Guide on how to avoid being Scammed *Latest Scam Techniques* + B&S in the Black Mkt.

Created By:
Nickslk92

Reference pages: http://www.sythe.org/showthread.php?t=148066

Special Thanks To:
Unknown (Reference)

Found an issue with my guide? Have a question or concern?
Please contact me regarding these issues VIA private message. Don't hesitate to ask a question! I'd be more than happy to try my best to fulfill your request.

About​

Hello fellow members! This is basically an update to the old Black Market Guide, as it is old and outdated. Since then things have changed throughout RuneScape. This is an informative guide for those who are new and those who’d like to be safe whilst training. There are many deadbeat scammers out there and this guide is made to inform those who aren’t that experienced with the past updates or those newcomers to the Black Market on how to avoid scammers.

Introduction​

Afraid you’re going to get scammed? Be afraid no more. I’ve been scammed multiple times by a number of cruel people that don’t care about those who are actually looking for a reliable salesperson or buyer. With my guide you’ll be informed of the latest techniques that scammers use to scam others. Regardless of the number of scammers lurking around on Sythe and other websites, with my guide you’ll be acknowledged of how to outsmart those careless scammers without them outsmarting you first.

Useful Links

How to Unset Your Recovery Questions
http://www.gameolosophy.com/Games/Online/RuneScape/Unset-Your-Recoveries.38185

User Services
http://www.sythe.org/forumdisplay.php?f=286

Report a Scammer
http://www.sythe.org/forumdisplay.php?f=253

Sythe Scam Center
http://sythe.mdvhosting.com/scam/index.php?id=imposter

Easy way to take Screenshots
http://sythe.org/showthread.php?t=257686

Report a Scammer Rules
http://sythe.org/showthread.php?t=207211

_________________________________________________________

Outsmarting a Scammer

There are scammers every where, actually the majority of people registered here on Sythe are scammers. Here are tips on how to avoid them.

Purchasing inside of the Black Market​

Always check their e-mail address

If you’re negotiating with the buyer or seller on MSN always check their e-mail address, whether or not you trust them you must always check. Let’s say we have someone claiming that they’re an official middleman, administrator, moderator, or a highly respected and trusted member of Sythe and they’re selling you an account. When you’re in the MSN chat with the salesperson always compare his/her e-mail address that’s specified inside of their profile or inside of a topic. You compare them and you notice that they’re the same but they’re probably trying to fool you. Whilst in the conversation chat on MSN look under their name and you’ll see the salesperson’s comment. If you notice that there are three period or dot marks at the end of their comment that means that the salesperson’s comment is ongoing. I’m going to use a salesperson that scammed me not too long ago as an example.

In the photo it appears as if his e-mail is [email protected], right? You could be wrong. Click on his comment and drag your mouse to the right whilst clicking. His e-mail is [email protected] instead of [email protected].

See the difference? Yes, he’s definitely a scammer because he’s ‘claiming’ to be Shredderbeam whilst his MSN e-mail is different from the one Shredderbeam specified inside of his profile. This is a common way of how scammers work.

Photo Caption: You can obviously see that he’s ‘pretending’ to be an official middleman by editing their comment to make it look like as if they were who they’re claiming to be.​

Always ask the salesperson or buyer to send you a private message on Sythe before you do the transaction!

You must ask the salesperson or buyer to send you a private message before even thinking of beginning the transaction. If they’re claiming to be an official middleman, administrator, moderator, a highly respected or trusted member, or even a new or normal member of Sythe you must ask them to send them a message through Sythe to confirm their username. A recent scammer who’d scammed impersonating an Official Middleman claimed that his internet was slow and a bit laggy so I agreed of him just simply sending me a picture of him on the account whilst viewing my topic. I didn’t realize that the image was edited on Photoshop and I had gotten scammed. For all you know, the image could be edited through Photoshop. Regardless if the salespersons internet is acting up or simply not working well inform them that you’ll continue the transaction when the salesperson’s internet has been fixed and until then you’ll put the transaction on a hold. Always remember, patience is a virtue.

Never accept files sent to you through MSN

Let’s say I’d like to view a picture of the account’s statistics whilst the salesperson is playing. Never under any circumstances accept downloads or files sent you to whether it be on MSN, AIM, Yahoo, MegaUpload, or any hosting website or program for that matter. For all you know it could be a keylogger. A keylogger could be used to find passwords on your computer which could find any password from your PayPal, RuneScape, or MSN for that matter. Ask the salesperson to host the image on ImageShack, Photobucket, TinyPic, or any other image hosting website to avoid acquiring a keylogger.

Never give out your account’s information!

Unless the person’s well trusted or a member of Sythe’s staff moderation or administration team I highly recommend that you not give out your account’s password! Also, whether the salesperson is part of the Sythe administration or a normal member of Sythe never under any circumstances give out your recovery questions, pins, or related information that could be used to recover the account back! If you’re looking to transfer mills onto your account after buying gold pieces through Sythe absolutely do not give out your password unless the salesperson is a highly respected or trusted member on Sythe. If you’re purchasing mills and you’re unsure on how to transfer the mills to your account I suggest you do not allow the salesperson onto your account if he/she’s not respected mills salesperson on Sythe.

Always use a trusted middleman to assist you on the trade!

If your salesperson isn’t willing to use an official middleman to assist with the transaction it’s most likely that he/she is attempting to scam you. Whether you’re a salesperson or buyer you should always use official middlemen to assist you with the transaction! An official middleman is there to look out after you and the salesperson whilst doing the transaction. It’s the easiest and the safest way to complete a transaction, in my opinion. If the official middleman is requesting for a small fee when the trade has been completed don’t just back out! It’s much more risky if you’d not use an official middleman than simply paying him his requested fee for his services because, and I’m going to be completely honest with you here, you’re probably going to get scammed or ripped off if you choose not to use one to assist you with the transaction. It’s always a safer alternative to use a middleman regardless of it’s a small or large trade!

You cannot trust everyone you meet online!

You cannot trust everyone, you must be aware of this. I’ve been previously been scammed by one of my dearest friends and lost a large amount of gold pieces. I trusted him but unfortunately he was only using me for my money. Sick, isn’t it? But, always be cautious and aware whilst doing a trade. You might trust the person but one day they might turn on you. I’d like to clarify that people who you meet online aren’t always that trustworthy as you might think they are.

Descriptive Listings are always a plus!

A salesperson must always be as descriptive as possible when listing their account onto the Black Market. A salesperson must always include a full RuneScape window consisting of the account’s statistics. They should also type something inside of the textbox consisting of their Sythe name confirming their identity but keep in mind that this can also be fake or cropped.

The listing should also consist of screenshots specifying whether or not the account has recoveries, a bank pin, or previous offences. They must also inform you that they will send you past or current recoveries, transaction ID’s, and other information such as when the account was created at the end of the transaction.

Don’t buy an account with recoveries set!

Absolutely under any circumstances do not buy an account with recoveries set, this is a big no-no! Make sure that the account doesn’t have set recoveries, a bank pin, or existing membership because this allows the scammer to recover back the account very easily! Always be aware of what you’re purchasing! If the account does have set recoveries, a bank pin, or existing membership I recommend that you not buy the account because there is a possibility of it being recovered back.

Whilst doing a trade, arrange a meet-up!

What you see might not always be what you believe it is. Usually scammers try to do their best to make it look as if the statistics were real using Photoshop or another image editing program. The picture that they’ve specified in their picture might also be an old picture of one of their past accounts or it could also be one of the salesperson’s friends for that matter. If they claim that their internet is too slow to arrange a meet-up hold the trade until their internet is fixed and inform them until their internet is fixed you’ll hold the transaction, they could be lying! If they specify the name of their account doesn’t mean that it’s actually their’s. Whether you’re purchasing an account or buying mills always arrange a meet-up with the salesperson to confirm what they’re selling to you!

Previous Account Information

Always make sure that the salesperson you’re buying an account off of has the following; the e-mail the account that the account was created with, logs/records of all previous passwords, the ISP (Internet Service Provider) the account was created with, membership information such as previous pins used to purchase membership, when the account was created, recoveries (if set), and bank pin (if set).

The salesperson must have these, if not, it’s very risky because he’d then have the ability to recover the account back with this information. If he claims that he doesn’t have this information such as recoveries I suggest you use a middleman for additional advice or just simply not buying the account off the specific person because there’s a good chance that he’s intending on recovering the account right after or a few days after the transaction has been successfully completed.

Vouches, always a plus!

Vouches are positive feedback left by buyers or salespersons usually clarifying that the buyer or salesperson is experienced and trusted and that others should use their services as well. The more vouches the better!

Check their previous posts!

By going into the salespersons or buyers posts you’re able to see what other’s think of them. You can also use the search tab and put in their name as a keyword. Now you have the ability to check what others think about him and what other people have previously posted. Usually if people claim that the buyer or salesperson tried to scam; it’s most likely the truth and I suggest you stay away from the buyer or salesperson.

If the account has been banned before should I still buy it?

I do not recommend buying accounts that have been banned before because Jagex watches accounts that have had previous bans in the past. It isn’t very ideal to buy an account that has had a previous ban.

Does the offer seem too good to be true?

Say, you’ve found a listing of five party-hats available for a ridiculously low price? Well, sorry to break it to you, it’s probably a scam. Don’t let greed get the better of you!

Security & Tips for Salespersons​

Always be aware of fake administrators/members on Sythe!

If you were contact through a communication program such as MSN or AIM always be completely sure that the buyer’s e-mail is matching the administrator or member that they’re claiming to be.

Offering your buyer a Middleman!

Try offering your buyer a middleman to assist you whilst you complete the transaction. Basically, this gives you and your buyer additional security. Try not to use one of your friends as a middleman as it does look suspicious to others. I’d highly recommend using an official middleman specifically from Sythe.

Trust between both parties is most important!

Trust between the buyer and seller is always important because you both feel comfortable about going on with the transaction. If you don’t feel comfortable it’s best to back out. Always be professional, polite, respectful, and courteous to your fellow buyer whilst conversing. Always check the buyer’s previous vouches to confirm that they’ve had previous experience and/or isn’t likely to scam.

Why should I make my payment instructions as clear as possible?

Always be as descriptive as possible whilst making your listing’s description. It’s worthwhile to wait a bit until your PayPal becomes verified. It creates trust between both parties and shows that you’ve had prior experience with PayPal which is always a good thing. And if you happen to get scammed being verified gives you extra protection from PayPal’s seller protection policy if anything happens to go wrong.

Let’s do fifty-fifty!

Don’t allow a buyer to split up the trade where you’re required to hand over half of the gold-pieces before he pays and then trading the other percent of the gold. It’s a very common way that scammers use for someone to walk away with half of the amount of gold coins that the buyer had requested. It’s a very risky method of payment, in my personal opinion. If you do happen to use this method always be aware and alert of what’s going on!

Descriptive descriptions of what you’re offering happen to attract others!

Yes, it’s true! Descriptive descriptions of what services or item you’re offering happen to attract buyers. Always be as descriptive as possible when you create a topic. List pictures of previous blackmarks, the recoveries, bankpin, and/or existing membership when you log into your account informing buyers whether or not they’re set or have been set recently, pictures of the account’s statistics, or perhaps a screenshot of the bank. Keep in mind, topics that don’t consist of pictures of the account are most likely going to be locked or deleted by a moderator.

Common Marketplace Scams​

• The salesperson will offer to use a middleman but the middleman would be either fake or a friend of his, for that matter. Always be aware of who you’re communicating with.
• The salesperson would send you your membership pin that you’ve purchased inside of the Black Market but after a few days whilst playing it’s been cancelled and your RuneScape account is banned. Always be aware of who you’re dealing with and always be sure that the situation doesn’t pear-shape. You must always buy from trusted and respected PBP pin salespersons. After a few days they can cancel their subscription allowing them to get their money back which will automatically get your account banned.
• The salesperson would attempt to gain your trust informing you of previous events that he’d endured whilst playing on the account.
• You’re requesting a confirmation of their Sythe username VIA private message but they’re claiming that their internet is either slow or laggy. Inform them that you’re going to postpone the transaction until their internet has been configured and fixed. He could claim to be someone else fooling you into believing him being who he claimed he was!

How to avoid being scammed​

• Ask what Middleman they’d like to use (If it’s not a Sythe official middleman it’s most likely a scam)
• Ask if they’ll provide all of the recoveries and account information within the completion of the transaction
• Ask them to meet you in-game to confirm their listing
• Asking them for their account’s name
• Check the known scammers MSN List on Sythe

Always remember, if you’re in any doubt whatsoever I suggest you back out of the trade. Of course, you might lose a customer but it’s better than losing your hard earned goods. If you don’t feel comfortable with the buyer or seller it’s most recommended that you stay away from that specific person, that’s your conscience speaking to you!


Payment Methods

RuneScape Gold Pieces – Also abbreviated as RSGP. This payment method means that the buyer is required to pay directly inside of RuneScape.
PayPal - Also abbreviated as PP. This payment method means that the buyer is required to pay VIA PayPal a method to electronically transfer money to another account.
E-Gold - an integrated into an account based payment system that empowers people to use gold as money. Specifically, the e-gold payment system enables people to Spend specified weights of gold to other e-gold accounts. Only the ownership changes - the gold in the treasury grade vault stays put.
Western Union – Also abbreviated as WU. Western Union offers one of the easiest ways for families and friends to send money and stay connected almost anywhere in the world.
Swap – Specifically, a method of payment by swapping RuneScape accounts.
Mail – A method of payment of money via Mail.

Swapping Accounts

This is probably one of the most risky and tricky payment methods you could use! When you’re looking to swap an account look for those who are looking to swap accounts who are highly respected or trusted. Forum ranks might also be a way of identifying respected or trusted members, though not an accurate method. Always make sure that the person whom you’re swapping accounts with has previous vouches and can prove that those are actual vouches from other Sythe members. It’s also recommended to purchase from those who have a high post count but keep in mind this doesn’t mean that they’re exactly trusted; it usually shows that they’re an experienced senior member.

Whilst you’re doing the transaction I highly recommend you using an official middleman to assist you with the swap. Basically what the middleman will do is verify that the account information including the recoveries, previous bank pins, old passwords, previous transactions, agreement numbers, when the account was created, and what ISP (Internet Service Provider) was used when creating the account. If both party’s information is accurate he’ll successfully complete the transaction by sending both parties the information. Never under any circumstances swap a account without being informed of the previous information specified up above within the completion of the transaction!

Using PayPal as a Payment Method

This is another alternative as a payment method, though a bit more risky than others. If you’re selling an item or account for cash VIA PayPal there’s many different methods where the buyer could recover his money back. They could claim that they haven’t received the item or it was an unauthorized transaction that they haven’t authorized and escalate the claim to PayPal’s fraud department. After the buyer places the claim PayPal will investigate the claim and most their decision is to most likely give the money back to the Buyer because they’ll see it as a fraud attempt. There are a few methods to avoid this that I’ll specify below.

When using PayPal as a payment method for the buyer it’s ideal to use a person that has previously bought VIA PayPal before and those who have a verified PayPal.

Claim & Cancel (Specifically for Buyers)

There are a lot of people who don’t know what Claim & Cancel is specifically nor do they know how to do it. I’ll specify how to do so below. Once the buyer of the listing has claimed & cancelled the transaction he/she will be unable to recover the money back in attempt to scam you.

​

• Log into your PayPal account
• Click onto My Account on the toolbar located under the PayPal logo
• Click onto Resolution Center
• Click onto ‘Dispute a Transaction’ and continue
• Click onto Item Dispute and continue
• Find the transaction ID you’d like to claim and finish up the claim

Now, it’s time to cancel the claim!

• Click back onto My Account on the toolbar located under the PayPal logo
• Click onto Resolution Center
• Find the transaction you’ve placed a claim on and click ‘View’
• Scroll down and click onto Cancel Complaint
• Checkmark the small box, and click onto Cancel this Claim

And you’re done! Simple, wasn’t it? Now once the buyer has completed this he can no longer recover the money back!


How do you know you’re dealing with a possible Scammer?

It’s simple. You must always be aware of his/her actions whilst in the transaction. The scammer repeatedly claiming that they’re trustworthy could mean that the Scammer’s nervous. Lot’s of spelling mistakes also give you the ‘tip-off’ that they’re nervous. Watch out for those Middlemen that you’ve never heard about, always use officials! If he/she only wants to use a specific middleman that he/she is friends with I suggest you not using that specific middleman, use an official instead. If they decline to use another middleman trusted and official from Sythe or not even one at all they’re obviously attempting to scam you. Be careful with whom you’re dealing with.

Identifying False Middlemen

There’s many ways false middlemen try to fool you, here’s how you can avoid them. Make sure to look over the official middleman e-mail list to clarify that they’re official and they are who they’re claiming to be. If their MSN doesn't match by 1 letter or digit, don’t proceed with the trade. Get the official middleman to send you a private message on Sythe to confirm that he/she who’s claiming to be this specific middleman isn’t fibbing. If he/she tries to make up an excuse for example “I’m lagging a bit too much, I can’t do it right now” or “Sythe isn’t working for me at the moment” don’t always believe what you hear! Inform him that you’re both going to need to wait until he/she finds what’s causing the problem and put the transaction on hold. If the scammer claims claims that he/she’s lagging or he/she’s internet is acting up it’s most likely a scam and I’d suggest you avoid that salesperson. Check his e-mail address and look over it carefully and make sure that certain words aren’t matching the middleman’s e-mail specified in his profile.

Here’s another common method that false middlemen use. If they claim that their internet is acting up a bit they’ll usually send you a picture of them viewing your topic also showing their name and them logged in. Firstly, absolutely do not accept the picture VIA MSN or in a file, use an image hosting program such as TinyPic, Photobucket, or ImageShack as it could be a keylogger. If he/she does this it’s definitely a scam and the image was edited through Photoshop. Inform them that you’ll only proceed with the transaction if they’ll send a private message VIA Sythe confirming their identity, if not the transaction will be postponed until the middleman does so.

What if I do get scammed?

If you do get scammed wait before you make any drastic decisions! After, gather the scammer’s information such as his contact information. If the salesperson is verified or has a confirmed home address then get your parent or guardian to write the scammer or perhaps a phone call. Also post his contact information to inform others that others shouldn’t buy from this specific person as he is a scammer and he’ll most likely attempt to strike again, remember to make pictures if you do get scammed!

Always remember, never give up! You’re not ‘screwed’ if you don’t give up! If you have been scammed you might have some prior experience on how scammers work, that’s always a plus! Always be careful whilst trading and make sure things don’t go pear-shaped!

 

Nice guide lots of the basics but in depth

 

Thank you for the kind comment, I hope this'll inform those who have been previously scammed and for those who are looking how to avoid future incidents.

 

10/10.

It's just simply awesome.

 

Well this was quite detailed that's all I can say. I do wish there were more pictures throughout the guide, being that it seemed like one giant wall of text for a while. The guide is very helpful though, and in my opinion should replace many of the outdated guides. It looks like you put some significant effort into this guide.

Portions on this guide, when referring to runescape, shouldn't be here though, as the stickies explicitly state that NOTHING runescape related should be posted in the User Edutcation Forums. Despite that, this guide is beyond well detailed and does deserve some recognition. Great job with compiling and updating all of these methods. They are without a doubt helpful to numerous users here on sythe.

10/10.

 

I'd like to thank you for your kind comment, R33. I apologize, I didn't notice this wasn't the correct area to post this thread inside, my mistake.

 

I believe, despite violating that rule, your guide does more good than harm. I suggest that you PM an admin or global/market mod and see if they would move and sticky it to the Black Market section. This guide is exceptional and should be used by anyone trying to avoid being scammed. Great job.

 

Pwnage guide. Im bookmarking this.

Indeed this should be stickied! Gonna use this for all trades, very indepth guide. Thanks Nick.

9.9/10

 

My pleasure. You're all more than welcome.

 

10/10, Thanks for this guide.
I won't be scammed anymore now, yay.

 

Very nice guide. This will help me with my trading 10/10.

 

Very nice guide but I would advise you to take out E-gold and put in Money Bookers,

E-gold is dodgy, I think it will end soon anyway

 

Glad everyone seems to like the guide, I'll be implementing a few more updates either later tonight or tomorrow.

Thanks for all of your support!

 

Very good guide, very detailed aswell. 10/10

 

Simply flawless. 10/10. Basically nothing you could do better; everything that wasn't self-explanatory had photos attached - something all new guides should have. JW, is this in the wrong section? I don't mean to backdoor-mod or anything - just suggesting, maybe ask a mod to move it into the BM section?

Still, 15/10!

 

Already contacted a mod, thanks.

 

One of the best guide I've ever seen!

 

Very very very good guide.Helped me a lot and explained a lot of things.10/10!Keep up the amazing guides!

 

10/10 hope it will learn me and all then other embers how to avoid getting scammed

 

This is a great guide! i love it, so detailed