[Resolved]

Firstly, let me say this is a PayPal Goods/Services transaction, backed by a credit card payment.

On the next business day (Wednesday), I will contact both PayPal and my bank to discuss my rights in terms of transaction disputes (I believe I would win from both angles).

I attempted to negotiate with Danny88, however his decision to block me shows it’s an exit scam.

However, I’m making this report:

1. To inform others here about Danny88’s scam (although since it’s an exit scam - as he has since blocked me on Discord, I don’t know if he’ll be back anyway)
2. To ensure that I have outlined the situation on Sythe, in case my imminent transaction disputes are viewed as a “scam”

Scammer's profile link: Danny88

Amount scammed: $950 USD (approx, although around $2000 was exchanged between us during the transaction)

Discord ID + Unique Discord IDA Danny#5549

Proof that it's their Discord:

He has since blocked me on Discord and removed any reference on his Sythe profile.

There are several ways it can still be proven:

1. He @Danny88 can confirm it (if he ever logs into Sythe again)
2. I have thousands of messages since July which will give a clear picture
3. I can provide proof of PayPal transactions, which will likely match his registered email address
4. Several other Neopets traders will be able to corroborate it, as he is quite chatty
5. See the 2 videos I linked to below - screen recordings of our transaction discussion

Explanation of the trade:

There is lengthy background information regarding this trade (outlined in Unsure what to do regarding potential dispute - can this please be locked now), however in summary:

1. Danny suddenly agreed to sell me a Neopets account on Sunday December 5 (Saturday night USA time) for a combination of $950 USD (which he already owed me since early October - so I didn’t pay that again) + additional $220 USD in Cryptocurrency
2. He said the account contained 4.5 billion Neopoints in item value + 450 million Neopoints. I owed him 430 million Neopoints prior to the agreement (280 + a Super Attack Pea).
3. I transferred 450 million Neopoints off this account, and it was banned (with the items untouched) within 1-2 days

How they scammed:

1. I have transferred Neopoints off hundreds of accounts using the same method, without issue. The account had to be heavily compromised before he sold it, causing him to quickly sell it at about 30% of market value (he even sent me the account before I had fully paid or agreed to the final price). Upon review, I noticed this particular account was already frozen and recovered once before
2. I have been doing the work to recover the account, with over 10 emails sent to Neopets - Danny has been reluctant to help
3. My understanding is that account sellers are responsible for providing safe accounts, and providing reimbursement (accounts or money) if their provided account is illegitimate
4. Danny agreed that if Neopets confirms the account was banned for his actions (and not mine), then “it would be fair to compensate”
5. I told Danny that I was working on this. He then blocked me on Discord and hasn’t logged onto Sythe since Tuesday
6. Upon re-reading our chats, Danny was desperate to sell the account, stating reasons such as “I don’t have a choice”, “buying Christmas gifts for my nephew”. In the past, he has also made claims such as “urgently needing money or he will lose his house”

All of the above can be corroborated with Discord screenshots/chat logs. I suspect Danny will not appear here to deny anything, as this is likely an exit scam. It will require reading through thousands of chat logs.

Other relevant trade screenshots:

Proof of payment:

imgur.com - Coinbase
imgur.com - PayPal
- summary of the transaction
- proof of 2nd payment part

Terms of Service that was agreed to:

No terms of service other than the assumed Sythe regulations