Risks of buying accounts and information you NEED to know.

[Dodge]

Well, lately the number of scams have gone up a lot, not particuarly on rune-server alone, but in several forums I am on. I personally have only bought an account twice, and both times(of course) I was scammed, once when I was new to the rs world I got scammed for $70 and no clue about disputes until it was too late, and the second time was here, but I knew it would be recovered.

So, I figured I would try and help you guys out, by informing you of the risks in directly buying an account.


Personal history with dealing with scams, and how I know this stuff.

Personally, when I first started selling RS stuff, I had 3b + an account to sell back when gold was $1/m, I sold everything on here and sythe; I got charged back over 2.5 grand, I don't have time to look through all my transactions, but here is just a few of them:
http://screensnapr.com/v/yonIvu.png
http://img30.imageshack.us/img30/5150/c00544d4e18344f9b81ee40.png

That is why I am trying to keep this from happening to others, where I lost I want you to learn.

First off some terms you might want to know

Recovery
» This happens when the original account owner uses the information he has(ex. credit card information, addresses, ect) to recover the account, and place it back in his possession, which makes it harder for you to get the account back, if possible at all.


Dispute
» This could be your best friend, provided you have been scammed, and you don't know what to do. This is the process of going to your online payment company (ex. paypal, alertpay), and tell them that you have not received the good of which you have paid for, and then you will proceed in trying to recover your money from the potential scammer.


Claim(Paypal)
» This is the process, in which after initiating a dispute, which will end all communication with the 'scammer', and with the evidence you have provided paypal it will get sent to them for them to process and decide what to do about it(refund, or deny the request).

Middle man(MM) / Official middle man(OMM)
» This is a person who has been chosen by the forum of which you are buying the account on, which will usually be staff or a veteran. Don't believe someone with 3 posts when he says he's a middle man :fp:
This is a person who will help you with the trade, the process in which the OMM does things may vary, but in essence he will:

1. Gather the money and account from both parties
2. Make sure everything is as described on the ssales thread
3. Confirm with both parties that everything is correct, and they wish to proceed
4. Then proceed to give both parties their goods

Most common scams

Fake 'Last logged in:'
» This can and WILL lead to a complete and utter scam, especially if you are going to go first. Yes, it is possible to fake the last logged in, it has something to do with changing the date on your computer, so WATCH OUT.
» Example of this scam:

Seller: Hey, you want to buy this account?
Buyer: Sure, is it yours?
Seller: It's my friends, he quit and hasn't logged on it in like a year, look: (PIC OF FAKE LOGIN DAYS)
Buyer: Oh cool, levels?
*about the account, sells it to him with buyer going first*
Seller: Have fun.
Buyer: Dude, the last login was yesterday.
Seller: oh yea, that was me.
Buyer: Oh, ok.
*Seller recovers his account*

Picture: View yB9d2w.png on ScreenSnapr

Photoshopped account
» It is what it sounds like, he can fake anything he likes, including last logged in, recoveries, email, members, ect., which will leave you in the rain if you go first.
» Example of this scam:

I think it's kind of obvious :fp:

How to avoid these scams

• NEVER go first when buying a service, account or anything else, unless the person is trusted.
• ALWAYS use a middle man, even if you need to pay a little for it(~3-5% of trade is an 'ok' price)
• Check the sellers background, look for past trades, rep on the forum ect.
• I recommend you NOT pay in rsgp, or any other virtual currency, as once you pay with this, it's gone no matter what.

Help, I've been scammed! What do I do?

If you paid via RSGP or something like it:
» Not much you can do, the account is gone, your gold is gone. Harsh lesson = learned.

If you paid via an online payment distributor:

1. Step 1
2. Go to your payment holder(ex. paypal, alertpay), and open a dispute
3. Provide good information about the trade, but do NOT mention the fact that it is for a account, or they WILL overlook you.
   
   Example of what I would put:
   

   I have not received the item that I paid for, I have tried contacting them about this issue, but have no been replied to yet. I do not think they will give me my goods, nor will try and refund me.
   I have a problem in giving out free money to fraudulent actions, and will not stand for it.

4. If you used paypal, make sure to escalate to a 'claim' as soon as you can.
5. Wait, after that it's out of your hands.

HELPFUL TOOLS

Screen snapper
» This is used to capture shots of the trade, which are very helpful in posting a scam report or archiving a trade.
» Can be downloaded here.
» Things to take pictures of:

• The MSN or contact information you are speaking with in the trade
• The payment reciever(ex. the RS username of the seller, or the paypal email)
• Completion of the trade, any message he says saying 'thank you for the business' or things like that.

Camstudio
» This is used to video record the whole trade, from the inital contact to completion of the trade.
» Can be downloaded here.

Middle men

__Name:
PM them:

Sorry this is all messy n' stuff.
By Ant-Man/Dodge/iBot™/iBot_

 

[.Judgement]

Stuck like a fat person in a bathtub.