How to Guide: Protect Yourself From Scammers

mbaker540

I've noticed a lot of people lately have been reporting on the forums that they've been victims of scams. I wanted to create a friendly guide to teach people how to avoid being scammed and steps you can take after being scammed.

First off I want to make it clear that I in no way shape or form condone Naming and Shaming. This guide is meant to be informative tool used to educate.

So first off what is scamming?

noun
1.
a confidence game or other fraudulent scheme, especially for making a quick profit; swindle.

verb (used with object), scammed, scamming.
2.
to cheat or defraud with a scam.

Reference: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/scam

To clarify with a common situation:

Player 1: Buying a Vampire Bite for 15,000 gold!
Scammer: I'll bite you, but I want the gold up front.
Player 2: I'll give you 20,000 gold up front.
Scammer: Okay, trade me now
Player 2:(Trades 20,000 gold to the scammer)
Scammer:(Logs off)

This is the most common scam in TESO.

This is called trust trading. Trust trading can be very rewarding if the player is honest, but that sadly isn't always the case. So we are going to move onto our next point.

Buyer Beware!

1. Don't trust strangers! (This is something you should know)
2. Ask for proof! I know for a fact on the Xbox One you can have someone take a screenshot and post it to their feed so you can see if they truly have a bite available.
3. Don't pay for the service until it is complete. (This works for real life and in game) PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU PAY OR YOU ARE NOW THE SCAMMER!

What do if I do if this happens to me?

1. Report the player via the in game report system!
2. If you are on console you can also report via Sony and Microsoft
3. Teach other players how to protect themselves

This is a short and informative guide and I hope that everyone learns from this. The take away from this is to not feel bad, but t realize that you can take steps to protect yourself. If more people were to refuse to fall prey and not shell out gold there would not be scammers, but unfortunately there are good trusting people out there whose game experience is forever changed by the bad apples.

I hope I have helped at least 1 person with this guide.

sirhellraiser

really wow

Lord_Draevan

Screenshot is your friend. If you're recording, even better. Report to ZOS, get your gold back, maybe the guy gets banned (not sure on that, but it'd make sense), and a life lesson is learned [snip].

[Moderator Note: Edited per our rules on Profanity]

LegionIsAll

It takes a special kind of sorry to scam someone . I haven't fell victim to it and never will. [EDIT]

[Moderator Note: Edited per our rules on Flaming]

Nestor

Best way to get a bite if your in a hurry is to join a Vampire or Werewolf Guild. Not saying that being in a guild makes you all of sudden a saint. But, there is some vetting of the members, and guild leaders do kick problem players so people tend to not crap on their guilds, for the most part.

OzJohnD

Best way to get a bite is get on with playing the game and not expect it .... then expect the unexpected





There are plenty of players willing to provide the gifts for free ... a fool and his money is soon parted

Violynne

That's a good tip and all, but here's a better one: stop being selfish and just play the game.

Most of these requests come from people who want the best armor, best mount, and best perks the second they start the game.

This is going to sound cold, but I rather enjoy reading of a level 12 player being scammed. There's a sense of poetic justice for their selfishness.

rb2001

Solution: Stop buying vamp bites because it's beyond ridiculous in the first place.