[Approved]Market Thread Sticky Updates

Hello all, I've noticed over time that stickys tend to add up and get clustered to the point that I think newer users see 10 different stickys and don't bother to read any of them because they're overwhelmed with sub threads.

My suggestion is to combine all the rules of the market threads into one sticky per sub forum titled:

"[Insert sub-forum name] Rules"
This sticky will include all relevant rules and procedures pertaining to that specific thread.

And another for Tips/Advice

"[Insert sub-forum name] Tips/Advice
This sticky will include all tips/advice pertaining to that specific thread.





EXAMPLES:

For the following thread:
Sell RuneScape 3 EOC Gold (WTB threads)


Below would combine the following stickys:
This section is under temporary moderated status!
Runescape Gold Exchange Rules and Basic Practices

Spoiler: Rules & Procedures Sticky

Runescape 3 EOC Gold Exchange Rules


What is allowed in this section?
Threads requesting to PURCHASE Runescape 3 EOC Gold.


Rules:

1. Workers are allowed to make their own threads, granted these workers are not making threads to benefit their employers. Personal threads cannot be bumped while on shift for their employer. There will be strict punishment for anyone caught.


2. Multiple Threads in this section are not allowed.

3. If you're not paying for GP with cash, (ie trading my computer for GP) that doesn't belong here. Post in the Real Life Sales

4. Requesting a user post anything other than a vouch on your thread is equivalent to excessive bumping. This means no more asking people to confirm their identity by posting on your threads or requiring users to post order forms. You can use the Sythe Private Messaging system if you want to confirm identities.

5. You are not allowed to ask customers to leave vouches on threads that they do not belong. An Oldschool RuneScape Selling thread should ONLY have vouches from people buying Oldschool RuneScape gold.
If a vouch is accidentally left on a thread, report the vouch and ask for it to be moved. Vouches left on the wrong threads will lead to warnings, infractions, and deletion of those vouches.

Below would combine the following stickys:
Beware of Discord Impersonators
Discord PM Template
Tawk.to - Use caution when using this livechat!
Beware of Skype Impersonators

Spoiler: Important Tips/Advice Sticky

Runescape 3 EOC Gold Exchange Tips/Advice


Tips to stay safe:

○ Check the report a scammer section before you trade with someone; they might have an open scam reports against them. Google the user's name "username123 Sythe profile" to help view the user's trading history.

○ Be extremely wary of using Teamviewer, if the other person asks to "verify." This is a scam 99.9% of the time.

○ Does a person's buying offer sound too good to be true? Significantly higher or lower than the market price? Then it is more than likely a scam!

○ Almost all types of online payments can be claimed back as fraud; this includes (but not limited to) Paypal gift, Paypal friends & family, Paypal G&S, Bank Transfer, Skrill, and Venmo.

○ Be on the lookout for fake websites! Always get a PM if you are unsure.

○ We have Middlemans and Official Middlemen who are willing to help your trade go smoothly, if you do not trust the person use one! Don't let people con you into not using one, they are safe and the trade will go just as quickly but 100% safer.

If your Skype is displayed as a smiley face when you type similar emojis such as : p or : o - A fix for this is entering in this code with your Skype name inside of the code.

Code:

yourskypehere :P

There are multiple payment methods for the Sale/Purchase of Runescape Gold. Below is a list of trading methods and how to be educated when using them.

Spoiler: Trading methods

Drop Trading:
○ Staff will not get involved in any dispute that involves drop trading. There are multiple ways where it could go wrong and there's 0 reason to be drop trading to begin with. If users want to engage in riskier trades, they are free to do so since Sythe is a free market. However, Sythe Staff members will not see this as a valid report if something were to go wrong.

Venmo Payments:
○ Venmo is a payment method designed to send money between friends/friends. They do not have any merchant rules and they do not get involved in disputes.
○ You WILL lose your money if someone disputes a Venmo payment.

Playerauctions:
How to Create, and Verify a PlayerAuctions Account

Crypto-Currency:
What is Crypto-Currency?
BitCoin -- why you should accept it
Toast Wallet - Getting Started

Paypal:
Paypal: Chargebacks and Limitations

Beware of Imposters on Discord and Skype!

Spoiler: Off-Site Communication

DISCORD:
For anyone that's been living under a rock recently, Discord is essentially an alternative to Skype & Teamspeak where you can join different community servers and use voice/text chat with other users. Unlike older platforms, on Discord you remain in every server (unless you decide to leave) and instead of disconnecting everytime you log out of your PC, you can show as offline/idle/do not disturb/online. The download links for Discord can be found here: Download Discord for PC, Mac, iOS, and Android

Link to the Sythe Discord: https://discord.gg/rnyaTDY

However, just like Skype, there are several people who try to abuse certain features of Discord in order to scam less educated users and gain wealth at their expense (a recent example can be seen HERE). Whether it's outright imposter scams or abuse of actual flaws in the Discord system, below are a few things to be aware of.

===============================================================

1) Unlike Skype etc - people can have the same ID with different capitalisations:

Here is an example of a genuine Discord ID:



The following is an example of what would be an imposter (the discriminant is edited into the picture as I don't know how to brute force desired tags):



Notice that these IDs are completely identical, with the exception of the capital W at the beginning of the name.

Another example is shown below where users with Discord Nitro can set the same number (discriminant) and change the capitalisation. In this case, the scammer has changed the second I in what should be 'Miiotic' to a capital, making it look like an L. You can see how easy it'd be to get scammed by this:

REAL Milotic:



Fake Milotic (actually Miiotic with the second i capitalised to look like l):



As stated above, users are making use of Discord Nitro features to do this, so it's worth checking if somebody PMs you and they have this upgrade.

2) Imposters will often make IDs which look incredibly similar to the real thing. However, no two IDs can be completely identical:

Again we have the genuine ID:



Now, here is what may look very close to the real deal, but actually has a double space/underscore:



3) This point isn't really a fault with Discord, but a technique that imposters will use to make it seem like you're talking to the real person (most likely what you think is a middleman due to the nature of this scam). User A (the scammer on one account) will add you into a group chat with User B (their second account, disguised as a trusted member) and User C (the real trusted person), before quickly removing User C. User B will have a Discord ID as outlined above, incredibly similar to that of the legitimate trader, and they will continue the trade from there (assuming you don't pick up on this). However, when you come to hand the items over, you'll obviously be trading the scammer and therefore fall victim to the scam.

How can you quickly and effectively check that you're trading with the right person?

1) As always, request a Sythe PM! Check it over thoroughly to make sure it satisfies the standards outlined HERE and don't be afraid to ask for another if it doesn't!

2) Copy and paste the ID somewhere and check the amount of spaces (if you're already familiar with the user's Discord), for example:



As you can see above, this shows that there are actually two underscores (spaces) within the name.

3) Message people directly from the sidebar, or send a test message if you're already in conversation. The sidebar is often where ranks are separated and often in certain Discords people will have user groups like 'Trusted GP buyer/seller'. What follows is an example of messaging directly from there:



You can see above that as soon as you send the message, it will take you to a separate, private conversation screen. If you are already talking to the person, you will be able to see the conversation you are in the middle of. Alternatively, if you are starting a new conversation you can be sure that the person you are talking to is the intended recipient (for example, if they were to be under a 'trusted' user group on the side bar).

4) If their Discord is listed somewhere on a thread/in a confirmation PM - copy and paste their Discord ID and search for it to identify that it is the one they confirmed:





Above are examples of a match (i.e. talking to the correct person) and an empty result (showing the IDs don't match and you're talking to the wrong person):

========================================================

For more information on the double spaced/name glitch scams, read HERE.

Although this thread may look daunting, you're perfectly able to trade safely as long as you take simple steps such as those outlined above. Common sense, correct confirmation PMs and taking a little extra time to make sure everything is in order could save you a lot of money. Just like my other 'help' thread, I realise that this information is pretty redundant to most users, especially those who trade often. However, there are always newcomers and perhaps members who will be joining Discord for the first time; even if it helps to keep one person from being scammed then the thread will have been a success.


SKYPE:

There have recently been many cases of users getting scammed by impersonators via Skype. This is to show you how to tell the difference between an impersonator and a real person.

When you are talking to someone, to check their skype username, simply right click their name in your contacts, and click on the "View profile" button.



The difference between Display names and usernames:

• Display names are fully customizable and can be changed at any time(which is why so many people are fooled)
• Usernames can only be made once, and once it's made, there's no way to change it.

So remember, the display name that you see isn't their actual skype name. Please remember to always ask for a PM, a legitimate trader would never not PM you.

If this gets enough community support, the PR team would be taking on the task of updating/combining the Market thread stickys.

@Quatakai @John Devola @DuckM @Tyler

 

If this is passed, the PR team would be updating them all

 

@Champ I stepped down from the team so I’m not sure if PR would still want to take this on

 

@Bolt

If you guys need some help with it I could do a few as well.