Inside Scoop on In-Game Scamming
Posted on | November 2, 2009 | No Comments
Even though it’s a little outside my field of expertise, I’ve decided to publish this round-up of different scams WoW gamers encounter on a regular basis.
For out-of-game scams, please refer to MMO Scams: How You Avoid Them.
The Quick Item Switch
In this scam, the perp will offer to sell you an item for a very reasonable price. He initiates the trade by opening a trade window and putting the item in question into it. Then, just as you are typing in the agreed price, he will switch the item out with another - typically crappy – item that coincidentally uses the same icon. The scammer relies on you being completely doomstruck by the amazing deal you think you’re making, thus paying little attention to what’s actually going on.
How do you avoid it?
Stay alert. Don’t be in a hurry to confirm the trade.
Make double checking the item a habit. A few seconds to save you from a whole lot of heartache.
Remember the ever recurring phrase on YourAccountSeller.com: There’s no such thing as a free lunch. If the offer seems to good to be true: It probably is.
Avoid trading with low level characters. Some people do have bank characters, so it’s not a general rule.
The Crafter Scam
The scammer offers to craft an item for you. All you need to bring is the materials. Often the scammer will offer crafting the said item with no fee, thereby differentiating himself from the competition. After you give them the materials, the fake crafter will either log off or just ignore you. Either way, you’re screwed. I’ve heard some cases where people got their items back, but why not avoid the situation all together instead?
How do you avoid it?
- Blizzard recently made this scam harder, as scammers can no longer pretend to have a certain profession. Players are now able to demand proof from the crafter, to make sure he has the profession he claims to have and is able to craft the item in question. Still, some players remain clouded by the tempting lure of a great bargain. So please demand the crafter link you the craft, before you pass over the materials.
- Some addons exist which can manipulate and otherwise circumvent the profession linking structure, so please stay on your toes, even if a crafter seems able to craft the item.
The Auction House Price Scam
This scam is quite popular. The scam usually involves putting a common item in the Auction House for a decent bid but with an outrageous buyout price. The scammer makes sure the item is placed in the middle of the list by setting a low bid relative to the competition. The scam works best with items players usually buy in large quantities, thus paying little attention to the price they’re paying. Items such as leather; cloth; ores or gems.
How do you avoid it?
- Don’t go into zombie-mode when you’re using the Auction House. Pay a little attention to each specific buyout price, and this scam is easily avoided. I know from a credible source that, sadly, there’s quite a bit of coins to be made from this scam.
The False Advertising Scam
Some scams come in a more subtle shape, such as this one. It’s borderline, because it’s so hard to combat. The scammer in this case is a crafter. Let’s say a leather worker. He crafts a random item (often blue/epic) and puts it on the Auction House at 35G buyout. Our devious crafter then creates a number of alts, all of which are strategically placed in major cities. He then starts typing in the trade channel, announcing his eagerness to buy the earlier mentioned item at 55G. It takes a little time, but sometimes a player will see this as a business opportunity and buy the item for 35G, hoping to make 20G profit.
How do you avoid it?
- Don’t speculate unless you’ve done your homework. If you know for a fact you won’t be able to sell it for more, then don’t buy it.
- Check out who’s offering to buy. If it’s a low level alt, it’s most likely the crafter himself.
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