Introduction
In RuneScape, there are some people who seem to enjoy being cruel and trying ways to earn money without doing any work that other RuneScape players do. These people attempt to steal your items, money or character through trickery.
Please note, this guide is not a guideline on how to scam, it is intended as a resource to figure out if someone is trying to scam you or those around you.
Item Scamming
One type of scamming on RuneScape is called "item scamming." Item scamming is when one player tries to take away another members item by pretending to put up an amount of money for an item that is reasonable then changing it later to a lot less, or by saying you'll do something for someone then take their item. This part of the guide will tell you of most of the kinds of item scams, and tips on not falling for them. Also note that most of these scams may not work with the new 3k trade limits.
Gem Cutting Tips
Whenever someone is offering free gem cutting or smithing or another free service, be sure to use the request assist option instead of giving them the items, then they will get the experience they want, and you will get the gem cut safely.
Due to the Trade limitations in effect, it is unsafe to give them the Gem to cut; you may not be able to get your cut gem back, if the other Player cannot trade items worth more than the Trade limit
Dangerous Places and Monsters
Another way people scam other people is to trick people into following you into a area where it is dangerous for you but not for them. A common way people do this is to say 'follow me for X item' or 'there is x item in y location', and even sometimes will betray you by saying 'can you help me make a pk video.' Do not believe everything you hear about where you can find 'good' items on the ground or a certain price to help, it usually is a scam designed to kill you. They will usually tend to lead you into the wild and kill you and pick up your good items.
If a player sees you have a whip, they may try to get you to come into the wilderness for a PK video or something of the sort, then drop 4 dragon battle axes. They expect you to pick these up, and since they protect over a whip when you die, they kill you and get your whip. Sometimes they will use other items as well, such as Mystic Robe Tops.
There are many dangerous places in RuneScape outside of the Wilderness. If someone requests for you to travel to someplace you have not been before, check the location on the world map to see if there is possible risk. Not all risks can be accounted for since the game changes. Be cautious when traveling to unknown destinations.
Also be wary if someone asks you to help kill a monster with them. Some monsters can only be killed in a certain way and if you try to kill them as you would any other creature, the monster can hit you a lot harder and faster. Ogre Shamans are an example of a monster that can only be killed in a certain way which you learn about during the Watch Tower quest.
Sometimes people will tell you they are power leveling at the canoes north of Edgeville. It's not worth the risk, just stay out of the wilderness all together.
Computer Commands
One scam that some people try to trick users that are not familiar with computer shortcut commands. They tell you that if you drop your items, and then press Alt + F4, your items will multiply. This is untrue, as pressing Alt + F4 will close your RuneScape window, potentially giving the scammer time to pick up your items while you try to log back in.
Note that CTRL + W does the exact same thing as ALT + F4. While the Java applet is active, ALT + F4 is a keyboard shortcut that takes you to your Equipment window. However, do note that if the Java applet is not active, both CTRL + W and ALT + F4 will close your current window.
Password Scamming
There are ways people scam other players out of their passwords. This part of the guide will tell you how scammers try to get your password, so you don't fall for it.
Password scamming usually involves you telling the scammer your password which is one of the biggest no-no's in Jagex's book of being safe. Only YOU should know your password, not your parents, your siblings, or your friends.
Changing Your Password
There are many forms of password scamming. Like these:
Did you know if you changed your pass to (insert word) log out then back in you'll get free (items or large amounts of gp)?
Giving away free memberships!
For free membership follow me!!!
Jagex Staff Impersonation
Another unfortunate scam is where a player will say they work for Jagex and need to get onto your character for various reasons including 'checking to see if you have hacked others, having reports of you abusing bugs etc.'
Jagex will NEVER ask for your password, they do not have to go onto your character to see if you have broken rules etc, they have ways to check that behind the scenes. Also NEVER believe someone claiming to be Jagex staff unless they have a gold crown. It does not matter if their name is something like 'jgx st4ff' or 'rs admin', the only true Jagex staff have gold crowns beside their name and all start with Mod except for Andrew and Paul who are the founders of RuneScape and they both have the gold crown beside their name.
Occasionally mean people will try to threaten to do something to your account. They try to sound like Jagex staff but they aren't. They're just trying to scare you.
Fake E-Mails
Other forms of password scamming are emails sent to you. Jagex stopped sending out emails because of the number of scammers using it to their advantage. If you get an email stating anything about being 'official' from Jagex, do not believe it. Jagex doesn't send e-mails anymore just remember that.
Common reasons for these 'official' emails being sent range from you being chosen to be a player or forum mod, you having been selected to beta test something, or Jagex giving away 'free' items if you fill out certain details. The ONLY emails related to RuneScape that are not likely a scam are if you have just subscribed for membership and are receipts from the payment company. Also remember, Jagex will ONLY message you through their message center located on the website. If you see anything Jagex related on your personal email, deleted it immediately. Even opening it could leave your computer and RuneScape account in danger.
Advertising
Many people will advertise messenger handles or websites. Many of these (especially when repeated quickly) are attempts to get you to download or accept a file transfer of a program that will record anything you type and send it to another user, so your passwords, your character name, any websites you visit, your school reports etc. Occasionally the file you receive is not a key logger but a virus, which is a bit different, but still not fun for the recipient.
Did you know that Keyloggers can keep track of every key that you strike? This does include any password that you type in, anything! Be very careful about going to suspicious sites, as you just might get a Keylogger.
What Should I Do?
If you see anyone attempting one of these scams, report them under whatever category best fits what they're doing. Like if they're trying to trim armour, report them as item scamming, or if they're repeating a website address for whatever reason, report them for advertising.
You only need to report them once for the thing they did, more than one report only bogs Jagex down in repeated reports. Also do not encourage everyone around you to report them for the same thing. Again, it gives Jagex more reports about the same incidence where one report should be enough to show that the person is breaking rules. You could also speak up and tell people in the surrounding area that X is a scam, or Y person is trying to scam, make people aware not to trust the person and/or what they're saying. Be careful if you speak up to 'bust' the person as they might try to harass you for making people aware that they are scamming.
Scams of the past
These are scams that were used in the past, but have been deemed pointless now with the new 3k trade limits. These used to be highly used in the Runescape world, but now even if they are used, they can only make 3k or so every 15 minutes, which isn't much of a scam.
Armour Trimming and Item Upgrading
Basically there was an update to members called treasure trails where you would follow a set of clues to a treasure. One of the rewards of completing a treasure trail is trimmed armour. This is the ONLY way to get trimmed armour. The scammers would spam 'free armour trimming' and things along these lines. To the average player, this would be too good to be true, and is. There is no way another player can trim your armour for you. Nowadays this scam no longer works because of the 3k trade limit, therefore you cannot trade away your armour for free.
Another similar concept to armour trimming that's been around longer is armour upgrading. A person cannot 'upgrade' their armour or anyone else's armour unless they buy a better form of armour. Another very similar scam is armour enchanting. Armour cannot be enchanted. Again, this is useless because of the 3k trade limit.
Trust Test
Some people try to scam others by doing a 'trust test'. The basics of this is someone asks you if you want to be their friend or in their clan or something, but they need to know if they can trust you. What happens is, the person who is getting scammed is supposed to give the scammer valuable items to show you won't try to take advantage of the opportunity they're giving you. But they're the ones who are not to be trusted because they'll run off with your items.
Another scam similar to trust tests are 'contests' to see who has the best item. They do not have to hold your items to know if you have 'good' items or not. You can simply show them in a trade window then cancel the trade, so they can see what item you have. These scams are now useless because of the trade limits. Back in the day, though, this would be used very frequently in big worlds (1 through to 5).
Trust at Drop Parties
A common scam now is with drop parties at an individual's player owned house. When the victims drop their items within the owner's house, it would be very easy for that owner to boot all of the guests out and take the items that were dropped. When going to these drop parties, be positive that the person who is hosting the party can be trusted. It's better to be safe than sorry.
Another common drop party tactic is to lead the players into a dangerous area such as the wilderness or an area with aggressive high level monsters.
|
