Anti-scam measures to protect your GP
Hey all!
As you’re probably aware, the Wilderness is now back in full swing, and happy players all over Gielinor are rejoicing in the fact that they can now give expensive gifts to their friends.
However, this big change has meant that a few ugly scams may start rearing their heads again – so here’s a heads-up on some of the more popular scams of old. Make sure you’re aware of them – they could end up saving your GP and your expensive stuff. =D
Remember that many of these scams may be carried out in groups - to try to convince you it's real, the scammer may have accomplices who will pretend they got something good from it.
• 'Show me your inventory' scam – players will ask you to show them your best items in the hope that you'll forget they're there, and press 'Accept'. Be wary of anyone asking you to show your inventory and make sure you’re concentrating.
• Rushing you to trade – some players may start closing the trade window and claiming there is lag –trying to rush you into trading quickly by repeatedly closing their trade window, so they can alter the trade without you noticing. Only trade when you have had PLENTY of time to check the trade screens and ensure all is well.
• Rounding Money - show me your pile of cash and I'll round it up to the nearest million for you - this is one of the 'too good to be true' scams. When you show the scammer your money (let's say it's 850k) they will put 150k in the trade window - and the initial impression is that you are indeed getting the difference between your cash and one million - but don't forget you have put 850k up - if you proceed with the trade you will hand over 850k and receive 150k in return, the net effect being a transfer of 700k from you to the scammer. ALWAYS check what you are losing and what you are gaining - don't be tempted by what is being offered to you without considering what you are also giving away!
• Doubling Money - similar to the 'rounding' scam. The scammer will say they can double your money and offer to 'prove' it. You give them a small amount of money - they give you double the amount back. They will then try to get you to give them a larger amount, but instead of doubling it they'll just keep it. They may even use a friend to help, who will stand next to them saying something like “OMG! He doubled my 100k!" or "Wow! you really are legit!”. It’s probably worth remembering that if something looks too good to be true, it probably is.
• The Trust Game - trade me your most expensive item and I will return it to you - the person who trades the most expensive item wins a huge prize! This is a SCAM - full stop. These scammers will often be surrounded by friends who will tell you that they recently won a massive amount of money. Avoid this at all costs.
• Meet me in the Wilderness / Come into the Wilderness with me – the only reason someone wants to meet you in the Wild is so they can kill you and steal your items. Only trade in SAFE places, and don't go into the Wilderness with anything you aren't willing to lose.
• Accepting a teleport - safety – make sure you know where the location is before you accept a teleport from another player. The Ice Plateau is in the Wilderness, and there are often a group of PKers lying in wait there.
• Gem cutting – don’t hand an inventory full of gems to anyone offering to cut them – use the assist system. That’s what it’s for.
• The Flower Game – you will be asked to hand over some cash for the bet, then the player will plant a flower seed and ask you to guess which of the nine colours of flower the seed will produce. If you guess correctly, the player will claim to double your money. They may keep to their side of the bargain, but it’s more likely that they will log out and run off with your cash.
• Armour trimming – no one can 'trim' your armour - it can be either 'trimmed' or 'untrimmed'. It is not possible to trim untrimmed armour. Trimmed armour can be gained by completing clue scrolls, or through buying it in the Grand Exchange.
• 'Rare' items – many players will ask inflated prices for items claiming they are rare. If in doubt, please check the current price. This is stated at the bottom of the trade interface or you can use the Grand Exchange .
• Team item scamming – many players will club together to try to scam you – one will be selling an item for a high price, the other will claim to be buying the same item for a higher price. This will fool some players into thinking that they can make a quick sale and large profit if they buy and sell the items being offered. Don’t be fooled by this!
• Alt-F4 – some players will claim that dropping your items and pressing Alt-F4 will double your items. All it will do will log you out, so they can pick up your stuff. (F5 may do the same thing by refreshing your browser page).
• Trade me your item for a minute, I'll give it back - don't believe them, they'll probably run away with your stuff. Instead of trading it to them, use the Item Lending system instead.
• Set your password to [xyz] and log out for free stuff - if you do this, they will hijack your account (because they now know what your password is) and steal anything valuable.
• Give me your item and I'll duplicate it - This isn't possible. They just won't give it back.
• Whoever drops the most valuable item will win a prize! - the scammer will just pick up your item and keep it.
• Fake drop party - similar to the above, the scammer will claim that he's dropping valuable items and encourage you to drop yours. Use the Falador Party Room for safe drop parties.
There are plenty of in-game systems to keep you safe whilst handling your money and items:
• Assist system – for all your skilling needs, such as gem cutting.
• Item lending system – for lending out your prized items.
• Trade window – this lets you know with big red exclamation marks if anything has been altered.
• Grand exchange – the safest way to trade!
So...stay informed Runescapians, and stay classy. Knowledge really is power. Tell all your friends about this thread. Tell everyone!
As you’re probably aware, the Wilderness is now back in full swing, and happy players all over Gielinor are rejoicing in the fact that they can now give expensive gifts to their friends.
However, this big change has meant that a few ugly scams may start rearing their heads again – so here’s a heads-up on some of the more popular scams of old. Make sure you’re aware of them – they could end up saving your GP and your expensive stuff. =D
Remember that many of these scams may be carried out in groups - to try to convince you it's real, the scammer may have accomplices who will pretend they got something good from it.
• 'Show me your inventory' scam – players will ask you to show them your best items in the hope that you'll forget they're there, and press 'Accept'. Be wary of anyone asking you to show your inventory and make sure you’re concentrating.
• Rushing you to trade – some players may start closing the trade window and claiming there is lag –trying to rush you into trading quickly by repeatedly closing their trade window, so they can alter the trade without you noticing. Only trade when you have had PLENTY of time to check the trade screens and ensure all is well.
• Rounding Money - show me your pile of cash and I'll round it up to the nearest million for you - this is one of the 'too good to be true' scams. When you show the scammer your money (let's say it's 850k) they will put 150k in the trade window - and the initial impression is that you are indeed getting the difference between your cash and one million - but don't forget you have put 850k up - if you proceed with the trade you will hand over 850k and receive 150k in return, the net effect being a transfer of 700k from you to the scammer. ALWAYS check what you are losing and what you are gaining - don't be tempted by what is being offered to you without considering what you are also giving away!
• Doubling Money - similar to the 'rounding' scam. The scammer will say they can double your money and offer to 'prove' it. You give them a small amount of money - they give you double the amount back. They will then try to get you to give them a larger amount, but instead of doubling it they'll just keep it. They may even use a friend to help, who will stand next to them saying something like “OMG! He doubled my 100k!" or "Wow! you really are legit!”. It’s probably worth remembering that if something looks too good to be true, it probably is.
• The Trust Game - trade me your most expensive item and I will return it to you - the person who trades the most expensive item wins a huge prize! This is a SCAM - full stop. These scammers will often be surrounded by friends who will tell you that they recently won a massive amount of money. Avoid this at all costs.
• Meet me in the Wilderness / Come into the Wilderness with me – the only reason someone wants to meet you in the Wild is so they can kill you and steal your items. Only trade in SAFE places, and don't go into the Wilderness with anything you aren't willing to lose.
• Accepting a teleport - safety – make sure you know where the location is before you accept a teleport from another player. The Ice Plateau is in the Wilderness, and there are often a group of PKers lying in wait there.
• Gem cutting – don’t hand an inventory full of gems to anyone offering to cut them – use the assist system. That’s what it’s for.
• The Flower Game – you will be asked to hand over some cash for the bet, then the player will plant a flower seed and ask you to guess which of the nine colours of flower the seed will produce. If you guess correctly, the player will claim to double your money. They may keep to their side of the bargain, but it’s more likely that they will log out and run off with your cash.
• Armour trimming – no one can 'trim' your armour - it can be either 'trimmed' or 'untrimmed'. It is not possible to trim untrimmed armour. Trimmed armour can be gained by completing clue scrolls, or through buying it in the Grand Exchange.
• 'Rare' items – many players will ask inflated prices for items claiming they are rare. If in doubt, please check the current price. This is stated at the bottom of the trade interface or you can use the Grand Exchange .
• Team item scamming – many players will club together to try to scam you – one will be selling an item for a high price, the other will claim to be buying the same item for a higher price. This will fool some players into thinking that they can make a quick sale and large profit if they buy and sell the items being offered. Don’t be fooled by this!
• Alt-F4 – some players will claim that dropping your items and pressing Alt-F4 will double your items. All it will do will log you out, so they can pick up your stuff. (F5 may do the same thing by refreshing your browser page).
• Trade me your item for a minute, I'll give it back - don't believe them, they'll probably run away with your stuff. Instead of trading it to them, use the Item Lending system instead.
• Set your password to [xyz] and log out for free stuff - if you do this, they will hijack your account (because they now know what your password is) and steal anything valuable.
• Give me your item and I'll duplicate it - This isn't possible. They just won't give it back.
• Whoever drops the most valuable item will win a prize! - the scammer will just pick up your item and keep it.
• Fake drop party - similar to the above, the scammer will claim that he's dropping valuable items and encourage you to drop yours. Use the Falador Party Room for safe drop parties.
There are plenty of in-game systems to keep you safe whilst handling your money and items:
• Assist system – for all your skilling needs, such as gem cutting.
• Item lending system – for lending out your prized items.
• Trade window – this lets you know with big red exclamation marks if anything has been altered.
• Grand exchange – the safest way to trade!
So...stay informed Runescapians, and stay classy. Knowledge really is power. Tell all your friends about this thread. Tell everyone!
01-Feb-2011 23:43:22 - Last edited on 15-Nov-2011 13:33:23 by Mod Stevew