SCAMS - how NOT to fall for one! -READ IT- UD: Sept 27/07

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[Red-wolf-Sama]

(Note: the first thread of this was made in Nov 6/o6 then made a new one in may 9/07, but that was deleted, so a month later this on e was made!)
I did this on purpose to let people know what happens when you are gullible, and when you don't read all the warnings. And Because gaia dosen't have a scam watch tutorial, I decided to make all the ones going around and is updated all the time.

Welcome to Gaia, if you're a serious gamer and picky about winning or losing, or if you always want to win then read this!

Now Warning, some for these scams are the real thing. I did them on purpose to make this tutorial. Others were done with my mules and volunteers. It will be stated which is which.

Side note:
REMEMBER IT JUST A GAME. NOTHING THAT CAN HARM YOU, OR SCREW
YOU OVER. IT'S NOT IMPORTANT TO YOUR LIFE.

If you have a Scam that isn't listed in this thread, pm me or leave a message in the thread with the best description you can give me and i will re-create it with images. 3nodding

Remember, all small images... just click for full view.

Current scams tat need to be work with:
Games room chat scam <---Pm me i need a volunteer for staging on what happens and to do screenshots.
Same pass scam<---Pm me i need a volunteer for staging on what happens and to do screenshots.
art scam<---Pm me i need a volunteer for staging on what happens and to do screenshots.

Sloved Problems:

market place scam<---solved! With the new market place in the scam is no long there. just read what ever the top box says about the item before buying it!.

[Red-wolf-Sama]

-Real scam that i did to show what happens in most cases-

Now this one starts like this: He asks for my G9 Laptop (worth about 34k) and he will give me something of equal value


NEVER ACCEPT THESE!! THEY'RE FRAUD! FAKE! THEY'RE A LOW WAY OF STEALING FROM PEOPLE WHO DON'T KNOW!


Here is his link that his sig leads too:

Look here in his profile, looks good right? WRONG! LOOK MORE CAREFULLY:
Note his posting, it's only at 3 posts.
Look at the date he joined, less then a month ago. Most people on gaia only earn about 2-3k for posting and bout 15k for games and about 3k for towns when they just start, that's no where near enough to be able to buy penguin slippers.

Here that trade:

Looks good, but look more carefully, the item he sent was a gift giving box. Anything could be in it.

NEVER ACCEPT TRADES WITH THESE BOXES! AND NOT IN ANY COLOR!

This what was in it.


Now he's going to be banned for this reason: He didn't give me an item of equal value, he gave me a an item worth 100 gold. This make him a fraud, a liar, and a cheapskate. AND TO THE SCAMMER: ALL ACCOUNTS TRADING WITH THE ITEMS WILL BE BANNED AS WELL! And that is the reason why so many people were getting banned for a while.

Thank you for reading, please share the love and educate the new people!

P.S
"Please do not give out your password to anyone! Admins and moderators will never request your password. If a user states that he/she is an admin or moderator, but is requesting your password, PLEASE REPORT THIS USER TO A MOD!"

[Red-wolf-Sama]

-This was done between 2 mule accounts-

OK, the next Scam that is going around is the Gold Generators.

NEVER USE THESE! YOU WILL LOSE EVERYTHING RIGHT DOWN TO THE PASSWORD, E-MAILS, AND THE ACCOUNT ITSELF.


This is how most of them start:
You will get a Pm with a catchy title.

Inside the pm will contain a link to somewhere:


Now the link leads to here:


^ now that looks convincing, reason is you can't see the password being typed in. You just get *'s

Here are a couple more samples on what they look like:
**Click images for full size**



No,I didn't make these. I just Googled these up. They're all known scams.

When you fill one of these out you usally will get a message like this:



But this is what it looks like on the other end:


Now that person can do this:


And after they get in, they change the password, take gold and item, and leave that user like this

Now she can never get back into that account unless the person didn't change the e-mail then password retrieve can let you in. But most of the time that gets changed too.

All this was done in the way everyone else makes the gold generators. These are common. All you're doing is GIVING them your password to your account..

[Red-wolf-Sama]

-This is a real scam that was sent to me-

Ok on the first notice here is what the head Admin looks like:

She wont ask for you password because she already has it. she the one who send you your password when you lose it. That is the Admin for you~

Here's another common one!

This is a scam. Admin never ask for your password. He's just asking for your password to get your stuff. Everything he says is a lie.



Here a special case: THIS IS A KEY LOGGING SCAM! YOU ENTER YOUR PASSWORD AND USERNAME IN THERE YOU JUST GAVE AWAY YOUR ACCOUNT. IF YOU EVER SEE A SCREEN WHERE IS APPEARS YOU HAVE LOGGED OUT ~ CHECK TO MAKE SURE THE URL IS GAIAONLINE.COM IF YOU ARE NOT SURE JUST SIMPLY GO TO THE GAIAONLINE HOMEPAGE. it will tell if you are logged in or not.

Please note the url in the image above. It is NOT GAIAONLINE.COM


List of know scammers:
# CODE4546543
# `G a i a A d m i n s
# [NCP]Roy
# REPORT-MESSAGE-HACKIN
# GS-banner
# SystemStaffSecurity
# GHFRBS
# AUTO---MESSAGE---HACKING
# Adam8447123
# zurgfan09
# Botthelp
# BanningManager10 (edit: There are currently BannerManager up to 14! 14 has been on as recently as June 8th!)
# Mod-Ben
# GS-BANNER-HACKERS
# PCN-Inspector
# [blood_rose]
# [BM]Banning Manager 4
# Detective-shadow58
# [adm]investigators
# trademanager
# Mod Militia
# sly by my ty
# GAIA ADMIN PRESIDENT
# swimmer05
# AccountInformation
# report-account
# HackingSercurityDegreeOne
# ACCOUNT-IS-BANNED
# Angelfire1321
# -MOD- joe
# Banner-mod
# gunnax
# [MOD] Chris
# taylor.14
# Adman2
# MOD-SERVICES
# ModRobert
# [ ToS Manager ] John
# M0DS
# Mod Kenny
# [gs] system saftey
# Account Banner User
# bilbo0917
# the_crazy_dude_next_door
# PCN-inspector
# Joy-Admin
# MOD69
# SMC-SecurityCenter
# MOD1210
# Modlocator
# BANNINGMOD2
# HACK INVESTIGATOR
# Report machine
# assistant joey
# MOD#25
# R_L09
# `Banning_System`
# reporter-2
# spam reporter 063
# Official Ban
# scammingmanagement
# iamemule
# Account System Banner004
# Item Investigator
# xOx[Sakura]xOx
# Mod-Alexa
# Jenniferleejohnson
#Management_adm
#hikaru357
#enermax4
#MOD Cops
#MOD Cop
#cookies002
#Yuffah
#Community Assistant4
#yuna61594
#Automatic Ban Crew

Most of this list i have gotten from:

**Click the image for the best guide on keeping your account safe**

[Red-wolf-Sama]

Now this scam starts off by thread. It can happen by marketplace, or random PM.

Now you will get some replies:

Now a lot of times the scammer will make a quick offer and will say something like "Just send trade" Now most won't think about and will just send the trade if they have the best offer.

Next they will put in the gold and only confirm once.

Then you will Accept:

Then after that, they will change the trade, change the amount of gold, and confirm it to go!

then you will confirm again if you didn't catch the change.
Look at it:

If you don't see the problem:


ALWAYS CHECK TO MAKE SURE YOU ARE GETTING YOUR GOLD! THIS IS HAPPENING MORE AND MORE OFTEN NOW!

Thank you to memarcus for informing of this scam. heart

[Red-wolf-Sama]

Same pass scam<---Pm me i need a volunteer for staging on what happens and to do screenshots.

[Red-wolf-Sama]

market place scam<---solved! With the new market place in the scam is no long there. just read what ever the top box says about the item before buying it!.

[Red-wolf-Sama]

art scam<---Pm me i need a volunteer for staging on what happens and to do screenshots.

[Red-wolf-Sama]

Games room chat scam <---Pm me i need a volunteer for staging on what happens and to do screenshots.

[Red-wolf-Sama]

Gaia Admins and Mods will never ask for your password, NEVER EVER! Because they don't need it, They already have it.

DON'T use the same password and user-name for different sites, it makes it easier for hackers to crack your accounts on the different sites.
Read this thread Account Security

Real Gaia staff are:

Orange = Site Administrators Creators of Gaia Online, responsible for site-wide development.

Green = Omnimoderators Responsible for resolving account issues, hacking cases, and scamming cases.

Teal = Global GAIA Moderators Handle abuse and harassment cases, as well as help oversee ToS issues across the entire site.

Purple = Dedicated GAIA Moderators Work in a specific part of the site, handling ToS violations and thread move requests.

Dark Brown = Art Dedicated Moderators For names will be given to those who do art, coding, and other fun stuff for you. These are the people that talk about features and development.

Red = [NPC]'s Are not moderators, but are Non-Playable Characters (NPCs) that inhabit and interact in the world of Gaia! They usually take part in Gaia's main storyline, and in some instances interact with users through posts/pms! Gaia's NPCs include but are not limited to Rina, Leon, Moira, Gambino and Gino.

Others colored names:

Blue = Friends-list Are not moderators, but users on your friends-list.

Remember:
Scammers Do not have purple, green, teal, red Dark Brown or orange user-names.

~~~ First of all, I am posting this for the benefit of all members, whether you are new to Gaia or anyone that can be fooled.
So read through it and keep it in mind when and if you get a PM from scammers.

~~Always make a strong password. A strong password is a string of letters in upper and lower case and numbers. Never make a password from an easily guessed word or one from the dictionary.~~

To read more about this, please go here:

[Red-wolf-Sama]

S C A M B U S T E R S // how to be scam-free



http://img474.imageshack.us/img474/9060/sephybanner3hc.png
by: Sevi Rais

[Red-wolf-Sama]

Sharasti

First off, I'd like to thank the creator of this thread for building it. It will help newbies everywhere. Even, if they play them, on other sites. A big thumbs up and applaud for the maker. Thank you! You are saving SEVERAL accounts. Also, a thank you to the all those who helped setup the fake scams, and those who reported their scams.

Here's a scam that I've gotten before, though I did not fall for it, but it may be dangerous to newbies, even older players!;

I had an Angelic Headband from a Floating Giftbox. I found that it was worth nearly 200,000 Gold! It was a HUGE shocker for me. Luckily, I managed to sell it and get my dream avatar. But, one of the offers was indeed a scam. I was offered 20,000 Gold by someone, and also, the Angelic Set (Angelic Boots, Angelic Collar, Angelic Gloves, Angelic Parasol, and Angelic Microphone). Total, they don't sell for much more than 60K... But this user thought I'd be gullible. He sent me a message somewhat like this;

"I am feeling very generous today. So I've offered over a million in items, plus 20,000 Gold. Be sure not to let such a generous offer fly by."

If I would have accepted, I wouldn't have even gotten half of what I deserved for the Angelic Headband. A heads up to the newbies, or even more gullible players out there; ALWAYS CHECK THE PRICE OF AN ITEM YOU'RE UNSURE OF, OR HAVE NEVER SEEN, BEFORE ACCEPTING A TRADE! JUST because an item looks flashy, doesn't always mean it's expensive.

Sincerely,
-Shara

P.S Thanks again! I can't thank you enough for what you've done!

[.Ambriel.]

Wow, this is really helpful.
I also have a couple of tips, they might not be as inportant as the ones on here, but it's better safe then sorry.



exclaim If you're in a place like your school or the libuary, you might wanna make sure no one is standing over you and watching while you're logging in, unless they're someone very close like your brother or something. One of my friends got hacked this way, someone was watching them and after they left, he logged into their account and took everything then changed the password. So be VERY cautious.

exclaim When making a password, it's always good to have something that's complex, but at the same time, easy for YOU to remember.
I strongly suggest you use your name backwards, like if your name is Max, it would be Xam, but if your name is that short, I don't suggest just your first name, but you get the point?
Numbers/last name backwards are also good choices.
Why? Hackers don't know your first or last name, and even if they do, that would be one of the last things they guess.
If you DO use your name for your password
NEVER have your real name in your username!
Hackers could guess the password and get right in.
And never, EVER use your username in your password!
Even if it's backwards, it's still easy to guess.

exclaim NEVER TRUST ANYONE!

Even if you've been on a persons friends list for quite some time, they could still be hackers. They might ask you for info, and that kinda stuff.
Um, I don't have an exsample here, but don't get to confy with anyone on Gaia unless you know them in real life.

I do certanly hope these tips were helpful in anyway.

My friend Ren9285 got hack recently, I hope this doesn't happen to you!

`JollyRancher

I was seling my Yokai's Treasure in the market place when I got a PM from this ueki_23 person asking for my Yokai's Treasure and Bone Dragon Helm for a Mochi Puppy, Gwee, and 5k. I repled him back saying that I wasn't interested in selling my Bone Dragon Helm and offered an Elegant veil in its place with the Yokai's Treasure in the deal. I sent the trade to him and on the last step there was nothing on his side of the trade. I PMed him asking where they were and he said that they were on his end. So, a accepted the trade and there was no added gold that to which I currently have and I didn't have either of the items in my inventory. I looked over some screenies that I took during the trade and figured out that he clicked the items back into his inventory then sent the trade back to me. Clever little basterd. So if you want you can post the screenies that I took under the current ones that you have.....So here they are....

Beging of the trade...

This is when he would take them off.

End of the trade.

My inventory now.

And to bribe me even more into the offer he gave ne a screenie of what it "should" be link on his end.
*You can even look in his store and see that he's selling MY veil.

His faked side.

rolleyes Hope that the gaians learn more from my mistake. -This is really going to kill my quests.-

hockeyhottie02

Whoa thats kinda scary... Right now if I hadn't spent any gold ever I'd have about 6k... This has practically nothing to do with the topic here but my point is it was really cool of you to sacrifice a 54k item to show people how that stuff happens. Some idiot tried to scam me and sent me a "warning" PM about it, but I knew it was fake because there were some grammar errors and I'm a geek biggrin I know this post isn't perfect though.

memarcus

wow, I'm both amazed and impressed that you would purposely sacrifice your own item to benefit others on gaia. u definitely have my admiration and respect.

also, since this is a forum that warns against scammers, a person of mine was a victim of a scam that is not featured in the beginning post.

someone offered to buy a donation item for 12,000 g. the person i know accepted the offer. this user offered the 12,000 g, however, before the trade could be completed, quickly switched the amount to 1,200 causing the person i know to lose out on 10 k. I've heard this has been happening more and more frequently.

so as a warning to all users on gaia, if you're making a trade with someone, make sure they are giving the exact amount they offered before completing the trade. it's very easy to overlook this, and has unfortunately been happening in increasing number.

also, if u suspect somebody of using this scam because they did not input the correct amount they offered, be sure to pm them first. this could just be an honest mistake. if they pm u back apologizing, and then send the correct amount, then it was obviously an honest mistake and does not need to be reported. however, if they refuse to pm u back, or engage in other suspicious behavior, suspect they are trying to scam u. either way be sure to cancel the trade before proceeding.

just a helpful suggestion, especially since i hear more and more people getting ripped off by this sort of scam.

[Red-wolf-Sama]

Because the other thread got deleted. not everyone name is here.
Locutus_Argolis
x0xDiamond
chase_chowder
.x.Kori.x.Hoshi.x.
Mahajarah
kenji_kun932
Sakura1406
friskykitty515
[-Lolli-pop-]
C a l y p t o X
cute_lil_azn101
Sand_Killer009

[Red-wolf-Sama]

heart

[Red-wolf-Sama]

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