TruthScape.com  9  The Truth About RuneScape Item Scams       9  The Keys to Dealing with RuneScape Item Scams

Are You Making Yourself a Target for Scams? What to Do If You Are Item Scammed

Some of the scams in RuneScape are complicated, and so it's easy to understand how a new player might fall for them. The truth, though, is that most can be avoided just by using common sense. Before you spend too much time trying to “memorize” all the different scams and how to avoid them, make sure you are taking the simple common sense steps that can help you avoid nearly any type of scam!

Here are the most important tips to always remember:

• Don't Make Yourself a Target: If you haven't already read the preceding topic on how people help get themselves scammed, read it and watch out for those behaviors. Be especially wary of greed—remember, if a deal looks too good to be true, it usually is.
  
  
• Take Your Time: If you are in a hurry because you need to log off or meet a friend or whatever, do the trade later. If the other person is in a hurry, do your best to help him or her, but don't let yourself be pressured into rushing the deal - this is a common method that scammers use to trick people into making mistakes.
  
  
• Use the “Five Second Rule” When Trading: Nearly all trade window scams can be completely prevented by paying attention to the second trade window, which spells out what you are getting from the other player. Scammers succeed because people often hit “Accept” on the first window and then immediately hit “Accept” again on the second one without carefully reviewing the trade. I've even heard of people saying they saw that they scanned the second screen, saw they were about to get scammed, but hit “Accept” on the second window anyway. Why? Because they had been doing so many trades that they clicked it out of habit!
  
  Make accepting a trade a deliberate action, not a mouse click you do without thinking. One way is to count to five before accepting the trade, which I call the Five Second Rule. No legitimate trader is in such a hurry that five seconds is a problem, and this will force you to take enough time to read the second trade screen.
  
  
• Always use the RuneScape Trade Window for Trades: The RuneScape trade window isn't perfect, but it's always better than the alternatives. While, rare, someone may try to get you to do a different type of trade—for example, they might say you should give them your item first and then they'll give you their item after, or suggesting you use a third party to “broker” the trade. Always refuse these trades, because they are trying to scam you.
  
  
• Beware of Low Level Players: Be extra cautious when trading with very low level characters, especially if they seem to have far more money or expensive items than you'd expect for their level. Some scammers create “disposable” characters, use them for scamming, and then transfer the items to other accounts.
  
  Now, some may call this attitude prejudiced, and it's true that there are many honest low-level players in RuneScape. For example, some “skillers” may have a combat level of 3 or 4 despite having very high levels of mining, fishing and so forth, so they can have quite a bit of money. And it's also true that being high level is no guarantee that a player won't scam you. But overall, you are less likely to be scammed by a level 110 than a level 3, for the simple reason that the level 110 has a lot more to lose by being banned.
  
  
• Know Your Items: Just because you see two people selling charcoal for a million gold, that doesn't mean it is worth a million gold. (It's actually almost worthless.) Even someone claiming to be selling something “cheap” could easily be lying (see Figure 87 for an excellent example.) Don't buy or sell items you don't know based on what one or two people say it is worth—do your homework by checking the item's value on the RuneScape forums or an item guide on a fan site.
  

  Figure 87: “Cheap” Charcoal? Sure

  Always do your homework before buying any item. Don’t be fooled by people who sell things for high prices while claiming they are “cheap” or say that they are selling for “only” a certain price—in this case, charcoal, which is a common scam item and is actually worthless.

  
  

Remember: be smart, be cautious, and you'll be safe.

Are You Making Yourself a Target for Scams? What to Do If You Are Item Scammed