Scammer 101: Prevention is Better than Cure
Level Up! Strategy Guide/Article Category Winning Article – October 2008 Winner
by: Father ~*Kurama*~

To the loyal gentry of Midgard:

Greetings and salutations!

Today I’ve been awakened by the calling of the Holy Order to preach about the notorious hostile unit called SCAMMERS. */e1*

Evil is everywhere, mind you, whether in the crowded streets of Prontera, the woodlands of Payon and yes, probably the novice beside you is infected as well. */gg* They are more prevalent in these areas than in the infamous city of Morroc known for their thieves.

Scammers employ deceit and lies to obtain what they want. It could be anything; from the zennies in your pocket, your mocking muffler, upgraded items, warp service and even the dispensable items that you own.

It is not easy to spot a scammer. They are far better in hiding and cloaking than the legendary assassins that we know. They walk amongst us and take the form of most any job. We know not how these beings came to be *probably brought about by some psychological trauma*. Nevertheless, they are prevalent and unstoppable. So here are some of the traits to give you a hint if you’re face-to-face with a real scammer.

*DEALERS
There are quite a lot of these. Merchants aren’t the only ones good at bargaining. “Over-pricing” is a common kind of scam. Though in some ways acceptable, be wary that anything in excess is harmful. Another kind of scam is the “Buy and Sell”. Often, one person is buying a particular item at a high price. Another person close to the buyer sells the same item at a lower price. Tendency is you’ll be tempted to buy it then sell for a higher price. Once sold to you, the supposed-to-be buyer would suddenly disappear. Dealers with “False Items”, on the other hand, are persons who trade items contrary to what is posted on their pub. They claim to sell a slotted item but tend to trade a non-slotted one. Others trade an item with a different compounded card than the one they promised. Lastly, and definitely not supported by the Midgard authorities, the “Load/Php Scam”. It is a no-no to trade zennies or items for real-life load or currency. Often than not, these are scams. Commonly, scammers use novices or first jobs for if reported, it is okay to give up the characters and move on with their true identities. Refrain from dealing with such persons for you are only encouraging them to continue the deed. Same with those who ask for zeny… It is okay to give some but then again, you encourage these people to ask instead of work for it.

*SERVICE OFFERS
Sadly, some of my own brothers and sisters are also infected by evil. Acolytes/Priests warp another person in exchange for a certain amount of zeny. But instead of warping them to the right place, they warp the person to another place *more likely uninhabited* and get them killed losing 5% of their experience. Bad, bad, bad. Boosters and Fake Party organizers also belong to this group. They promise to boost/organize party in exchange for zennies but once paid, they fade into nothingness.

Words of Wisdom: Be a picky buyer. Inspect and re-inspect the items that you wish to buy. Be wary of the people that you deal with. For security purposes, the screenshot option is available and not only used for saving fond pictures and wallpapers. xD Always use this feature when dealing with persons you are not familiar with. It will be a great help to the Midgard authorities if the number of scams are reduced to a minimal scale so better polish your critical thinking skills. Lastly, remember the golden rule.

With that, I continue my journey for future callings.

*ctrl+3*

**The opinions and viewpoints published in this article are not necessarily those of Level Up! Inc, its games and its licensed products or services.

This entry was posted on Friday, November 14th, 2008 at 9:42 am and is filed under Community. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.