Bondar Posted March 31, 2014 Share Posted March 31, 2014 (edited) Greetings dear OSBot members, First off all I would like to introduce myself as a new OSBot member, my name is Bas and I'm 19 years old. Let's cut the crap and get to the point.... I would like to provide you guys a guide to minimize the chance of being scammed. First of all, what is a scam? A person who pretends to be someone else in order to deceive others, esp. for fraudulent gain. In short, a scam is the worst possible outcome any buyer/seller/trader can encounter when dealing in any market, for that matter. The intention of this guide is to push you to become a safer buyer/seller/trader, and to avoid the little mistakes that can cost you time and money. - In the end, you, the user, becomes self-dependent. While there are others that may assist you in any problem that may arise, you are the only one who can prevent these problems from ever arising. Note: By following the following guidelines, you are not 100% guaranteed risk-free. These tips are simply put forth to assist you in the process. Table of Contents: I. Common Scam Methods II. Scam Prevention III. Google is your Friend! I. Common Scam Methods Some of the most common scam methods are listed here: Impostor E-mail Spoofing PayPal (Stolen and Chargebacks) Western Union Rushing Impostors About 99% of the time you may encounter an impostor, it will be someone with an AIM address that is slightly altered to look as though it were that of the user you are trying to get in contact with. One example: Hi@aol.com and Hl@aol,com or Malicious@aol.com and MaIicious@aol.com You may be wondering how people fall for this. But I can ensure you that under the right font, even an "I" will look like a lower-case "L". Example: I and I (I in Fixedsys font) <- Gotcha, right? E-mail Spoofing It's very deceiving and it can really lead to some harmful stuff if someone falls into the trap. Many of us have seen it; whether it's in the form of a gaming administrator trying to reach a user, or someone claiming to be your bank asking for information. E-mail spoofing is simply an activity in which someone takes on the identity of another user by making the e-mail seem to originate from a particular person. Here is an example of a spoofed E-mail I sent to myself. E-mail spoofing generally also has characteristics of phishing: Phishing involves the act of asking a user to disclose personal details (Gaming accounts, Social security numbers, Bank numbers, etc.) which allow the scammer to take advantage of the user. On these forums, it is common to see Gaming-related phishing. However, these types of scams are also used for identity theft. It is important to understand that in most circumstances (Blizzard for instance) will NEVER ask for your personal information via e-mail. If you are sent to a sketchy link such as "hiclickme.php," Do NOT click it, and immediately report it. PayPal (Stolen and Chargebacks) PayPal is both a blessing and a curse at the same time. While in many cases it makes for a great tool for quick and easy transactions, it is also one of the biggest venues for fraud over the internet. The biggest problem that most users face when it comes to transactions regarding PayPal is the use of stole PayPal accounts. Yes, that is right stolen. As I have mentioned earlier, there are many ways for people to gain access to another person's information; whether it's phishing or trojan software, it's possible. If a person has access to a stolen PayPal account, they can use registered credit cards and linked bank accounts to make unauthorized transactions. These transactions, usually are ultimately reversed as they are indeed unauthorized. Chargebacks are also another large problem. While PayPal has an investigative service, they are not very thorough when it comes to processing claims. In many cases, a seller on these forums forfeits their protection because they are selling an "intangible" good, one that cannot be physically touched. Western Union Western Union is a very simple method for making legitimate transactions. It is essentially a bank that transfers money from one location to another. The downside is that this money is non-refundable. However, the upside is that information on the identity of the user is required to send the payment, so it is very easy to fish up contact information should any problem arise. The most common Western Union scam involves the "I'm going to the bank, brb - User has Signed Off." Rushing I like to call this type of scam "Rushing." And it is the most common technique for scammers to take advantage of a user. Rushing involves the practice of hurrying a victim through a transaction as fast as possible. Pretend you are opening a door with a key. Now pretend you are opening a door with a key while there is a swarm of bees chasing you down. Chances are, when you are pressured into opening the door, you may fiddle with the keys more than if you were calmly walking in. Similarly, scammers try to rush a user through a transaction to keep them offguard. The less time you have to complete the transaction, the less time you have to think and to make a successful one. II. Scam Prevention Tips to preventing the following common scams: Impostor PayPal (Stolen and Chargebacks) Western Union Rushing Impostor Prevention These small tips will help prevent most impostors from taking advantage of you: Tip #1: Copy/Paste. If you are trying to get in contact with a user who has a complicated AIM name (I do this with even the simplest of AIM addresses), always copy/paste their AIM address from their signature to the "Add Buddy" menu. This can prevent you from accidentally misspelling the address and contacting the impostor themself! That just makes their job 10x easier. Tip #2: Use the new Profile links. As you may have noticed, there is are IM buttons beneath the profile of users who have registered their Instant Messenger addresses to their account. If you click the button and hit the "Send [username] a message," you will be automatically entered into a chat with the user you are trying to talk to. If you are going to use this function, I recommend that you always take a screenshot of the little box for proof in the future that the IM address was registered to the specific user. Example: Tip #3: If contacted by a user directly, always verify who they are. My personal methods for doing so are as followed: I first begin by looking up the user's profile on the forums. I then find their IM address associated to it, and do a quick Copy/Paste or click of the IM button, and open a new chat with the user. If the user who contacted me was indeed the real person, a new chat window should not pop up. Regardless if a new chat window pops up, you may wish to use the new chat window, knowing you are in fact speaking with the correct person. Tip #4: If a user contacts you claiming to be a specific person on the forums, have them verify it via PM or thread post. Ask them to post a *secret word* (I'll explain why in a moment†) such as "Penguin," "Car," "Fruitloop," etc. in a Private Message or a thread post on one of your threads. This is a key and priceless technique to verifying who you are talking to. † - I added this footnote to explain the reason behind a secret word. This is where impostors become incredibly deceptive, when they are able to successfully prove to the person that they are someone else, when in reality they aren't. The most common example is done via IM to the user being imposed. The impostor will go on a separate IM address and talk to the user they are imposing, asking them to "bump" the thread of a victim. If the user being imposed is careless, and they bump the thread, now the impostor has shown via post that they may be who they say they are. The victim, who is lead to believe that the impostor is actually the person, is then taken advantage of. If you ask for a secret word, it is much harder for an impostor to ask a person to randomly post or PM "Penguin" or any secret word for that matter, other than "Bump," which is standard. **If you are asked to bump another user's thread, and you have NO idea who the user is, ignore them and report it to the administration team** Tip #5: Font is your best friend. Let's say MaIicious decided to give you an IM and wants you to believe they are Malicious. They are using a font, such as the one shown above to come out with an AIM address: "MaIicious". But wait... this AIM address is actually "MaIicious," with the "I" altered to look like a lower-case "L". Who would notice such a peculiar little effect? Well, here is the answer to this problem. While font seems to be the tool of deception, it is also the tool of clarity. Copy/Paste the fake address ("MaIicious" in this case) and take it to a word document. Size it up large, make it really visible, and then change the font several times to carefully examine that each letter represents what it looks like. You may end up with this: "MaIicious" It is clear that you have encountered an impostor. And by simply using the font tool, you were able to catch what you couldn't see before with the naked eye. My personal favorite font is "Times New Roman" since the letters (especially when sized up) are very clear and easy to differentiate. PayPal (Stolen and Chargebacks) Prevention: Tip #1: When it comes to stolen PayPals, there are two very clear ways to figure it out. The first way is to ask the user to send you an E-mail from their registered PayPal address (remember to check the headers!) to prove they are indeed the holder of the account. The issue with this is that most people who gain access to PayPal accounts will also have the password (which may even be identical) to the E-mail account. Generally, there is a rule of thumb I like to live by when it comes to these circumstances. Get your account quoted by a professional seller to get an "idea" of a range price. If someone is offering you $750 on an account that a legitimate buyer is offering $300, you are looking at a deal that may be "too good to be true." If it's one of these deals, back out immediately. Tip #2: Chargebacks are tricky to handle. In many cases, it's a comfort issue between both the buyer and the seller, whom don't want to have to go first and don't want to be the last to give the final information/payment. For a seller, by using PayPal for intangible goods, you are signing a suicide note. You forfeit your protection rights as a seller, and are not able to make a claim should a problem arise. There are several ways of avoiding this. You may ask the user to pay you via "Gift" or "Payment Owed" which are non-refundable. You may also create a contract, using the PayPal note to clarify the transaction being made. Two of my favorite ideas are as follows: You can sell the account via PayPal, and mail the SQA via postage mail. This gives PayPal an actual tracking number they can use to give you the rights because you are sending something "tangible." Another method is also the "waiting" method; in which the seller hands over the account information (minus the SQA) and waits until the funds are no longer retrievable (this can be done by securing the funds in a bank account or waiting the 30-45 days* before a chargeback cannot be made) and then sends the SQA to the buyer. *Number of days may be incorrect. Also, if the transaction is paid via credit card, the person may be able to make a chargeback within a year - so be careful! Western Union Scam Prevention Tip #1: There are no great ways at protecting yourself from a Western Union scam. The only advantage is that you have the information required to fill out a police report or get in contact with the user should they scam you. I recommend only using WU if the user is trusted, reputable, and has a very strong business practice. Do not take chances when it comes to Western Union because you may lose your money. Rushing Prevention Tip #1: This is the easiest technique of scam to prevent. Just say "NO" and walk away. If someone says, "Can we hurry, I have to leave in 15 minutes for soccer practice," you can respond the following ways: A) Decline the offer. Ignore the person completely. C) Tell them you can wait until after their practice to continue the transaction. I've had users tell me that they will be moving within 4 hours of a transaction, and I've never walked away faster from a deal. Do not take excuses and do not allow them to hurry you. Transactions are a process, and they take time to be done correctly. If someone is trying to speed you through it, politely ask them to slow down, or simply decline the offer. Tip #2: Patience is a virtue. I remember a school nun repeating this to me everyday. But it could never be more true. If you are patient and take your time, you will find that perfect offer. Do not try to convince yourself that you MUST trade away your account today, or sell it within three days. If you are selling your account for rent, it is probably better to spend your time working than managing offers. Check Member's Location Info Under every member profile for every post is a "Location Info" button. This button will tell you two things about the member. The city and country they live in and their Internet Service Provider (ISP). Tip #1: This info will tell you whether or not the member is using a proxy or VPN. Many banned members are able to return to the site because they change their IP address and using a proxy is the fastest way. If you see something like "Comcast" or "Verizon", then they are using a normal ISP. However if you see something like "webhostingcompany.com" they are using a proxy or VPN. Tip #2: Many countries have a much higher rate of scam then others. For instance Romania, China and Russia seem to have an unusually high scam rate so some members won't admit to living their and will say another country. III. Google is your Friend! My last tip of advice is to use the best search engine there is: Google! Google is basically a database full of public information that can hold the key to your successful transaction. It's like those CSI-type TV shows where they search a name on a computer and know everything about them. While it's not as effective, a simple search on an AIM address or a Username may be the key to finding out the person's past reputation or even other transactions with other users, and possibly interactions on various sites. If you find anything suspicious, think twice and walk away: in the end, you save yourself a heartache! My Final Tip: As sad as it is: Trust No One. They must prove to you that they are legitimate. Wherever there is one legitimate offer, there are ten others trying to take advantage of you. Be careful, be informed, and stay in control with some of these tips. Feel free to correct me and/or comment. Thank you for reading and good luck! Sincerely, Bandor (Credits goes to EPICNPC, as I found this very helpful) Edited March 31, 2014 by Bondar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ikos9 Posted March 31, 2014 Share Posted March 31, 2014 Sorry to be harsh mate but this guide has been posted 4 years ago on epicnpc... Not saying it is not acceptable, but if you have claimed it as yours, don't... - Not saying you have, but IF you have. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinnamon Posted March 31, 2014 Share Posted March 31, 2014 At least credit your source. Other than that, good find. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bondar Posted March 31, 2014 Author Share Posted March 31, 2014 Yes it's true though I tweaked it a little bit, but the main source comes from that site indeed. I just wanted to make you guys aware of this. No offense towards the source, just wanting to prevent any money or time loss. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daamurda Posted March 31, 2014 Share Posted March 31, 2014 naice guide Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spongebob Posted April 1, 2014 Share Posted April 1, 2014 copy more? or is it yours Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clau5 Posted April 4, 2014 Share Posted April 4, 2014 Who cares if it copys someone, we get that he tweaked it, atleast its useful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Avatar Aang Posted April 4, 2014 Share Posted April 4, 2014 Nice find Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rayman Posted April 7, 2014 Share Posted April 7, 2014 i like this it is very knowledging for new players and helpfull great job! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
