[DENIED] Detecting a Scammer

Name of Guide: Detecting a Scammer
Brief Description: I see a lot of people getting scammed as of late, so I thought this would be a good way to help detect of someone is trying to scam you.
Current Sales Thread (if applicable):none yet, waiting until I get home and/or if it gets verifed.
Download Link: https://skydrive.live.com/redir.asp...5D927D440392027B!150&authkey=!AOtta3n5DuScKxg

The member who submitted it: http://sythe.org/member.php?u=331841

Copy-paste:

This guide is © Shawn Wilfong aka GothamHunter on sythe.org forums. This means you may not share,
sell, or copy any of my information for your own use without my permission.
GothamHunter’s Guide to Identifying a Scammer
First off, let me say thank you for purchasing this guide. I have dealt with a lot of scammers in
the past and have learned from good and bad experiences easy ways to identify them. Below
you will find some common sense ideas and things to look for when trading and trying to
identify if someone is trying to scam you. While I cannot guarantee you will never be scammed,
whether following my guidelines or not, I will guarantee that your chances should be less if you
follow these guidelines, and that you will learn to trust how you feel about a transaction and
what signs to look for.
As a short disclaimer, I in no way guarantee you will not be scammed, nor do any of these signs
guarantee someone to be a scammer; they are just my methods I use for when trying to decide
if someone is one or not.
The Red Flags
The person is a new member, has no posts, and will not go first no matter what
Normally any of these three things are not an issue; if a new member or someone with no posts
is willing to go first in a transaction, they’re most likely legit and you have nothing to worry
about. If the member has many vouches and is a long-standing member and will not go first,
you can usually feel safe with these as well since he or she is well trusted. However, a new
member that will not go first, not even to a well-vouched member, is most likely trying to scam
you.
The person wants payment in a non-refundable form
Try and avoid trades that involve payments in the forms of things such as gift card codes, a
subscription to an online game, in-game currency, or other virtual items. Usually the best idea is
in some form of refundable “cash” payment, such as PayPal. Again, it is OK to break this “rule”
and make a trade with RSGP if the person is well vouched or if the other person is going first;
however realize that if you trade away all of your RSGP in the hopes for cash and you went first
and he scams you, you have no way to recover those losses.
Pressure
An impatient seller or buyer should almost be an immediate red flag. They are attempting to
get you to be off-guard and quick with a transaction so that you don’t have time to think about
whether or not you are making a mistake. They may try and tell you they need to leave or they
are starting to become disinterested in the deal to pressure you into completing the transaction.
Trading virtual goods is just like anything physical in real life; you shouldn’t buy from a car
salesman that is trying to pressure you into buying a vehicle that may not work correctly, nor
should you buy virtual goods from someone who does the same.
The deal of your dreams
Everyone knows the saying; if it’s too good to be true, it probably is. Watch out for extremely
low deals for items that people are interested in, or people offering much more than most are
for something you’re selling. If RSGP is going for .70/mil, do not trust the person selling it for This guide is © Shawn Wilfong aka GothamHunter on sythe.org forums. This means you may not share,
sell, or copy any of my information for your own use without my permission.
.30/mil or offering 1.2/mil. These buyers and sellers are mainly targeting the inexperienced who
think that they’re spotting an amazing deal and think that no one else saw it. Truth is, everyone
else did see it but know not to trust it, because they’re smart consumers.
Ways to Protect Yourself
Screenshots or proof is a must
If you are buying something, proof of the item you are buying should be a must. A screenshot of
the invite email, in-game currency amount, or whatever it is should be presented to you. Ask for
one with proof of time showing, such as the in-game clock. Also ask for proof that it’s the seller,
such as it typed in notepad on the same screen. If the seller is serious about selling the item,
providing this information for his or her buyer should not be a big deal.
Claiming they are person X from the forums
This is one that was tried on me recently. If someone IM’s or emails you and says “Hey, I’m
Person X from the forums, here is my vouch thread, let’s trade!” outside of the forum PM’s,
make that person prove it. Tell them to login and send you a PM verifying their email address
ore screen name. Chances are they’ll sign off and block you because they created a fake email
address that includes the name of someone highly vouched in the forums.
Use a MM for transactions
It can be a hassle, and sometimes even cost slightly more if they require a fee, but highly
vouched MM’s can save you a lot of money and headache down the road.
Something Doesn’t Feel Right
This is something that always gets me when people do trades. If you are trying to do a trade,
and something doesn’t feel right, DON’T DO THE TRADE. End of story. No matter how much
you want that beta key, or that RSGP, if your gut instinct tells you something is going to go
wrong, it probably will. Your money is what is worth the most here, and that is why the
scammers want it so badly. Do the smart thing and just hold onto it until you find someone to
trade with that you’re comfortable with.

 

He wants payment for this? God no.
(sorry, i'm going to crawl back into my lurking hole that I promised myself I would stay in for 2 weeks)

 

Nope, common sense.

 

Agreed.

He made a thread about this where I'm posting a denial with reason now.

http://www.sythe.org/showthread.php?t=1358470

 

Yeah, there's plenty of stickies on this...