How To Avoid A Scam - UPDATED

How To Avoid A Scam

Question or Concern?
Post on this thread or Private Message me and I'll try and get back to you as soon as I can.

Resource

Introduction
Well, this basically is just an update to the two guides before mine on how to avoid being scammed. I've overlooked them and saw that they were last updated in ~2008. Therefore, a lot has changed in general. There's new scam techniques that people will try to use on you - especially if you're a newcomer. Lets get started?


Helpful Links

Report A Scammer

An Easy Way To Take Screenshots

Sythe.org Imposter List

How to Remove Recovery Questions

Paypal: Chargeback and Limitations

Western Union Guide

How to Avoid Frauded Paypal

The Most Famous PayPal Scam & Prevention

Why You Should Never Use Gift With PayPal

Outsmart the scammer​

We'll start of by saying: check their email address. A lot of the people on Sythe are ban evading as we speak, and aren't smart enough to use a different email. Just type their email into www.google.com and look through some of the pages. If you see some Sythe links, click on them. Check if the person has another account. I would highly recommend not trading with them, even if they are unbanned. Now, lets verify that they're actually who they say they are. Make sure you get a private message from them, NO MATTER WHAT. Most of the highly trusted people on here have been impersonated, and the trader doesn't get a PM because they think "oh they're trusted enough, no worries they won't scam." Well, no PM means that your Scam Report is most likely to fail. Make sure in the PM they state what they're MSN is, and maybe a few lines of your conversation. People can easily mistake someones MSN; lets take Plznate as an example. He could say he's "[email protected]", though someone that is impersonating him could have the email "[email protected]" and they look similar. As you can see, the photo below shows someone impersonating Plznate.

NEVER Give Out Your Accounts Information​

Why do I say this? I say this because giving out your account information could possibly ruin you. Most of the time giving out a good account's information leads to a hacking. Sometimes the appeal system doesn't work, and you aren't able to get your account back. (Take it from someone that has experience, this has happened to me multiple times.) Regardless if the person you want to give your information out to is an administrator, a global/sectional, or a newcomer. Just don't do it.

Middlemen?

First, here's some FAQ about middlemen:

Q: What's a middleman?
A: Well, a middleman is someone that's suppose to ensure your trade of safety. He/she is suppose to make you and your trader feel as safe as can be. Using a middleman, can be the difference between getting scammed or not.

Q: How do I know if the middleman is trustworthy?
A: Well, there's two plus ways. One way is to look at how many vouches that person has. A good amount is 100+. Though, we've had people with 200+ vouches scam, but that's besides the point. 100+ vouches are good for smaller trades. The second option, the most reliable one is to use an Official Middleman (OMM). Using an OMM, 99% of the time has fees. They're usually 10% of the trade. Most of the time, when I'm in a trade I think to myself; are the fees worth it? The quick answer to that is yes. Lets say you're in a $1000 trade. Would you rather pay $100 to make sure you can have a good trade, or would you rather getting scammed out of $1000? Most of the time, both traders are willing to split the fees 50/50 as well. Thus, using an official middleman is a better choice overall for trades.

Q: What's the difference between an official middleman, and a free middleman?
A: An official middleman has to fill out a lengthy application to prove him/herself. Most of the time, it takes them two-three applications to get accepted. The official middleman is chosen by the Head Middleman, (which was Nick, though he resigned.) and the upper staff. Free middleman are trying to become an official middleman, by receiving proofs. You can find more about the application and process here.

Q: How can I tell if someones an official middleman?
A: Under their Sythe username, they'll have:

Alright, so most of the time when you're in a trade, regardless if it's a valuable trade or not. Always put the offer up for using a middleman. If they say no to a middleman, simply just say no thanks and move on. If they say no, they're most likely a scammer. Though, don't go and flame their thread, just simply state they didn't want to use a middleman, tell them to trade with caution. It's unprofessional to flame a thread, or troll someone. You'll lose respect.



You CANNOT Trust ANYONE You Meet Online
​

Regardless of who they are, you CANNOT personally trust them. Think of it this way: Trust isn't something that can be formed online, because they could be a twelve year, or a forty year old. Lying online is one of the easiest things to do, which is why you should only believe someone to a certain level. I've personally trusted someone with my Runescape account, twice. He's scammed me out of 500M RSGP. It's sad, yes. There's nothing I can do.

Purchasing An Account?​

If you're purchasing an account, always arrange a meet-up in game. Make sure they have what they say they have. A common thing scammers would say if they don't have the account is, "My internet is being funny, so it's not letting me log in on Runescape." Also, if you're purchasing an account MAKE SURE it DOES NOT have recoveries or an email registered on it. The chances of it getting recovered back if it has one of those, is 95%. When buying, make sure you receive the following information (more than this is a PLUS): the e-mail the account that the account was created with, logs/records of all previous passwords, the ISP (Internet Service Provider) the account was created with, membership information such as previous pins used to purchase membership, when the account was created, recoveries (if set, though if they're not set the old recoveries are better for recovering it), and bank pin (if set).

Vouches​

For some of you that might not know, I'll briefly explain what a vouch is.

vouch/vouCH/Verb
1. Assert or confirm as a result of one's own experience that something is true or accurately so described.
2. Confirm that someone is who they say they are or that they are of good character: "someone could vouch for him"

It's feedback from previous trades that the trader has had. Lets say I purchased an upgrade, the trade went smooth. I vouch for the person that sold me the upgrade, because I thought the trade went well.

The more vouches your trader has; the better. I'd rather trade with someone with two-hundred vouches, than someone that has seven. The person with seven vouches could be legit, though it's safer with the other guy/girl. Experience is the key.

Too Good To Be True​

It's a common thing that anyone could fall for. If someones selling something, that is extremely cheap, it's more than likely too good to be true. Especially if they peer you into going first, just...just don't. Just ask for a middleman, and if they say no simply block them.

Previous History​

I can't stress enough to check their previous history, as a lot of Sythe members are ban evaders with a new IP address, sometimes they're not even on a new IP address. Check to make sure they haven't just randomly posted on a lot of gold selling threads asking to buy large increments, because if you find they're doing that, it means they're about to take the bus and leave Sythe. If you find anything suspicious about them, try and stay away from them.

Ranks​

Try and stay away from people with the Trade With Caution (TwC) Rank.

Donators: Donating to this site does not make you trusted anymore than you were before you donated. You don't donate for the rank, or the trust (there is none,) you donate to help support this site. Just because you donate, doesn't mean you're trusted. Someone donating could be donating with stolen money. Lets say Billy donates $100. That doesn't mean that he won't scam anything under $100, because he could do multiple scams. So, all in all, just because someone donates doesn't make them anymore trustworthy than they were before they donated.

Security

ALWAYS BE AWARE OF IMPERSONATION​

I can't tell you how many scams there have been due to a hacked MSN, or someone not getting a private message. It's honestly ridiculous. Even if it's a twenty cent trade, GET A PM. There's always someone wanting to scam when the other party does not ask for a message.

ALWAYS Offer To Use A Middleman​

Always offer to use a middleman on any trade that you are doing. It's the safest thing to ensure security in your trade. No one should reject the use of one of these.

Trust​

Trust is one of the most important things to come about. Make sure both you and the other party are trust each other. If one of you feel like you don't trust the other trader, then it's best to politely back out of the trade. State why you feel like the trade isn't going to proceed smoothly.

Fifty-Fifty?​

No no no. If you're doing a 500M RSGP trade, he could still scam 250M. Just get a middleman.

How To Avoid Being Scammed​

• Ask Which Middleman they'd like to use
• Check the Middlemans Vouches
• Do your research on the middleman
• Make sure he has ZERO scam reports
• If they're new - ask for a phone number, or a Facebook confirmation
• Take screenshots during the whole trade - or make a video.
• Make sure the Middleman isn't an imposter
• Get a PM from the Middleman

When getting a PM, always ask them to include a part of the conversation and their MSN. I've regularly had impostors trying to get me to PM for them.
Remember, if you feel uncomfortable at any point during the trade, don't proceed. Back out. Don't hesitate to do what you think is right.

Ways To Pay​

• Paypal - (Use www.playerauctions.com)
• Western Union - Western Union is a secure way to pay. Make an account at www.westernunion.com
• Mail - Send the money via mail.
• Runescape Gold - Pay with RSGP. Now with no trade limit, it's easier than ever.
• Moneybookers - the cheaper way to send and receive money worldwide. Secure and convenient online payments.
• Moneygram - Money transfers are fast and easy when you use MoneyGram. Send money to friends and family using your credit card or bank account.
• Swapping - Swap for accounts, services, IRL items, and more.

How Do You Know If You're Dealing With A Scammer?​

Simple solution. Most scammers don't know exactly what to say. All you have to do is catch them off guard. I like to play with them, and get their hopes up, but that's something you shouldn't do. If they say no to using a middleman, ask them why. A typical scammer would say "Oh, because a official middleman scammed me once and now I can't trust them." That's what I've seen dozens of them say, and it's a lie.

What If I Somehow Get Scammed? ​

If you do get scammed, somehow, someway, gather up the images that you took during the trade - upload them to a photo sharing site (www.imageshack.com, www.tinypic.com, www.photobucket.com.) and report him with the evidence in the Report a Scammer section. REMEMBER TO HAVE THE RIGHT CRITERIA. Follow the stickies, and you should have him/her banned within twelve hours.

If you've been scammed for all you have - it's not the end of the world. You can make it back. Knowledge is always the most powerful thing. You shouldn't care about what you had, you should care that you've learned knowledge.

 

Thanks alot for this! I have been scammed 5 times on Sythe, in total, and lost around 500$, if not more. Will follow these steps next time I trade.

Thanks!

 

Wow , so you finished the guide Wasn't expecting something that long , VERY nice.

 

great guide, sticky plx

talking to you on msn for additional section and shit D

 

Very nice guide. Clearly written. I'm sure it will help a lot of people.

 

Thanks for the feedback.

 

Bump.

 

Nice complete guide.

I wouldn't center paragraphs titles however.

8.5/10

 

Very detailed and practical for those new to the site, nice work! A few more pictures to keep the reader interested would go a very long way! 8/10

 

nice advice thanks.

 

Thanks.

 

Very nice guide. Informative, straight to the point, and easy on the eye.
You've hit a winner here, very nice mate.
Could be very easily stickied somewhere.

 

Posting the feedback that we discussed on MSN:

1. Not a supporter of the "you can't trust anyone online paragraph"
2. The guide seems to be out of order. My suggestion: keep all of the sections you posed as questions (middleman, How Do You Know If You're Dealing With A Scammer) together in one section.