Subject:  Scam Prevention **everyone should read** |
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Darkstone News
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Date Posted: Thu, Jul 25 2002, 01:12pm
Latest advice on....
SCAM PREVENTION
At some point in time, it's possible that in UO, just as in real life, someone will try to scam you out of your hard-earned possessions. A Game Master (GM) will be able to assist you if game mechanics were exploited to allow the scam, but we cannot be held responsible when one player attempts to take advantage of another through legal means. The purpose of this document is to provide clear definitions of what constitutes a scam, as well as ways that players can keep their belongings safe.
We’ve divided this guide into two sections:
FAQ -- Answers to a few common questions regarding scams.
Tips -- Information on what you can do to avoid being scammed.
FAQ
What constitutes a scam?
A scam is the act of acquiring item(s) from another player through misinformation, confusion and pressure, or by taking advantage of basic trust. A GM will not be able to intervene in such instances.
What constitutes an exploit?
An exploit is defined as intentionally bypassing normal game mechanics through a bug or other loophole in order to gain an unfair advantage.
What if I can’t tell the difference?
If you are in doubt as to whether you have fallen victim to a scam or an exploit, a GM can help clarify this. Essentially, though, the responsibility to keep yourself safe from scamming lies squarely upon your shoulders. Common sense, knowledge, and caution are always good in any trade situation. Please read through the sections below in order to ensure that you only part with the items you wish to.
Ultimately, if the other trader is rushing you and is not willing to do simple things to prove the legitimacy of the deal (i.e. rename a pet, take an item out of a bag in the trade window, or let you in a house to check the coordinates), or even if you simply feel that something is amiss: drop the deal. There are many more houses, items, and pets available. This person may be hoping to scam you.
What if I have been the victim of an exploit?
GMs can sometimes return items that have been lost as a result of an exploit. Please refer to the "How can I prepare myself to combat exploiters?" section of this page for more information on what you should do if you're ever the victim of an exploit.
Is there a safe way to trade accounts?
Origin Systems provides a service to securely transfer an account from one customer to another. This Secure Account Access Transfer System is the only safe method to transfer an account, and also gives amnesty on previous marks against that account’s records. You can find information on this service at http://www.uo.com/acct_xfer.html.
Is this a complete listing of every possible scam?
This is only a collection of guidelines on how to conduct safer trades, as there are far too many ways to be scammed to list them all in just one document. However, the knowledge from this guide, coupled with a fair bit of common sense and caution, should help prevent most scams from occurring.
TIPS
How to Protect Yourself from Being Scammed
Use a secure trade window for player-to-player trades, rather than using your vendor for a quick trade.
If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
Display trust in moderation.
Be cautious in the alliances you make.
Try to conduct trades in Trammel.
Take note of the name of the player you are trading with.
Use bank checks instead of gold.
Keep blessed items in the top level of your pack (not in a container).
Do not conduct a trade outside of a guard zone.
Make sure no one else is around while adjusting your vendor's goods
Be careful not to become overloaded
Do not hold items for other players during trades.
Make sure you are talking to the correct person.
Be cautious about "proof".
Be wary of low karma titles.
Avoid cross-shard trades.
Be cautious when buying items outside the game.
Limit the information you give to others.
In-game Options for Specific Types of Trades
Bulk Resource Trades
Blacksmith repairs
Pet and Ethereal Mount Transfers
House Transfers
How can I prepare myself to combat exploiters?
Remember as many details as possible regarding the trade.
Page harassment as soon as you realize there has been an exploit.
Account hacking
Avoid Trojans
Avoid downloading third-party programs
Make sure you’re at the real UO.com site
Do not respond to mails asking for your account information
HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF FROM BEING SCAMMED
Use a secure trade window for player-to-player trades, rather than using your vendor for a quick trade.
- Take time to check the items in the window to make sure you're getting exactly what you're expecting to get.
- Use an ID wand, or the Item Identification skill, and examine each item.
- Use the Arms Lore skill on armor & weapons to be sure that the item is in good repair.
- Most of the time, there is no reason why an item needs to be placed in a bag for a trade. Ask the seller to take the item out of the bag so you can see it in the trade window.
- Always be positive you have ample room in your backpack for all items involved in the trade. Both weight and item count can become a problem during a trade and cause one side or both to not receive what is expected.
- Many scams can be avoided by paying close attention to how the item highlights under the cursor. Some items even display unique text when clicked on in a trade window. For example, an ethereal mount will indicate that it is clearly an ethereal statuette, and a pet will show the [tame] tag right in the trade window.
If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is
Though this may seem obvious, this old adage is as true in regards to Ultima Online as in real life. People usually have their own self interests in mind, and if they are offering you an amazing deal, it is good practice to question their motives.
Display trust in moderation
If the person you are trading with suggests you do something that involves trust, it may be an indication something is amiss. There are many methods of transferring items in-game, and there are many, many other players who are willing to trade the same items with you without requiring you to trust them. If at any point you feel uncomfortable, even if you are not sure why, you will lose nothing by walking away.
Be cautious in the alliances you make
When you join a guild, you are placing your character’s life into your guildmates’ hands. While it can be very fulfilling to be a part of an in-game, player-run organization, perils are just as common. It is perfectly legal for one guildmate to kill another, and there will be no repercussions from GMs to those who abuse this trust.
Also, make sure that when you join a party, you toggle "party loot" off if you do not have complete trust in your allies.
Do not join guilds or allow party members to loot you upon death on the spur of the moment. Spend a little time with these new friends; you will soon learn whether they have friendship or mischief on their minds.
Try to conduct trades in Trammel
In the Trammel facet, players cannot be freely stolen from or attacked by other players. If someone refuses to conduct a trade in Trammel, it is possible they may have malicious intentions.
When trading in Felucca, do not enter the private home of someone you do not know. When you enter a private house that is not yours, you will turn grey (attackable in Felucca) to the owner, even though you will remain blue to yourself and everyone else. Do not be lured into houses by others that may intend you harm.
Take note of the name of the player you are trading with
It is important to take note of the name of the character you are trading with, as you never know when you will need to recall such information either for your own personal records, or to assist an investigation into that character. You can look up a character using the MyUO character search option located at http://my.uo.com/char_search.html. It’s always a good idea to bookmark that page for future reference.
*** NOTE: If the character doesn't appear in a MyUO character search, it may be because it is a new character (it takes a day or two for characters to appear in MyUO) or someone using a disguise kit. This should raise a "red flag" of caution when trading. Many scammers create new characters (with extremely common names) for their scams, and delete those characters 7 days after creation in an attempt to make it more difficult to track the perpetrator of the scam. ***
Use bank checks instead of gold
ALWAYS use bank checks for transfers instead of gold. Checks cannot be stolen and weigh virtually nothing. To create a check, walk up to a banker and say “check .” As long as the gold amount is available in your bank box, it will be removed and a check will be placed for that amount in its place.
Keep blessed items in the top level of your pack
Newbie items and blessed items cannot be looted or stolen; however, bags can be. If you place your newbie items or blessed items in a bag, someone can simply nab the bag through the use of the stealing skill, taking your blessed items with it! Keep these items in the top level of your pack (the main backpack window) and they'll stay safe.
Do not conduct a trade outside of a guard zone
If someone opens a gate in order to take you to a house that they are "giving to you for free," be cautious. Do not carry any rare items to trade, or valuables other than checks or newbified/blessed items (in your main backpack) outside of guard protection. For example, if you are trading rare items for a house, you and the house owner should agree on a gold amount first and then trade the rare items for a check in the agreed upon amount. You can then carry that check to the house.
Make sure no one else is around while adjusting your vendor's inventory
It is not a good idea to arrange your vendor’s items when other players are around, as there are many ways they can take advantage of this. The Detect Hidden skill (not the spell, but the skill) works 100% of the time in your house, or a house that you are co-owned/friended to, even if your skill in Detect Hidden is only at 0.0. If you are stocking vendors, always use detect hidden first to make sure there are no unwelcome guests waiting to take advantage of you. Tracking is also a good skill to use before unlocking precious items. This will help you find hidden players, monsters, or animals that may be lurking nearby.
Make a text macro to make unlocking or locking down items a faster process, and use these text macros every time you lock or unlock items in your house. Good habits will prevent nasty surprises!
Be careful not to become overloaded
If you are severely overloaded (trying to carry over 125 items, or total items weighing over 390 stones in your backpack), you can end up with goods falling out of your pack and to your feet – and this includes blessed items. Gravity isn't picky as to what’s blessed and what’s not! If you log out while overloaded, you could come back to find that some of your items fell out of your pack and were either picked up by other players or decayed. GMs will not replace items that fell due to being overloaded, so watch how much you try to carry.
Do not hold items for other players during trades
If someone asks you to hold an item for them during a trade, they may be trying to scam you. Watch your item weight and factor in the new items you will be receiving.
Make sure you are talking to the correct person
There is no unique character naming in Ultima Online. Thus, more than one character can share the same name. Certain players will attempt to use another’s good name to net themselves a profit. Beware of trusting someone simply because you think you know them or of them.
Be cautious about "proof"
Don't accept ICQ logs, screenshots, and similar out-of-game evidence as proof of someone's honesty. These things are too easily falsified or inaccurate.
Be wary of low karma titles
Players with low karma can be that way for a reason; they may not be the most honorable of people. While this obviously does not always hold true, one should be especially cautious when dealing with a player with a title such as "The Notorious" or "The Scoundrel."
Avoid cross-shard trades
OSI and its representatives will not become involved in any way with cross-shard trades. Ultima Online supports several means for securely trading items within a shard, but any trades that players seek to accomplish across shards are done at their own risk, meaning that OSI will not assist in these trades or investigate scams as a result of cross-shard trades.
Be cautious when buying outside the game
If you are scammed outside the UO game system, such as through eBay, Tradespot, or another auction site, this is a legal issue and not an in-game issue. Players shouldn't page or e-mail GMs or other OSI staff with information or complaints about this type of fraud. If you wish to pursue fraud charges, please contact your local police; we will release relevant information only to law enforcement officials.
Limit the information you give to others
Never share your username and password with anyone, for any reason. No matter how strong you feel your online relationship has grown with someone, they may use it themselves or give it to someone else unintentionally, or even on purpose. When you give your account information away, all the information associated with that account is subject to being lost. Beyond that, personal information such as an e-mail address, real name, and birth date that can be linked to you and your account could fall into the wrong hands. This also applies to providing personal information to questionable websites and friends over third party chat programs (It’s a good idea to keep any personal information out of your chat program’s profile as well).
IN-GAME OPTIONS FOR SPECIFIC TYPES OF TRADES
Bulk Resource Trades
The standard trade window does not accommodate large numbers of items in the trade window, so a player might request that you simply put the items on the ground to make the trade in one transaction. DO NOT DO THIS. As soon as a trade involves setting something on the ground, you are essentially throwing your items away.
UO features a system for trading bulk commodities securely - use it! Purchase a "commodity deed" from an NPC banker, and fill it by double-clicking the deed, then targeting the item you wish to trade. Complete details on commodity deeds can be found in the Game Wizard at http://support.uo.com under "What is a Commodity Deed and how do I use it?" and can be accessed by performing a search for "commodity." Below is how a trade for a commodity deed containing 5,000 shadow iron ingots should look after single-clicking the deed in the trade window:
Blacksmith repairs
This one is a matter of good judgment in picking a smith. If you are not familiar with a smith, don't assume that the character offering to fix your armor is a smith, no matter what he says or wears. Handing your armor over to the wrong person to repair can leave you naked in no time!
To eliminate the guesswork and possibility of being scammed, players are strongly advised to use "Repair Service Contracts" when soliciting repairs on their armor or weapons. These contracts can be bought from any blacksmith that has a blacksmithing skill of at least 50. Each contract can be used to repair one piece of armor or a single weapon. You can find more information on repair service contracts in the Game Wizard at http://support.uo.com under "What is a Repair Service Contract" and "How do I use a Repair Service Contract?" and can be accessed by performing a search for "repair." Below is how a trade for a grandmaster-made repair service contract should look after single-clicking the deed (Note the skill level of the blacksmith is displayed on the deed) in the trade window:
Pet and Ethereal Mount Transfers
Ok, so you want to buy a Nightmare. Have the seller rename the pet to a name of your choosing -- let's say you ask for the new name to be "Mary." Then, standing in a clear area, right before the trade, have him say, "Mary follow me." This should clarify that the pet you have in sight is the only pet he is transferring to you. Please feed your new pet right away. Below is how a trade for a horse should look after single-clicking the horse statue in the trade window:
In contrast, below is how a trade for an ethereal horse should look after single-clicking the horse statue in the trade window:
House Transfers
When buying a house, your best friend is the sextant, which you can buy from any NPC Tinker. When the house deed appears in the trade window (it will look like a blank scroll), it will bark the owner, location, and name of the house; you may click once on it to refresh this information. These coordinates will correspond to the area directly in the center of the house. So before you make the trade, stand under the sign and write down these coordinates for comparison. Both the buyer and seller must be within two paces of the house sign in order to initiate the trade. If the scroll in the trade window does not have this information, or does not match the information that it should, do NOT go through with the purchase. Below is how a trade for a house should look after single-clicking the house scroll in the trade window:
HOW CAN I PREPARE MYSELF TO COMBAT EXPLOITERS?
Remember as many details as possible regarding the trade
In order to investigate exploiters, it is important to have as much information as possible. Remember such details as what item(s) you were trading and what you were supposed to receive in return. Also, if anything seemed odd about the deal, it would be a good idea to note those details as well. Even seemingly insignificant details could help GMs to determine the nature of the exploit.
Page harassment as soon as you realize there has been an exploit
It is always important to page into the GM queue with the correct description of your problem. However, when you page harassment, a copy of your most recent journal log is sent to the GMs, which can assist in catching an exploiter by using whatever they may have said against them. To maximize response time for a harassment call, it is a good idea to include in your page the name of the exploiter, the fact that you were exploited, and a brief description of the trade.
For example: "Merlin just exploited me to steal my house."
NOTE: Do not attempt to perform an exploit yourself. Beyond being illegal, some players may tell you about an exploit they found and encourage you to use it. Many times they are attempting to swindle you out of your hard-earned goods. This situation is a special case, as not only will the item not be returned to you, action may also be taken against your account for attempting to use an exploit.
ACCOUNT HACKING
Avoid Trojans
Trojans are the easiest way for hackers to gain entry into your system and abscond with your personal information. Trojans sneak into your system by being attached to other files you download from the Internet. It is important to routinely scan your computer with the most recently updated virus scanner. However, the best defense against such Trojans is to not download any software or files from any website or fansite other than the UO.com website itself. Third party programs are illegal, and the only approved UO-related downloads are available at http://support.uo.com/uopro.html.
Avoid downloading third-party programs
Not only are most of them illegal to use with Ultima Online, but a large percentage of them are simply bait to get you to download a virus or Trojan. Playing with illegal third party programs is playing with fire.
Make sure you’re at the real UO.com site
Do not enter your account information at any site other than the official UO.com site. Even if it looks like the UO.com site, be sure to check the URL to make sure that the beginning says "http://www.uo.com". Some hackers have resorted to creating pages that look like the UO.com site, and then directing people to go there through links to "change their account information." When a player enters their information there, it goes directly to the would-be hacker.
Bottom line: don’t go to the account registration page through a link on a third partty site or email from anyone you don’t know. If you’re even the slightest bit unsure, just go to the UO.com homepage at http://www.uo.com and follow the navigation links to Account Support.
Do not respond to mails asking for your account information
There are always scams around where someone sends out an email supposedly from UO Account Support telling you your account has been compromised, and asking you to send in your user name and password so that it can be changed for your protection.
THIS IS NOT US! We will never, NEVER mail you asking you for your password – for any reason. This is a scam.
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