it ever treated to count scamming. It's more about harassment and such.
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EULA stands for ENTROPIA UNIVERSE END USER LICENSE AGREEMENT and I sincerely doubt other games has that.

KeynesAlley said:
I have never heard that Swedish law treats in-game crimes {scams, etc} as real life crime like South Korea,Taiwan, China, etc do.
Click to expand...

Well, maybe that is because MA acts before that happens?

KeynesAlley said:
I'm sure the EULA has a section that lets them ban for any reason or no reason at all.
Click to expand...
Yes they do, and you just told me that you havn't even read the EULA - which in fact makes your post rather pointless since it's based on guessing, and not on facts.

Furthermore this seems a lot like the kind of posts I specifically asked not to be posted in this thread:

Pepper said:
I also, if possible, like to keep this thread free of a philosophical masturbation of the question what is a scam?. Please start a new thread if you find this subject necessary to scrutinize.
It would be great if you think twice before posting off-topic posts, does it really belong in this thread?
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Please respect the topic of the thread, and feel free to start a new thread on the topic you're following here.
 
Pepper said:
EULA stands for ENTROPIA UNIVERSE END USER LICENSE AGREEMENT and I sincerely doubt other games has that.
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Pepper, be careful what you state so you don't confuse people and don't diminish the value of your otherwise great thread.

"EU" in EULA is only accidental match with "EU" (as in Entropia Universe).

Acronym EULA stands for End User Licence Agreement and was not invented by MA.

Not only most of the other MMORPG have one, but also many off-line games have one and majority of Serious Software packages cannot be sold without one.

Just try to install e.g. Microsoft Windows and you will stumble upon their EULA before too long.
 
HvSW said:
Pepper, be careful what you state so you don't confuse people and don't diminish the value of your otherwise great thread.

"EU" in EULA is only accidental match with "EU" (as in Entropia Universe).

Acronym EULA stands for End User Licence Agreement and was not invented by MA.

Not only most of the other MMORPG have one, but also many off-line games have one and majority of Serious Software packages cannot be sold without one.

Just try to install e.g. Microsoft Windows and you will stumble upon their EULA before too long.
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Eeeerm... scroll up mate.
 
Borrowing Scam

I had a player join my Soc recently then left after a short period of time. A few days later this player started asking for ped from the other SOC members giving a hard luck story about not being able to deposit till next week.

The reason I mention this, is I beleive he only joined to get the SOC members on his friends list...part of his little scam
 
i seen a new scam apear that new people easy fall for.....
where ive seen it or heard it appear is in pa and sweat camp.
The person will start screaming that someone stole his gun somehow by borrowing it or the other person was trying it or something. well infact there hasnt been any trade of a gun in the first place. but the person will keep shouting till the other person give up cus of fear from beeing seen as a scammer. i saw the same person doing it 3 times now so watch out for this.
 
Maybe I missed it but probably one of the biggest scams that affects new people is the Disciple Collecting scam.

Someone who offers mentorship to any and all willing new people but disappears after the time limit is up for the newbie to kick them. These Absentee mentors can collect a wide variety of ME gifts and ME skill with little or no work if new avatars just complete their discipleship and they are stuck in doing so unless they can get MA to reverse the process. It also leaves a bad first impression for newcomers which hurts us all.

One thing about many of the scams mentioned is that they come from Avatars who are named very similarly to well know honest and established avatars. I had one avie try the armor upgrade scam on me saying he was this high ranking crafter and that he was authorized by MA to do the upgrade. Sent a bunch of screenies to MA and he was soon kicked. One thing to remember is if MA wants you to have something they will give it to you and they don't need an avatar to be the go between unless its the RDI guy.

As long as there is real money involved there will always be someone trying to grift it off you. My best advice is don't lend out anything you are not willing to loose or at the very least be very very picky about who you lend and borrow from.

I am naturally distrusting but I am not immune to being scammed but once it happens I can honestly say it won't happen again. First time victim, second time volunteer.

Actually if you are in the right mood screwing :nutkick: with scammers can be fun. I usually let them say their scam and dig their hole then let them know I know what they are doing and just how lame it is. I am always amazed at just how far they will push it and exactly just what they will say. Take those screenies and submit to support and at the very least it will make it harder for scammers to justify new accounts.
 
I was there at that time.

He finally succeded :(

(look at the chat window in that screenshot)
 
Arf these scammahs !

There is also the offer of coloring with a fee, but no collateral giving :( I lost my lovely rancher hat for that ... Also for false pilots, make sure when they take you to a hangar, to check the estate terminal if it has their name as owner in it.

BEWARE GUYS!

Good luck :)
 
I had a twist on an old scam a few weeks ago:
An ava in full Gremlin asked if they could borrow a gun as they had a Hof they needed to extract but didn't have any money left for a gun!! And then they would split the Hof with me.

Well, the name wasn't in the HoF list, and full Grem but no Gun??? Yeah, right! :rolleyes:
So I offered to shoot the Molisks (this was NE of Troy btw) while he mined out the claim and he ran off. I followed, thinking that he was heading to the claim, but he kept dropping bombs and mining out small claims. Strange way to behave for someone with a Hof to collect dontcha think?
And they could afford all these bombs but no gun????

I also heard that he scammed another player out of an Abrer laser, by claiming that his skills were low and asking to borrow the laser. Which was never returned.

I suppose he must have sold the Grem and bought full Rascal and a gun, since he was shooting Atrax SW of Orthos last week.
 
Redfrog said:
I had a twist on an old scam a few weeks ago:
An ava in full Gremlin asked if they could borrow a gun as they had a Hof they needed to extract but didn't have any money left for a gun!! And then they would split the Hof with me.

Well, the name wasn't in the HoF list, and full Grem but no Gun??? Yeah, right! :rolleyes:
So I offered to shoot the Molisks (this was NE of Troy btw) while he mined out the claim and he ran off. I followed, thinking that he was heading to the claim, but he kept dropping bombs and mining out small claims. Strange way to behave for someone with a Hof to collect dontcha think?
And they could afford all these bombs but no gun????

I also heard that he scammed another player out of an Abrer laser, by claiming that his skills were low and asking to borrow the laser. Which was never returned.

I suppose he must have sold the Grem and bought full Rascal and a gun, since he was shooting Atrax SW of Orthos last week.
Click to expand...

PATHETIC :mad::mad:
Lucky he didn't get you! :wtg:
 
Redfrog said:
I had a twist on an old scam a few weeks ago:
An ava in full Gremlin asked if they could borrow a gun as they had a Hof they needed to extract but didn't have any money left for a gun!! And then they would split the Hof with me.

Well, the name wasn't in the HoF list, and full Grem but no Gun??? Yeah, right! :rolleyes:
So I offered to shoot the Molisks (this was NE of Troy btw) while he mined out the claim and he ran off. I followed, thinking that he was heading to the claim, but he kept dropping bombs and mining out small claims. Strange way to behave for someone with a Hof to collect dontcha think?
And they could afford all these bombs but no gun????

I also heard that he scammed another player out of an Abrer laser, by claiming that his skills were low and asking to borrow the laser. Which was never returned.

I suppose he must have sold the Grem and bought full Rascal and a gun, since he was shooting Atrax SW of Orthos last week.
Click to expand...

I don't get it... How was he supposed to have a HoF when the mob in question wasn't even killed..? The registration in HoF, is due to the loot which obviously wasn't revealed since the mob wasn't dead yet.
 
Thread title has been edited to more accurately reflect the purpose of this thread: educating new and old players alike to many of the most common scam methods, and how to avoid them.

+Rep to Pepper for this valuable thread!
 
Pepper said:
I don't get it... How was he supposed to have a HoF when the mob in question wasn't even killed..? The registration in HoF, is due to the loot which obviously wasn't revealed since the mob wasn't dead yet.
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He was apparently talking about a mining HoF ;)
 
Thought I'd heard of most scams.

This one is so blatent that I thought I'd share and warn:


Theres a character at Swamp Camp trying to intice people into a "business partnership"

The person had the choice of supplying this character with materials or 250 ped a week and then crafting basic filters until they achieved 3000 Engineering. Then needing 500 ped a week.


Anyone falling for that needs to uninstall EU immediatelly.
 
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There's one where some lamer goes to PA or sweat camp, picks some random joe and starts calling him a scammer saying the person supposedly scammed him of his opalo in the first place. He then goes on and on in all chat harrassing em hoping the person (or anyone else tired of hearing him)will just give him an opalo.

Seen him do it a few times already, it was previously posted with screenie on the forum so it got deleted as usual.

He's already been reported for harassment, racism,....
 
...I read most of this thread and didn’t see this one so:

Society TT scam

This is where you have a society for newer players and those new players are forced / convinced to sell their loots at TT value to the higher ranking members of the society in exchange for a society promotion or in exchange for other items of lesser value.

Some societies get pretty elaborate and set up a whole points system where the more stuff you sell to the leader(s) the more points you get. You can then use those points to get various items.

In all cases the lower ranking members lose out whereas the higher-ranking members profit.

The whole thing is pretty shady if you ask me. A society membership should be FREE
 
Hey.. 711, if you give me 10,000 EFD, I will upgrade the EF to a "Modified" forum! :D
 
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