Obvious scams - How to detect and prevent them

What is an OG?

An original gamertag, is one word that is commonly used, and has no prefixes or suffixes, such as "Bike".
A semi-OG gamertag has either a prefix or a suffix, such as "Bikes".
A dictionary tag is a gamertag that is a word that does exist, but is fairly uncommon.

Check the history behind the account you're buying

First off, if somebody offers you an amazing gamertag for a low price, BE CAUTIOUS. The gamertag may be jacked (stolen), phished, or commonly used to scam (called back).
Ask people about its history, find out how many consoles the gamertag is on, find out all info about the tag's past and current condition as you can, prior to purchase.

How to determine if a tag is unbanned/exists

• Send a message to the gamertag via a new Xbox account
• Have the seller read the message back to you

You can send messages from a banned account via the mobile xbox.com - so don't trust sent messages

Further methods

• Go to www.xboxgamertag.com and search the tag you're buying
• Check if the bio/name are "Code of conduct" (meaning it's either banned, defaced or had the bio changed from mobile version)
• If it has the original xbox avatar (white background & green X) or no avatar - this means it's a v1 gamertag and DOES NOT exist on the 360 platform.
• Check when it was last seen online if it was more than 6 months ago - ensure you follow the message guideline above.

Spaced versions of v1 tags CAN exist on the 360 platform, and reserve the original version of the tag once the v1 resets​

Spaced Gamertags - Info and dangers

If anybody claims that the spaced tag they are selling you will have its unspaced form reset soon, THEY ARE LYING. There is NO WAY TO DETERMINE RESET DATES at the present time.

For example - V1 = Hi. Spaced = H i. Once the v1 is reset, the owner of H i could change it to Hi.​

If V1 version of a spaced tag exists, YOU CANNOT SWAP THE TAG, if you do, the gamertag will be deleted, and you cannot get it back.

Use a Middleman

Fourthly, ensure you use a trusted middleman for gamertag trades. They won't protect you in the case of the seller calling Microsoft and filing an Unauthorized Access claim against the account, but they will ensure you are handed the tag at some point, which gives you a much fairer playing field.

• Middlemen can be found here: www.sythe.org/middleman-forums/
• Official middlemen (selected by upper-staff) can be found here: http://www.sythe.org/middleman-forums/1302647-official-middleman-list.html

MAKE SURE YOU REQUEST A SYTHE PM BEFORE TRADING A MIDDLEMAN

How to properly secure an account

• Take note of all the info listed on the account and keep it safe
• Change all info on the account. This includes the login email if you're able to, the name on the account, the date of birth, the ZIP code, alternative emails, phone numbers, billing info and password
• Note the new info down with the old info as well as the Unique ID of the account (found in the account overview tab at the bottom)
• Go to My Account on www.Xbox.com and go to "Profile protection", require profile download on ALL consoles. This ensures the seller cannot continue selling the tag without your permission

Swapping the Gamertag

• Wait several weeks prior to doing so
• Tell nobody about the transfer or the name
• Have a friend turboing while you transfer to maximise success
  
  A turboer is a program that searches the availability of a gamertag hundreds of times a second, and claims the tag as soon as it is available​

Transferring a tag to a main account is very risky, as you cannot turbo a gamertag onto a main, only onto a fresh silver account, so be cautious.

Hopefully this minimises the chances of people being scammed. The main rule is listen to your common sense, if somebody seems sketchy, they most likely are.