Scamming Prevention guides

[rotten ice]

Latest update item removal (Scammed: Never thought it would happen to me (bug in EU?))

With the recent hackings that have occurred I thought it would be a good idea to add dome extra info this guide.

There is alot of information below and it may take a while to read it all. Much of what is written here is basic so if you know about the scam already just skip ahead I have tried to embolden all titles of sections to make it easier to read the short list below is just a very basic list without any extra added information but there is a much more detailed descrtiption that can be found if you ctrl+f and run a search I have tried to keep the titles at the top the same as in the main guides

Simple scam(no explanation just basic)
These are known SCAMS if someone offers one of these walk away
1.ASKING FOR LOGIN DETAILS (username or password)
2.UPGRADING/REPAIRING/BOOSTING ARMOUR
3.COLOUR ARMOUR (can not be done)
4.NEEDING TO HOLD A ITEM TO LOOK AT IT(never loan)

These can be scams but are not always so use your own instinct here before going ahead with it.
TT SCAMS-Know the average market price and what sells where
DROP TRADE SCAMS-Dont ever drop items
LENDING SCAMS
FREE SERVICES FOR ITEMS-(sometimes people just skilling for cost)
MIDDLEMAN/TRADER SCAMS-(someone selling for you)
SKILL CHIP SCAMS-(offering to transfer if you supply)
Crafting Scams
(thanks to Xandra who proposed a short list to prevent information overload)


First of all make SURE your password or username is not the same as your EF EP or any other forum details if it is its time for a change,
Dont share the email address you use to sign up ingame for here or any other PE related forum.
If you dont have another email address PM me and I can send some of you Gmail account invitations

If you have an easy email password then it could be worth changing this as well, especially if they are like your details you use for your PE account details

this was posted by alpha geek so thanks for this link and Im just gonna dump the whole thing here

Originally Posted by AlphaGeek

Remember folks, your account (and your PEDs) are only as strong as the password on your account. Many account hacks are accomplished because people do silly things like use their user ID for their password, or stuff like that. A non-repeating random password is the most hack-resistant kind to have. Want one? point your web browser to https://www.grc.com/password for a randomly generated string of characters. The page is run by Steve Gibson, internet security guru.

It's unfortunate that this happens. It's unfortunate that there are people that do this. Protect yourselves as best you can with the tools you can get and use.

AG

Originally Posted by gagan

A twist on the "Removing funds from the offer window" scam.

Another scam i have experienced, but luckily did not fall for as i caught it at the last second, is this......... I was trading a quantity of ME when it was selling for 300%. I had abot 72.43 PEDS worth. (I cant remember the persons name) came and enquired about it and said they would buy it all. "Great" i thought and put the lot into the trade window. They put in the correct amount 72.43PEDS and i hit confirm. With the safe guards in place, when they removed their offer and cancelled the trade quickly my Goods were protected and remained in my inventory. The prospective buyer claimed it had been a mistake, so we went through the procedure again.

Again he put in the correct amount of 72.43PEDS and i hit 'confirm'. Low and behold the buyer withdrew his money and cancelled the trade. Again he stated that it had simply been a mistake and could we attempt the trade again. Getting suspicious i agreed reluctantly.

For the third time i entered my goods and clicked confirm, HOWEVER, on this ocassion the buyer only put in the window the sum of 7.24PED. Expecting me to be fed up with the "mistakes" and in a hurry to complete the transaction enough not to notice he was only offering me 10% of my asking price. When i cancelled the transaction he had the audacity to call me a scammer and proceeded to walk off.

Please be aware of this type of scam. I have heard it is common place around the area of Port Atlantis

And in case you need them MindArks contact details
MindArk PE AB
Jarntorget 8
SE 413 04 Gothenburg
Sweden

Telephone: +46 (0)31 607 260
Fax: +46 (0)31 136 016

If you dont happen to have any firewalls or anti spyware grab some NOW
This is a firewall by ZoneLabs calle ZoneALARM

Zone Alarm
Spybot Search and destroy
Adaware personnel edition

If you want to read more info on this visit this thread
Protect Yourself From Hackers...

I keep trying to update these guides to keep them from going out of date so if you see anything that is no longer valid let me know, also be sure to check the original thread if your reading this in the sticky section for any updates that have been made since going sticky.

Ok this is sharpshots guide mine is below here, and while this cover in depth techniques and solutions, I have tried to collect general tips that you will find below in the next post down. Allong with a couple of other scams which have been bought to light.

Guide by Sharpshot Retrieved from Entropia Pioneers with sharpshots permission

without further ado:

SHARPSHOT'S ANTI-SCAM GUIDE

Just like in the real world, there are scammers, tricksters, hustlers, and all varieties of of low-down cheating kinds of people. This guide was written to help you avoid becoming the target of these scammers. I will discuss 7 of the main scams, but be aware that there are many more scams, some of which are a variation on one of these, but might also be a completely new scam altogether.

For each main scam, I will have the same setup.
Here is an example:

# the name of the scam
Explanation: A brief explanation of what the scam does
Target: who's usually at risk to be the target of this scam
Modus Operandi: A more detailed explanation of exactly how the scam is carried out
Consequences: The consequences you may face if you are tricked by this particular scam
Possible Solutions: Ways that you can fix or avoid this scam
Loss Range: The average amount of peds that you could lose because of this scam. The average high and low value is compiled from scams that I have been told of by other people. However, it isn't locked into these values, it could be drastically higher or lower.
Threat Level: A level of how dangerous the scam is, on a scale of *(nuisance) to ***** (crippling). It will usually be one of two or three levels, because many scams have a wide range, depending on how much the victim was scammed for.
Other: Any other relevant information regarding this scam.

The following are just the main scams out of a horde of many. So read on.

1. AVATAR/LOGIN SCAMS
Explanation: This scam usually involves the scammer attempting to obtain either your account login and/or your password.
Target: Just about anyone, but more likely to be better, more well known players.
Modus Operandi: The scammer usually looks at your profile on EP or any other PE website. From this profile, they obtain your e-mail. They then send you an e-mail that sounds like MA being nice or giving you a free item, but tries to ask for you login/password. An example: "Dear Mr. Smith, we at mindark would like to tell you that we have found your missing item: Shadow Harness (male). You will be presented with your item by providing your login and password so that we can verify that you are indeed Mr. Smith.
Consequences: The scammer could gain access to your account. They could do whatever they liked with your money or items, including dropping them somewhere and picking them up with their own avatar. Also, if you've deposited before, its possible, though unlikely, that they could make a deposit of nearly any size from YOUR credit card.
Possible Solutions: Use a different e-mail on the forums than you applied to PE with. Hide your e-mail on the forums. Buy the PE Gold Card (this will only make it so the scammer can't log in to project entropia as you, they can still access your account details like address and personal information contained when you set up your account). Don't trust e-mails from "MA" that seem to be to good to be true. Remember MA will NEVER ask you for your password. However, Scammers will.
Loss Range: 10-8000 ped, though this could be significantly higher.
Threat Level: ****/***** This is one of the most dangerous and devastating scams. Avoid it at all costs.
Other: Nothing of relevance

2. TT SCAMS
Explanation: The in game scam is one usually used on, but not limited to n00bs, especially the ones who deposited. It usually involves the scammer selling you an item for an inflated price that can be purchased from an Trade Terminal (but also other specialized dealers, this is explained later) at a lower price.
Target: This scam is performed almost exclusively on n00bs and all types of relatively new players.
Modus Operandi: The scammer will usually be around Port Atlantis, often called "the n00b capital of Calypso." He/She will advertise certain items for "cheap" prices. They usually say that these items are good starting items for n00bs. Most people know what items the tt (trade terminal) sells, and are not fooled by someone trying to jack up the price on one of those items. However, some people (mostly new players) don't know about the specialized traders at Hadesheim, Fort Ithica, and Feffoid Traders.(removed I believe ) These traders sell items that are not purchasable from the tt. Scammers will often try to sell you these items for an increased price.
Consequences: You could lose ped needlessly.
Possible Solutions: Simply avoid buying items in the following list:
Note: items with a star (*) are not tt items, they are from weapons, clothes, armor dealers, or feffoid traders. See the "other" at the end of this particular scam description.

ARMORS:

Settler Armor (either Male or Female)
Arms: 3.7
Harness: 5.55
Gloves: 1.85
Mask: 1.85
Thigh:3.7
Shins: 1.85

*Pioneer Armor (either Male or Female)
*Arms: 2.0
*Harness: 6.0
*Gloves:2.0
*Mask: 2.0
*Shins: 2.0
*Thigh: 4.0

WEAPONS:
Feffoid traders no longer exist and they used to provide special weapons like the enblade-3, I am not sure wheter these are still available in weapon shops so need to do some checking when I get home from work.
Castorian Survival Enblade-1: 13.0
Castorian Survival Enblade-2: 16.0
*Castorian Survival Enblade-3: 21.0
Castorian EnKnuckles 1: 18.0
Castorian Combat Enblade-1: 15.0
Castorian Combat Enblade-2: 19.0
Omegaton M2200: 2.0
*EWE EP-13 Galactica: 15.0
*EWE EP-16 Protector: 23.0
Sollomate Opalo: 4.0
*A-3 Punisher mk 1: 30.0
Ammo: Both laser and blp, light, medium, heavy: 0.01 per round=1.00 per 100=10.0 per 1,000, etc.

TOOLS:

Chikara Mineral Refiner MR10: 2.0
Chikara Energy Refiner ER100: 2.0
Goot Tailoring Material Refiner TMR1: 15.0
Omegaton Colorator CCT-1: 2.0
Omegaton Distrator DD-20: 2.0
Omegaton Decoy: 1.0 per 4= 10.0 per 40, etc.
Omegaton Fast Aid FAP-5: 15.0
Omegaton Detectonator MD-1: 2.4
Omegaton Enmatter Detector ED-10: 3.0
Genesis Star Earth Excavator ME/01: 2.0
Genesis Star Energy Extractor EE/01: 2.4
Omegaton Seismic bomb: 1.0 per 1= 10.0 per 10, etc.
Omegaton Survey Probe: 1.0 per 2= 10.0 per 20, etc.
Chikara InvestaFoe ES100: 12.0
Payn-Inc Implant inserter: 15.0
NeoPsion Aa Mindforce Implant: 21.99
Anti-Toxic Shot: 5.1

*CLOTHES: (all both male and female)
since the latest update clothes from hadesham have been removed

BLUEPRINTS:

(purchased from a technician)
(note, these are only the blueprints, not the items themselves)
Settler Arms blueprint: 0.01 ped
Settler Harness blueprint: 0.01 ped
Settler Thigh blueprint: 0.01 ped
Settler Shins blueprint: 0.01 ped
E-Amp11 blueprint: 0.01 ped
Alekz Precision Scope blueprint: 0.01 ped
Basic Relays blueprint: 0.01 ped
Basic Filters blueprint: 0.01 ped
Basic Bearings blueprint: 0.01 ped
Uncolored Basic-pattern shirt blueprint: 0.01 ped
Uncolored Basic-pattern pants blueprint: 0.01 ped
MatterFinder 101 blueprint: 0.01 ped
OreFinder 101 blueprint: 0.01 ped
Jester d-1 blueprint: 0.01 ped
Mann Mph blueprint: 0.01 ped

BLUEPRINT BOOKS:

(purchased from a technician)
(note, these are only the blueprints, not the items themselves)
Vol 1 Blueprint Book:Armor: 1 ped
Vol 2 Blueprint Book:Armor: 1 ped
Vol 1 Blueprint Book:Attachments: 1 ped
Vol 2 Blueprint Book:Attachments: 1 ped
Vol 1 Blueprint Book:Electronic Eq.: 1 ped
Vol 2 Blueprint Book:Electronic Eq.: 1 ped
Vol 1 Blueprint Book:Mechanical Eq.: 1 ped
Vol 2 Blueprint Book:Mechanical Eq.: 1 ped
Vol 1 Blueprint Book:Metal Eq.: 1 ped
Vol 2 Blueprint Book:Metal Eq.: 1 ped
Vol 1 Blueprint Book:Tailoring: 1 ped
Vol 2 Blueprint Book:Tailoring: 1 ped
Vol 1 Blueprint Book:Weapons: 1 ped
Vol 2 Blueprint Book:Weapons: 1 ped
Vol 1 Blueprint Book:Tools: 1 ped
Vol 1 Blueprint Book:Furniture: 1 ped
Vol 2 Blueprint Book:Furniture: 1 ped
note, the blueprint book has changed so I have added the furniture book, at the moment I am not sure as to whether all blueprint books have a vol 2 avaiable at the Technician

Loss Range: 0.1-100 ped (the 100 ped was a friend of mine who was seriously taken advantage of by a scammer when he first came into PE)
Threat Level: */** minor, not really much of a threat. But be sure to warn your disciples and other friends who might start playing PE.
Other:
1.Always avoid the TT items, because its never a long walk to a trade terminal, they're everywhere. However, the items marked with stars (*) are not out of the question. If you are new to the game, or simply haven't collected many/any teleports, but still desperately want one of these items, you may be able to cut a deal. By saving yourself the LONG (even longer thanks to Version 6.1 Smile) walk to one of these specialized dealers, you may be able to have someone who has those teleports, go there and buy the item for you, and have you pay them a small tip (I wouldn't recomend over 2 ped at the most, but go ahead, be generous, it's your money Smile). However, once again, avoid buying TT items and don't hesitate to yell at someone who's trying to scam others with tt items.
2. Some of the specialized trader items can also be looted. This creates some people trying to sell an EWE EP-13 for example, who aren't scammers, but are unaware that this can be perchased from a specialized trader. However, be suspicious if they are asking for an extreme price, and don't hesitate to at least inform them that their item can be purchased at a specialized trader.
3. Sometimes you can buy a tt or specialized trader item for more than its value if it's damaged. For example, if you only have 5 ped, but you REALLY want a FAP-5, but you can't afford it from the tt (it's 15 ped), you might buy a used one from someone for 5 ped, even though it's only worth 4.5. Still, don't go ballistic using this strategy. I would recomend saving up and just buying the item without the middleman.

3. DROP TRADE SCAMS
Explanation: The scammer basically tricks you into dropping your item on the ground rather than just trading, allowing it to be stolen
Target: Just about anyone, but usually aimed more towards newer players.
Modus Operandi: The scammer may often advertise around Port Atlatis, or other major areas that He/She is buying anything that you have to sell. You go up and tell them that you have ______ to sell. They say that their trade window is bugged/glitched/broken, but they still want the items you're selling. They say to go to a less crowded area. They say that you should drop your items on the ground, and they will drop their payment. As soon as you drop your items, they either immediately grab them, or have a friend rush by and grab them. Either way, they give you know form of payment.
Consequences: You lose any number of items or money
Possible Solutions: NEVER accept to do a drop trade, I personally have never seen one that isn't a scam.
Loss Range:10-100 ped (most people haven't been scammed for much more money using this particular scam)
Threat Level: **/*** -medium-low. Once again, this scam isn't usually used to steal large amounts of items or money.
Other: 1. This trade may also work the other way, example: The scammer says that they are selling an item worth ____for much less than that value. As soon as you drop your payment, they or a friend grabs it and leaves.
2. Sometimes the trade window can "break" or be buggy. This isn't anyone's fault, and isn't a scam. However, instead of trying to continue trading, this problem can always be solved by having both people re-log. This is much easier, as well as much safer than a drop trade.
3. If you feel that you may be in danger of being scammed in this way, ask the trader why you can't just re-log. If they get uneasy or come up with excuses, they're probably a scammer.

4. LENDING SCAMS
Explanation: This scam involves the scammer "borrowing" an item of yours and not returning it.
Target: This can be targeted towards many people, but often it happens in loose, careless societies.
Modus Operandi: The scammer will ask if he/she can borrow an item of yours. They say that they will return it and will repair any damage that is done to it etc. To make a long story short, they don't return it.
Consequences: You lose any number of items, of assorted values.
Possible Solutions: Don't lend people items of yours unless you know them very well. If you are going to lend them items, try lending them small, cheap items before lending them that mod merc Wink. Also, make sure the person you are lending to is on your friends list.
Loss Range: 1.5-1000 ped (1.5 being a n00b "borrowing" a Jester)
Threat Level: **/***, but sometimes *(If you lend a n00b a Jester), and even ****(If you lend someone that Mod Merc)
Other:1. This scam is often performed in large, loose societies. The scammer will join the soc and then ask you (a soc member) to borrow an item. Most people trust people in their society at least a little more than just some random person.
2. If they get away with the scam and won't return your item you should
A. file a support case with MA, and
B. PM them a million times asking where's my item , where's my item, can i have my item, until you drive them insane, at least it's some payback. Twisted Evil
3. Sometimes this is not so much of a scam, but a n00b who really wants a gun and says they'll give it back when they're done...uh huh...yeah right.

5. REPAIR SCAMS also known as upgrade, Boost
Explanation: You give an item of yours to someone who claims they will repair it for free, but you never get it back.
Target: Mostly aimed at, but not limited to poorer people who have less money to spend on repairs themselves.
Modus Operandi: The scammer will sometimes advertise publically, or come up and personally chat or trade with you. They will say that they are being nice and are repairing items for free. They ask you to give you an item, and they will repair it and give it back to you fully repaired. However, once you give them the item, they quickly leave, and often log out.
Consequences: You lose any number of items, of any number of values.
Possible Solutions: Don't give people stuff for them to repair unless you really trust them. If you really want to try, just give them something that's not very valuable first. You can also file a support claim with MA.
Loss Range: 5-100
Threat Level: **/*** medium. Though unlikely, it the loss could possibly exceed 100.
Other: Don't be easily fooled by this type of scammer. Even if they look or sound nice. A person I know got repair scammed because he figured that a person in full vigi and with a nice gun wouldn't bother to rip him off of 10 ped.....he was wrong.

6. MIDDLEMAN/TRADER SCAMS
Explanation:A middleman or hired trader of yours takes your items but doesn't pay you back.
Target:Just about anyone who has items, but not the time or effort to sell them.
Modus Operandi: Hired traders or middlemen are valuable assets to major traders. The trader gives them any number of items to sell. Once the middleman sells them, they give a set amount of money back to the trader and whatever else they make is profit. However, sometimes scammer middlemen, simply won't pay back the trader who hired them.
Consequences: You could lose any number of items
Possible Solutions: If you are hiring a middleman, check to see if they're reputable, talk with them alot before risking your items, and start them off on items that aren't worth too much. Or you could always just sell the stuff yourself Smile
Loss Range: 20-5000
Threat Level: ***/**** high. These scams are dangerous and often hard to detect (see other)
Other:1. Just to clarify to excess, middlemen are not all scammers, many of them are regular reputable traders, I'm just saying that some of them are scammers and should be avoided.
2. These scams can often be difficult to detect. Sometimes the scammer will sell your items for you and give you back what you asked for. They will continue to do this, as you give them more and more valuable items. Then suddenly without warning, they can take 100s, even 1000s of peds in item value away from you and never return.

7. SKILL CHIP SCAMS
Explanation: This scam involves the stealing of skill chips under the guise of a skill transfer.
Target: The main target of this scam will be someone who isn't a n00b, clearly has money that they're willing to spend, and most importantly, is looking to buy skills.
Modus Operandi:The scammer will seek out the "victim", being someone who wants to buy skills in a certain area. The scammer says that they have tons of levels in the desired skill that they are willing to sell. The scammer usually includes something too good to be true, such as VERY low prices, free service, etc. The scammer says that their deal is avaliable, all the "victim" needs to do is to bring them a generic skill chip to load the skills onto. However, when the item is given, the scammer flees, logs out, or finds some way to simply run away with the chip.
Consequences: The main (and really the only) consequence of this scam is that you lose a skill chip. Although the market is offering lower and lower prices on these, they are still worth a significant amount.
Possible Solutions: Be very cautious when initiating these skill transfers. Try to know the person a little beforehand. One discussed or initiated on Entropia Pioneers (OR here at EF )might be a safer bet. Another safe bet is scanning (see "other"). If scammed, file a report. Most of the solutions are standards ones that can be found in the next section: General Advice.
Loss Range: 100-300(when they were worth that much Smile )
Threat Level: **/*** medium (depending on how much 200ish ped is worth to you)
Other:1. A good way to avoid at least some instances of this scam is to scan. Yes scan to avoid a scam. Though not always the case, this scam is sometimes used by n00bs or relatively new players. By using a scanner, you can see the professional ranking of the scammer. If they claim to have many skills in a certain area, but their ranking is "newcomer", they are most likely a scammer. You should ask them about this and tell them to show the ranking that reflects their "true" skills. If they become uneasy, or refuse to comply, they are almost certainly a scammer. Also, this is especially effective because you can get the TT scanner for only 12 ped, but it could save you hundreds.
2. I have been informed that some scammers attempt to sell you a "genetic" chip, not a "generic" chip, hoping that you aren't reading carefully. Avoid this variation as well; make sure you read the item name...really read it Smile

8 Crafting scams
Explanation: The scammer will claim to craft you items if you provide the needed materials
Target: Newer players are more likely to fall for this however it can affect anyone who does not know what is required to craft that item.
Modus Operandi: The scammer will ask if you would like a certain item made. If you answer yes they will then explain that they will make you the item if you provide the materials required to craft that item. Sometimes they will ask for items not even needed for the manufacturing process.
Consequences: You may lose the items or money you provided and not gain the item you wanted
Possible Solutions: Try to use only certified crafters who have a high success rate and provide services. If the crafter has offered to craft you an item even if they claim to have a high COS see if they can offer a way of providing an equal value offer to show they are genuine. Use scanners to check their professional standing to see if crafter is one of their main professions this will give some indication as to how high a level they can craft and in what area.
Loss Range: The amount of peds can vary depending on the item that the sammer is offering it can range from low level armor right up to ghost and 150 peds see (yet another armour scam)
Threat Level: *** This scam is likely to only affect those who have limited knowledge of the crafting system however regarding the amount of money that could potentially be lost if the victim falls for this
Other: This is a genuine profession in game so valid users may offer to craft you items at cost to gain skills, however even if this is the case there is no guarantee that the you will gain the item, the crafting attempt may fail and then you will either have to try again by providing the materials or actually go and buy the item. This is very similar to the coloring scam so make sure if you get something made that you know what it requires, who the crafter is and that you may get not get the item after all (Of course if it works you can get a cheap item)

General Advice
-If you don't trust your gut, don't do it. Over time, you will develop a natural idea of if someone is a scammer.

-Be cautious and don't jump at a deal that seems too good to be true.

-Be sure to thoroughly question anyone who is performing any of the actions listed in the above sections to determine if they are a scammer. If they are not, they probably won't mind you asking questions and verification. However, if they are a scammer, they might become uneasy or flustered if you ask certain questions.

-Don't be fooled by appearences or motives. Some of the most effective and deadly scammers are far from n00bs. Sometimes victims are fooled because the scammer has an expensive gun and/or armor. Just because someone has 5000 ped doesn't mean that they're not low enough to scam you out of 5.

-Another common pull of a scammer is that they're "About to leave PE and I'm feeling really nice and generous."

-In terms of retribution, if the scam is any kind of scam involving the trading of items from one person to another, add the other person to your friends list. That way, you can remember them if they scammed you, and you can flame pm them every second to drive them insane. It's at least some payback.

-Perhaps most importantly: FILE A SUPPORT CASE. You may not get your lost item/money back, but the scammer is likely to be locked. It's helpful to have a screenshot program so that you can take a screenshot of both the scammer, their name, the time of the scam, and the items stolen.

-Just like for saving the enviroment Smile , there are 3 Rs of avoiding or dealing with scams:

Read this guide, and look out for scams you might have fallen for
Remember the scams, and especially how to avoid them
Report the scammer, even if you don't get an item back, do it for the good of the community

Reporting/Contact
For the help of the community, as well as this guide, I would appreciate if you inform me of any scams(Sharpsot not me RottenICE(allthough please also let me know)) that happened to you, especially if they are different than the specific ones described in this guide. Hopefully I can use this information to improve the guide, and better inform the community of new scams. You can contact me by Private Messaging through Entropia Pioneers. (And me through EF )

Thanks for reading my short anti-Scam guide. I hope you find it informative and helpful. Hopefully, it will assist you in preventing all types of scams, both minor and major, from happening to you.

_________________

I have updated this guide and removed some bits I dont believe are valid anymore and changed some of those that have also changed, and tried to make it a little easier to read (I hope)

To see the original post and posts
http://entropia-pioneers.kicks-ass.o...ic.php?t=15972

[rotten ice]

Most games involve cheaters who will lie or cheat to get an advantage over others and these cheaters are unfortunately a part of PE life. There are various methods tips and hints to help prevent scammin these are just a few of my ideas

Because PE uses a real cash economy you are susceptible to scammers. These scammers will try to get items or PED/PEC for free from you the problem is new comers and even older more reputable avatars have been scammed and lost out because of this.

This guide aims to provide a few tips and hints to help prevent you from being scammed so if you reading this let others know about it or spread the word and help make PE an uncomfortable place for scammers 

General Tips
*EDIT UPDATED*
It has appeared that some avatars have been able to clear and add the items, which still appear in the final confirmation window, so always check both windows and if they start removing adding items or peds stop trading even if this is only a bug you can lose out
see the picture of this bug/exploit here
http://www.entropiaforum.com/gallery...093-edited.jpg
1. Scammers can sometimes clear the trade window at the lastsecond so always, ALWAYS check the confirmation window this is your last chance to view the trade if the items have been cleared you will see they have offered nothing. Then you can just cancel the deal  (This has been resolved by MA so you status is auto cancelled but allways be aware it is still practised) The chat window also informs you of items being cleared as will the final trade window.

2. Take screenshots if you think you are being scammed these can help assist in proving that you were scammed (GrabClipSave is a great program for taking screen stills)

3. Report it to MA (using support cases) you can include links to images aswell these will help. You may not get your item back but you will help in the process of getting the scammer banned. There seems to be a 3/4 strike system in place to remove scammers (Not sure about this though)
a. Warning
b. Temporary avatar and IP ban
c. Full avatar and IP ban

4. Scammers may use separate accounts from the same computer MA can detect this so it is IMPORTANT to report scammers. To help show MA multiple scammer accounts. You may not get your item back but by reporting you help remove the scammer to prevent it happening again.

5. If the scammer is a member of a soc inform the soc leader most societies don’t want scammers in their societies, get them booted

6. If someone is scamming on your screen SHOUT out, get there attention (walk in front of them while they are in trade this normally gets their attention) let everyone know if they are a scammer. Dont be too hasty not everyone will appreciate you calling them a scammer if they are not one so dont judge too quickly. Only if you are sure that this person is known for scamming or has scammed you or others you know, If you dont want to shout it out, try PM'ing whoever they deal with to let them know.

7. Never drop items on the ground unless you are willing to LOSE them. If you have problems with the trade window re-log and get the trader to do the same. If they wont re-log or say it still does not work WALK AWAY.

8. Always make sure they have insurance don’t hand over items for nothing. If you are offered a great deal it may be genuine but they should be prepared to give some sort of insurance.

9. If a deal sounds to good to be true it normally is. Repairing items for free, giving empty implants for cheap skill transplants.

10. Ask for referrals from other avatars ppl that can vouch for them. Well known avatars vouching are much better then a list of ppl you may never have heard of (Again they may be legit and just giving you names that you don’t know but be careful). Before making that big purchase find info about the avatar ask questions here, or ask your friends if they know them.

11. Use scanners when dealing with skills the higher the skills the less chance of being a scammer ( This is not always the case but many scammers will not use their good avatar for scamming they use a newer avatar and scammers with multiple accounts will often have multiple low skills avatars.)This is not to say ppl with low skill lvls are scammers. If a scammer was to use a highly skilled avatar they risk losing their avatar and all their items, skills everything

12. Know the market price of an item before selling it look about ask questions. One of the biggest scams for new comers is the mis-understanding of the trade terminal values and end up being heavily underpaid for items and not even knowing it. So if you see someone offering to buy for very low price let everyone there know they can get more money if they hold on to it and maybe the price an example would be of sweat someone at Camp Phoenix was trying to buy sweat at 1pec per bottle now since 7.4 sweat is selling at over 2pec per bottle (I have seen 2.5max) 1 pec is well under priced. So I shouted out SWEAT SELLS FOR 2.0-2.5 DON’T SELL FOR LESS. You get the idea, I have heard of rumours of new comers being scammed out of shadow armour this way.

13. Ask questions find out how long they have been playing if you can use a scanner to confirm scammers will sometimes say they have been playing longer then their stats suggest. Be Cautious

14. If something seems to low or high ask the audience  many other ppl will be happy to help confirm or deny.

15. Sometime it can be worth adding the trader as a friend not always needed on small purchases but if they are legit and a regular trader it can be useful to be able to get hold of items again or if you are scammed see when they are online

16. Always check the final trade window *ALWAYS* I cannot stress this enough if the trader hits clear just before you accept then it will bring up this screen to finalise the deal, dont jump to the accept button check to see that what they offered you has been given, if not its not to late to hit exit. They shouldnt be able to hit accept after you have done so because this cancels your accept so it can be could practise to offer the money first and press accept if they remove or add items it cancels and you have to accept again.

17. Friend scammers, there are people out there who will befriend you only to then run off with any items that you may have lent them. It has been known to happen so please be very carefull when lending items out and only do so to people that you CAN trust, and maybe even then think twice before lending them that all important starkov or fap-50 so that they can heal you.

18. Team scammers these ppl will ask to team up with you and set the team options to work in there favour such as all items to captain or equal item/currency distribution and then they will go with you hunting, but rather then hit the mob they try to run round looking busy. Best method for this is when you join a team check the distribution of loot out(by clicking the create team action)if something appears dodgy quit the team or get them to change it. This can either be by using a small dmg weapon running after other mobs or just following you with their gun at the ready but then actually never firing it.

a big thanks to goldpython who reported this

19. Limited Items, weapons, blueprints
This is often found in the auction, limited items as some of you may know can only be used a number of times these cannot be repaired, so if you buy these from the auction they may only have a few uses left on them, an example of this can be the blueprints (L) which have one attempt left on them. After these items fall below minimum level they are unuaseble and you cant drop them. Of course some people want (L)weapons or items for show so you can pick up a cheap mantlepiece (L)item for show only just dont pay over the top for it.

20. Crafted Items, weapons Armours
Some people will claim that they can craft you an item if you bring them the resources, this can be tools, weapons, armouor or even colouring an item you have. People claiming they will craft you Ghost if you bring them the items are more then likely scammers.
Now there are alot of people who do these professions as a trade and some will post here at EF or at EP forum but only go to someone you know or is well established. And remember if unsure walk away

21. Refining Items
Some scammers have been know to try this, they will offer a service where they will refine your materials for you, after getting the goods they dissappear never to be seen again. Refiners are not expensive so buy your own or sell the resources un-refined, allthough you may sometimes get less for unrefined resources. One of the benefits of refining them is they weigh less afterwards so for miners they can help reduce the weight being carried.
Any thoughts or changes on it are more then welcome as I want to try and help prevent scamming from occurring in PE so let others know about this guide  or just tell them the relevant stuff.

22.Undressed, Orange Traders
Because many scammers use newer avatars they are often only wearing standard orange clothes, or nothing except boxers, nickers & bra. Therefore with bigger deals you should be carefull when trading these type of people, now because Orange is n00b colour many many people will be wearing it and some of these will be inexperienced, so if you come across one inform them that what they are doing is known to be a scam, if they stop it is likely due to inexperience on their behalf if not then it is likely that they know what they are doing and are aiming to scam the inexperienced players. So be carefull when trading orange, or undressed avatars. And especially with those female types that try to charm you out of equipment
Thanks to MrProper for this

edit, not all orange wearing avatars are scammers the better ones will be dressed to blend in ok they are not likely to have a master coat, but expect to see some dressed in clothes other then orange dress code.

23. Gold Card
Buy a GOLD CARD, this prevents people accessing your ingame equipment, if they can get your login details they can check you inventory by logging
on the client loader and checking there, but they wont be able to log in without the gold card code. (It is claimed that it is possible to crack this code but no one has yet claimed they can and more importantly no avatar that has a gold card has reported hacking scams.

24. Login Details
When creating a username for PE do not use your real name or your avatars name, use something which is obscure but one that you will rember, usernames are CasE sEnsitivE so usiing capitals in your password can help prevent someone from guessing your username. Ok a key logger would defeat this and they would still get your details but avg joe blogs will have a harder time guessing log in details of your avatar.
Password should also contain CaPPs and numbers in and not just your surname with a 7 after them, take time to think about theses because not only will you have to remeber these but you dont want other people guessing or trying to access your account.

<_________________________________________________ ____________>

For types of scams and more advice about what to do see ‘Sharpshot’s anti scam guide’ can be accesessed from the post above including the original guide

Scamming, Together We Will Stop It

Regards and hope this helps
Rotten Ice

I was browsing this morning and found this in my MindArk folder this is not mine but Ill add it here as if its taken me over a year to notice it then maybe some of you dont know its there either and it gives a place to apaparently report scamming (even if the file is 3 years old)

<----------------------------------------------------------------------->
PROJECT ENTROPIA
SCAM PREVENTION POLICY
2003-06-16

Due to the diversity of human nature, not all participants in Project Entropia will be honest, upstanding citizens. Just like in real life, the virtual universe will be home to unscrupulous people looking to scam others out of their hard-earned possessions. MindArk PE AB ("MindArk") does not support or condone this exploitative behaviour inside Project Entropia. However, if one is 'scammed' out of goods or funds, MindArk is in no way responsible for the outcome. The company cannot and will not return items lost in a scam. The loss is your own responsibility.

If a Project Entropia participant reports another user as a 'scammer', MindArk will investigate and determine if any action needs to be taken. Each case is different and will be treated as such. One means of disciplinary action is a warning for the behaviour to cease. If the behaviour persists, the user risks suspension of his or her account or permanent expulsion from Project Entropia.


ADVICE

Be cautious and always be wary of people offering deals that seem too good to be true because they usually are!

Always investigate the market to see if the suggested price is reasonable. People will use all kind of arguments why a certain price is the correct one, or why a certain piece of equipment is the best there is.

Do not trust anyone unless you know the participant personally.

If someone attempts to sell you many items and you cannot see them, they are probably not even there.

If you want to make a purchase, buy items one piece at a time.

Always remember to right-click on the offered items to view their individual data.

If you have a valuable item that someone requests to see, do not just show it willingly. Place it in the trade window instead. This allows both parties to view it. But do not hit the 'ACCEPT' button. If the other user says he or she cannot see it or get the information about it, it is likely to be 'scammer' at work.

Do not listen to 'hard luck cases'. Scam-artists will say or do almost anything to get your items from you.

If you kill a creature that was close to death and then loot it, do not give up the loot to someone claiming it as theirs. The user who does the most damage has the right to loot the kill.

Think a deal through, as all trades are final.


REMEMBER THAT MINDARK WILL NOT RETURN ITEMS LOST TO YOU IN A SCAM, SO PROTECT YOURSELF!


CONTACT INFORMATION

If you want to report a 'scam', please email Mindark staff at:
abuse@project-entropia.com
<----------------------------------------------------------------------->
This link may not work anymore?? it is over 3 years old but if not a support ticket is the equivalant.


Also found today another scam prevention guide by Sir Odd some great info and doesnt take aslong to read as these do
http://www.entropiaforum.com/forums/...897#post228897

The scam prevention guide at entropiauniverse.com
http://www.entropiauniverse.com/en/rich/5307.html

[DarkAngel]

Good work. Make sure you tell us when you consider it complete. Maybe MB will sticky it. Rep added.

[rotten ice]

please add comments and let me know what you think of this or post any other tips you would like to see added to the guide

[y2ksw]

Another typical scam is performed on trading many items at a single time, for example 20k sweat. Even though it is annoying to repeat the procedure 10 times for 20 full bottles, I reccomend to do this with unknown people.

It may happen involontarily to anybody, even me, to miss a single item, but usually non-scammers are willing to re-trade to add the missing items, or recall their customer once they've found out about the error.

[goldpython]

I had what I think is a scam (a small one) run on me last night:

Player asked if I wanted to hunt. Then wanted to borrow a weapon. I declined. They went and bought a pistol.

Went to the location. They formed a team. I joined. They asked to borrow a PED. I declined. (I should've gotten the message at this point)

Proceeded to hunt. After about the 3rd or 4th kill, I realized they hadn't fired a shot and was just running around looking busy.

I politely said I had to go and did so.

Sure it wasn't much loot, something like 1.5 ped split two ways, made in about 10 minutes, but it could have been more.

The principle of the skam was there, I think: Fake participating in the hunt and get a share in the loot while others spend money on ammo and decay.

It was time to log off anyway, and I felt pretty aggravated by then.

[goldpython]

Originally Posted by rotten ice

please add comments and let me know what you think of this or post any other tips you would like to see added to the guide

I like your guides BTW. Nice writeup.

[JackFree]

Excellent!

I'm sure that I and many other newbies will profit from your efforts. Thanks!

Cheers

[Tina]

Originally Posted by goldpython

I had what I think is a scam (a small one) run on me last night:

Player asked if I wanted to hunt. Then wanted to borrow a weapon. I declined. They went and bought a pistol.

Went to the location. They formed a team. I joined. They asked to borrow a PED. I declined. (I should've gotten the message at this point)

Proceeded to hunt. After about the 3rd or 4th kill, I realized they hadn't fired a shot and was just running around looking busy.

I politely said I had to go and did so.

Sure it wasn't much loot, something like 1.5 ped split two ways, made in about 10 minutes, but it could have been more.

The principle of the skam was there, I think: Fake participating in the hunt and get a share in the loot while others spend money on ammo and decay.

It was time to log off anyway, and I felt pretty aggravated by then.

Heh, might not have even had ammo..

Can't blame you getting annoyed... had a little team near fort Troy a few nights back... three of the members were just sweating while the rest of us were shooting, but the loot (what there was) was shared... I quit that one quickly!

[Puntmonkey]

you list all of the settler bps as purchasable


where?