Anti-Scam Guide
As we all know, we live in a world of scams. RuneScape Is no different. People scam players so that they can become rich or have rare items. THEY ARE WRONG! Mostly the scammer is reported and banned. Here are some scams that you should know so you aren't tricked.
Note: All scams are rated 1- 10 ten being the best or most of: or how bad they are. Badness (meaning what you can lose) is rated, so is commonness (how often the scam is used).
Since this guide is a general scam list, there are new scams everyday. If you come across one, please submit it to increase this guide's information.
Scams:
"Free Armour Trimming"
Badness: 7
Commonness:10
Reasons: This scam is worse depending on what kind of armour you trade to get 'Trimmed'. No one can "trim" armour, or anything for that matter! It is a reward from member's only Treasure Trails.
"Tell me your pass so I can pay for your membership for a year" (private chat)
Badness:8
Commonness:4
Reasons:They wont pay for your membership for a year theyll steal your account.
"Selling my Account Only *Price*"
Badness:10
Commonness:7
Reasons: First off, this is against the rules. Second, it usually is faulty because they give you the wrong password or they use recovery info. to get it back. You could pay 1000k for nothing!
1. "Jagex has made it so you can say your pass out loud, try!"
Badness:10+
Commonness: 5-8
Reasons: You could always say your password outloud! Don't try to, but you can. The reason it's 10+ is that you could lose your whole account from this!
2. "Jagex has made it so can't say your pass, see *******"
Badness: 10+
Commonness:4-6
Reasons: This is a twin to the one above, but works a bit differently. Instead of you being "now able" to say your password out-loud, this time you "can't" say it. But really all there doing is not putting their password, they just put a few of these *. Basically, you try to say your password and think it will be *ed but instead it comes out crystal clear.
These are all a line of password scammers. Also, if anyone "claims" to be Jagex, and they do not have a gold crown, they are scamming you. No one in the game should ask you your password, and, if for some reason a Jagex Staff asks you for your password, do not give it.
Also, if you get an e-mail claiming you have been selected to be a mod, Jagex Staff, etc., then delete it that moment. They are scams too. Believe me, I was a player mod and they do not send an e-mail. They contact you in your message centre.
Here's another password scamming one:
3. "My Dad/Mom works at Jagex, they can get you free stuff"
"I'll need your pass to be able to give you the stuff"
Badness:10+
Commonness:4
Reasons: If the people who work for Jagex give you free stuff, they wouldn't need your password! 10+ because you could lose your whole account.
4. "I need your recovery questions to see if your account is secure"
Badness: 10+
Commonness: 2
Reasons: Like before, don't give any information about anything that can be used to get onto your account, no matter what.
5. "I need Credit Card numbers to confirm this is your account"
Badness: 10+
Commonness: 1
Reasons: Like before and before, this is a way to not only get onto an account but also can be used in Real Life against you. Do not say anything about credit cards in RuneScape at all!
"I just got Pked (or died), I need a little cash"
Badness:1
Commonness:9
Reasons: This is the baby scam, because all your doing is giving 20gp to them. But it adds up.
"Selling *Rare Item* only *cheap price*"
Badness: 5-7
Commonness: 3-4
Reasons: This is bad because (and this happened to me) some level 89 guy said "selling rune long, 15k!" so I traded him. He offered a rune long and I said, let me get my money. In about 3 mins, I came back and traded him. I offer my 15k he offer his "rune long". I was so anxious I clicked accept so fast I didn't notice that he switched the rune long with a mith long (they looked the same because they were notes).
"Show me your best items to allow you into our clan"
Badness:1-10
Commonness:6
Reasons; Now the reason its "1" is because if you lie and offer some dumb items as your best, then it won't be bad. Now, if you offer your best items, like full rune, you'll lose a lot!
"Take me to *any place* and I'll pay *some amount*"
Badness: 1
Commonness: 4
Reasons: This is also a baby scam, because you really don't lose anything if you take them somewhere. You just don't get payed.
"I dropped my *A rare monster droppable* on the ground, did anyone find it?"
Badness:7
Commonness:2
Well this is another way someone can item scam you.But this happens very rarely.When sometimes people hold contests of the best items will win some sort or prize.But that can also not be true they are just trying to take your items.When they might have certain contests where they ask you to give him or her your items so they can decide who's is the best.but here is a way you can try to avoid the scam.You can ask them to just see which means let them see it but not trade them it and move on to the next item.If they refuse to do this they must be a scammer.
Reasons: This has a lot to do with a monster and if it drops a rare item. Let's say a monster drops amulets of glories. Some guy comes up and says "I lost my ammy of glory". Now if a monster dies and someone gets an ammy of glory, then the scammer will say thats his/hers. But its NOT! I really don't know why someone would give one anyway...
Not Verbal! This one is a confusion with zeros.
Badness:5-7
Commonness:3- usually happens when someone doesn't want to pay a high price for something.
Reasons: This can be bad because someone offers 50k for your item then they decline and say "whoops"! You trade again and they offer 5k instead of 50k and you offer your item and accept anxiously. So now you got 5k instead of 50k. This also works if you don't pay attention, or they add items to distract you.
scammer:hey newbie want 800mil?
newbie:yyyyeeeeaaaaah!
scammer:ok i will pm u
scammer(pm):change your password to moneybags (or watever they say)
newbie(pm):ok!i love u!
the scammers got his account now, this doesn't always happen to newbies, it can happen to people who don't read the security and don't play rsc sometimes, i got my first newb account hacked because of this, they do it to newbs for fun.
"Free Gem Cutting"
Badness: 5-8
Commonness:10-8
Reasons: Now this isn't always a scam! Sometimes they can be honest. But usually, after I have talked to a few master crafters, they suggest the best way to avoid this scam is this in this example.
Ex: I offer my two uncut diamond. Other person offers two Cut Diamonds.
That way, the other player gets uncut diamonds which they cut and repeat this over again. You get your cut diamonds. Another tip is to check the high scores to see a player's actual crafting level.
"Selling this key to a secret room, only *price*"
Badness: 5-9
Commonness: 1-2
Reasons: They usually put the key in a note so you can't tell which key it is, because Jagex has failed to name certain keys different names. Like there is around 5 keys called "Keys". It gets confusing. So don't buy a key that's noted unless it's really what you want by name.
ALT+F4/CTRL+W scam
Badness:4-6
Commoness:2-3
Scammer: follow me to learn how to duplicate items and cash
*takes you somewhere deserted*
Scammer: now drop them all on the ground then press ALT+F4/CTRL+W (ALT+F4/CTRL+W close the window, so the scammer can take your items)
Group scam:
Badness:5-9
Commonness:4-6
Scammer1: selling (paramaya ticket (or other cheap but useless item)) for *expensive price eg 1mil+*
Scammer2:buying (that item) 4mil
When someone buys from scammer1, they both log out
RS3 Beta test site:
Badness: 10+ (site can contain keyloggers, trojans and/or viruses, could also lose your account if it is hacked)
Commonness:1-2
Scammer: go to (types in a web address in a way to get past the censors) to test RS3 beta!
Commonly used with autotypers so the message fills up everyone's chat box
Safety tips to avoid trojans and keyloggers:
Recommended security programs:
Norton antivirus
AVG antivirus
Ad aware
Spy Sweeper
A good firewall (eg ZoneAlarm or Windows Firewall)
Update virus definitions and download Windows security updates regularly Scan ALL downloaded files before opening/running, preferably scan with more than 1 program.
If you are at all suspicious about a file, DO NOT download it NEVER download any files such as RS autoers or unofficial clients
"Get the wine of zammorak and ill give you price"
Badness: 4
Commonness: 7 at chaos Temple in f2p world
Reasons: When you try to take the wine with Monks of Zammorak alive they will attack you. Chances are since you are a lower lvl and it is a multi attack zone you will die. Even if you successfully get the wine chances are they wont pay you the money anyway.
New Player Anti-Scam Guide:
*Never Buy "Pete's CandleStick" for hero's Quest from ANYONE! It won't let you use that candle stick.
*Never buy the "rare black bass", it is simply a burnt bass.
*Never buy any food your not familiar with, unless you sample it. Because the person might say it heals more than it does.
*Never drop trade for anything, because the item (if not tradable) disappears before the 'victim' can see it.
*Never do anything that requires you to trade without getting something in return.
*Never trade for an item that is simply made from something easily obtain. Such as glass items or wool items.
*I have found many Password Scam Sites. They ask you for your RuneScape name and Password and then they hack you. Like RuneScape says in there nice sig: Only use your Password on www.runescape.com.
*In addition, a rare item doesn't mean it has a huge price. For example: Maybe some Zamorak Robes, people sell for 10k, but they really are easy to get by killing a Iban Disciple and they automatically drop a full set.
*Notes, when buying something noted, ask yourself "Why is it noted?" To hide identity so they can scam you, or just because of huge quantities.
*Don't buy things that you don't know prices. After playing for awhile you learn prices. But newer players are more easier because they don't know about all the items.
*When Granite Mauls first came out, people never heard of them because Jagex never mentioned everyone. That's why they started out at around 2mil, because they looked so powerful and great. Now you can get one for 200k. When new items come out in the same way the Granite Maul did, don't buy it instantly, because they can charge any price and you can't tell if that's good or bad. Wait a few days until you know what the item is, stats, and a reasonable price.
Remembers:
*Scamming is against the rules so you can get banned by it. But, if I were you, always report the scammer and yell outloud "*Scammer's name* is a scammer, do not fall for it". This way, it may save someone.
Never give passwords to ANYONE.
