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Vegeta
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Posted - 2004.12.14 01:54:00 -
[1]
Edited by: Vegeta on 14/12/2004 01:58:46
Note: This piece was written for my column @ Warcry.com but was considered too 'graphic' by the editor, hence I decided to post it here.
The Art of Scamming
Scamming, swindling, deceiving or cheating other people, however you like to put it. Within the world of Eve-Online this, to me at least, is an art form. Stealing other peopleÆs money and taking off with it like it was your own, leaving them with an empty wallet and a newfound anger towards yourself. This isnÆt something the average schmoe can pull off, it requires cunning, wits and you have to be a damn good liar.
The Earning of Trust
Misplaced trust is the number one reason for successful scamming. In the world of online gaming everything one does is anonymous and therefore it can be hard recognizing the genuine ones from those going behind your back. Be careful of who you spend your time with and what you say to them, they could be there only waiting for the right moment, a chance to rob you blind.
A good scammer can approach a person and make him or her believe that what they are doing is real. If you can go up to somebody and tell them that these pencils youÆre selling are made out of real Madagascar Wine-Tree Bark (whatever the hell that is) and convince them to buy a few for $500 per pencil you know youÆre good. The same thing goes within Eve û if you can convince a person into giving you the money first because you want to deliver their shiny new battleship in-person and then take off with their money, thatÆs success.
Of course thatÆs only a bad example of what a successful scam would be like. Those who want to do it properly will spend months of time planning ahead, they will work their way up the ætrust ladderÆ and even form close æfriendshipsÆ with the victim. Slowly they become involved in business as the victims æpartnerÆ, they might even build up a corporation together. Then when they see the time is right they will empty all the hangars, take all the blueprints and send all the ISK into their own account, leaving their æfriendsÆ with nothing and their name in the history books.
The æScammeeÆ
How does one select a target? It can be tricky. You see, the child whose hand has been burnt at the stove once isnÆt going to go back for more, same goes for the swindled ones. I usually say it takes two scams until a person æwakes upÆ and stops putting their trust in people who shouldnÆt be trusted. If you can find a child that has never been burnt then youÆve got yourself a nice candidate.
Preferably a young person who has recently acquired a large sum of ISK, or is quickly climbing the wealth ladder. These people can be found in-game, often offering to buy overpriced rarities. They are the CEOÆs of the newly-rich corporations and the oneÆs searching for a new direction in Eve. The forums are an excellent way of finding people to deceive. They can be seen bidding on high-end tech 2 blueprints, looted officer modules and limited-edition ships.
You want to avoid the æFortune 500Æ corporations, the trade veterans and just about anybody who has been playing the game for more than 7-9 months. These have tight security and already have near unbreakable networks of trusted individuals who arenÆt going to let new people in. There is little point even trying since should you even be successful, it would only be to a very limited extent.
2005.04.25 16:40:42 combat Your 1400mm Howitzer Artillery II perfectly strikes LawrenceNewton [WARAG], wrecking for 2706.9 damage.
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Vegeta
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Posted - 2004.12.14 01:54:00 -
[2]
Edited by: Vegeta on 14/12/2004 01:58:46
Note: This piece was written for my column @ Warcry.com but was considered too 'graphic' by the editor, hence I decided to post it here.
The Art of Scamming
Scamming, swindling, deceiving or cheating other people, however you like to put it. Within the world of Eve-Online this, to me at least, is an art form. Stealing other peopleÆs money and taking off with it like it was your own, leaving them with an empty wallet and a newfound anger towards yourself. This isnÆt something the average schmoe can pull off, it requires cunning, wits and you have to be a damn good liar.
The Earning of Trust
Misplaced trust is the number one reason for successful scamming. In the world of online gaming everything one does is anonymous and therefore it can be hard recognizing the genuine ones from those going behind your back. Be careful of who you spend your time with and what you say to them, they could be there only waiting for the right moment, a chance to rob you blind.
A good scammer can approach a person and make him or her believe that what they are doing is real. If you can go up to somebody and tell them that these pencils youÆre selling are made out of real Madagascar Wine-Tree Bark (whatever the hell that is) and convince them to buy a few for $500 per pencil you know youÆre good. The same thing goes within Eve û if you can convince a person into giving you the money first because you want to deliver their shiny new battleship in-person and then take off with their money, thatÆs success.
Of course thatÆs only a bad example of what a successful scam would be like. Those who want to do it properly will spend months of time planning ahead, they will work their way up the ætrust ladderÆ and even form close æfriendshipsÆ with the victim. Slowly they become involved in business as the victims æpartnerÆ, they might even build up a corporation together. Then when they see the time is right they will empty all the hangars, take all the blueprints and send all the ISK into their own account, leaving their æfriendsÆ with nothing and their name in the history books.
The æScammeeÆ
How does one select a target? It can be tricky. You see, the child whose hand has been burnt at the stove once isnÆt going to go back for more, same goes for the swindled ones. I usually say it takes two scams until a person æwakes upÆ and stops putting their trust in people who shouldnÆt be trusted. If you can find a child that has never been burnt then youÆve got yourself a nice candidate.
Preferably a young person who has recently acquired a large sum of ISK, or is quickly climbing the wealth ladder. These people can be found in-game, often offering to buy overpriced rarities. They are the CEOÆs of the newly-rich corporations and the oneÆs searching for a new direction in Eve. The forums are an excellent way of finding people to deceive. They can be seen bidding on high-end tech 2 blueprints, looted officer modules and limited-edition ships.
You want to avoid the æFortune 500Æ corporations, the trade veterans and just about anybody who has been playing the game for more than 7-9 months. These have tight security and already have near unbreakable networks of trusted individuals who arenÆt going to let new people in. There is little point even trying since should you even be successful, it would only be to a very limited extent.
2005.04.25 16:40:42 combat Your 1400mm Howitzer Artillery II perfectly strikes LawrenceNewton [WARAG], wrecking for 2706.9 damage.
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Vegeta
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Posted - 2004.12.14 01:56:00 -
[3]
Edited by: Vegeta on 14/12/2004 02:34:18
Different Ways of Doing It
There are hundreds of different ways and approaches to the art of conning. Here are a few:
1.The oldest trick in the book and one I used to be very successful with was selling ôbattleshipsö through escrow missions. People we approached by me as someone selling a cheap battleship, I told them I was too far away from the item to be able to trade it to them and asked if making a courier mission was alright by them. If they agreed a courier mission would be created and they would be (un)pleasantly surprised by some crappy industrial ship instead of a battleship.
2.This one is very popular nowadays and it separates the real low-life scammers from those with actual skill. You tell a person that youÆre selling a laboratory slot (those are hard to get) and since you cant actually trade these one of you has to give up their ware first. If you can get that person to be your customer you can net yourself 10-15 million ISK. This requires no skill and is not a ærealÆ way of scamming in my opinion.
3.A new one that earned me 750 million ISK not too long ago is the æselling a fake characterÆ scam. Take screenshots of a character with lots of skill points, assets and good standings. Create an auction on the sell forum about you wanting to get rid of your character (post with an alt). DonÆt reveal the characters name and then have people bid on the character for 2-3 days. If you can find a person whoÆs willing to pay you the money first or even just æhalf now-half laterÆ like I got, you could find your wallet growing significantly without much effort. Note that this does not break any rules.
ThatÆs my scamming analysis. It is based on my experience as a con-artist throughout my Eve-Online career. In total I would say I have made about 2.5 billion ISK by exploiting other peopleÆs stupidity. Please donÆt hate me, taking advantage of those who donÆt know any better is in my blood . Scamming is fully supported by the producers of Eve and not illegal in any way.
Until next time,
Vegeta
2005.04.25 16:40:42 combat Your 1400mm Howitzer Artillery II perfectly strikes LawrenceNewton [WARAG], wrecking for 2706.9 damage.
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Vegeta
|
Posted - 2004.12.14 01:56:00 -
[4]
Edited by: Vegeta on 14/12/2004 02:34:18
Different Ways of Doing It
There are hundreds of different ways and approaches to the art of conning. Here are a few:
1.The oldest trick in the book and one I used to be very successful with was selling ôbattleshipsö through escrow missions. People we approached by me as someone selling a cheap battleship, I told them I was too far away from the item to be able to trade it to them and asked if making a courier mission was alright by them. If they agreed a courier mission would be created and they would be (un)pleasantly surprised by some crappy industrial ship instead of a battleship.
2.This one is very popular nowadays and it separates the real low-life scammers from those with actual skill. You tell a person that youÆre selling a laboratory slot (those are hard to get) and since you cant actually trade these one of you has to give up their ware first. If you can get that person to be your customer you can net yourself 10-15 million ISK. This requires no skill and is not a ærealÆ way of scamming in my opinion.
3.A new one that earned me 750 million ISK not too long ago is the æselling a fake characterÆ scam. Take screenshots of a character with lots of skill points, assets and good standings. Create an auction on the sell forum about you wanting to get rid of your character (post with an alt). DonÆt reveal the characters name and then have people bid on the character for 2-3 days. If you can find a person whoÆs willing to pay you the money first or even just æhalf now-half laterÆ like I got, you could find your wallet growing significantly without much effort. Note that this does not break any rules.
ThatÆs my scamming analysis. It is based on my experience as a con-artist throughout my Eve-Online career. In total I would say I have made about 2.5 billion ISK by exploiting other peopleÆs stupidity. Please donÆt hate me, taking advantage of those who donÆt know any better is in my blood . Scamming is fully supported by the producers of Eve and not illegal in any way.
Until next time,
Vegeta
2005.04.25 16:40:42 combat Your 1400mm Howitzer Artillery II perfectly strikes LawrenceNewton [WARAG], wrecking for 2706.9 damage.
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Kerosene
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Posted - 2004.12.14 02:06:00 -
[5]
Vegeta
Minmatar
Aztec Industries
XETIC Federation
 ........ Great...
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Kerosene
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Posted - 2004.12.14 02:06:00 -
[6]
Vegeta
Minmatar
Aztec Industries
XETIC Federation
........ Great...
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Sochin
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Posted - 2004.12.14 02:06:00 -
[7]
Very good read Veg.
Nemo me impune lacessit
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Sochin
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Posted - 2004.12.14 02:06:00 -
[8]
Very good read Veg.
Nemo me impune lacessit
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Rasputin Baba
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Posted - 2004.12.14 02:12:00 -
[9]
I'm sure Xetic are thrilled about you posting with their colors all over this.
Trust is a necessity of any online game as no-one can personally know all they deal with and exploiting the limitations of the online interaction makes you a lowlife, not ingame exclusively, just a lowlife.
There's no skill in scamming, anyone with half a brain can do it and anyone with half a brain will fall for it, it's just that easy.
No, I've never been scammed, then again I don't find any joy in scamming the desperate either so it's not a scam or get scammed world. It's simply taking a stand on whether you're willing to drive people away from the game or not.
Do us all a favor and retire.
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Rasputin Baba
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Posted - 2004.12.14 02:12:00 -
[10]
I'm sure Xetic are thrilled about you posting with their colors all over this.
Trust is a necessity of any online game as no-one can personally know all they deal with and exploiting the limitations of the online interaction makes you a lowlife, not ingame exclusively, just a lowlife.
There's no skill in scamming, anyone with half a brain can do it and anyone with half a brain will fall for it, it's just that easy.
No, I've never been scammed, then again I don't find any joy in scamming the desperate either so it's not a scam or get scammed world. It's simply taking a stand on whether you're willing to drive people away from the game or not.
Do us all a favor and retire.
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Vegeta
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Posted - 2004.12.14 02:21:00 -
[11]
Well, now that I'm a part of Aztec and XETIC I dont do any of that stuff, naturally I will follow their rules. Notice I have only been a member for under 2 weeks.
2005.04.25 16:40:42 combat Your 1400mm Howitzer Artillery II perfectly strikes LawrenceNewton [WARAG], wrecking for 2706.9 damage.
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Vegeta
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Posted - 2004.12.14 02:21:00 -
[12]
Well, now that I'm a part of Aztec and XETIC I dont do any of that stuff, naturally I will follow their rules. Notice I have only been a member for under 2 weeks.
2005.04.25 16:40:42 combat Your 1400mm Howitzer Artillery II perfectly strikes LawrenceNewton [WARAG], wrecking for 2706.9 damage.
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Valrandir
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Posted - 2004.12.14 02:42:00 -
[13]
You have just fell way down my honor meter, where you were above average before.
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Valrandir
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Posted - 2004.12.14 02:42:00 -
[14]
You have just fell way down my honor meter, where you were above average before.
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Del Narveux
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Posted - 2004.12.14 03:27:00 -
[15]
Indeed, you just made a whole lot of new friends lol 
_________________
[SAK] And Proud Of It!
aka Cpt Bogus
Is that my torped sig cloaking your base? |
Del Narveux
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Posted - 2004.12.14 03:27:00 -
[16]
Indeed, you just made a whole lot of new friends lol
_________________
[SAK] And Proud Of It!
aka Cpt Bogus
Is that my torped sig cloaking your base? |
Rthor
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Posted - 2004.12.14 03:35:00 -
[17]
I sense boot in the a$$ coming up.
Coming soon Rthor's "Art of Foretelling the Future" and Rthor's "How to get big alliance do what you want" guides.
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Rthor
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Posted - 2004.12.14 03:35:00 -
[18]
I sense boot in the a$$ coming up.
Coming soon Rthor's "Art of Foretelling the Future" and Rthor's "How to get big alliance do what you want" guides.
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Dianabolic
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Posted - 2004.12.14 03:39:00 -
[19]
What's the problem, guys? Vegeta has posted a guide to part of the game that is as integral as mining and PvP.
Deal with it.
Great read, Vegeta.
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Dianabolic
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Posted - 2004.12.14 03:39:00 -
[20]
What's the problem, guys? Vegeta has posted a guide to part of the game that is as integral as mining and PvP.
Deal with it.
Great read, Vegeta.
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Naomi Venture
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Posted - 2004.12.14 04:15:00 -
[21]
 Originally by: Dianabolic
What's the problem, guys? Vegeta has posted a guide to part of the game that is as integral as mining and PvP.
Deal with it.
Scamming generally involves being a **** to another player, instead of their character.
I think it's sad that Eve allows scamming. Even more than open PvP, scamming can drive away a lot of customers.
CCP's call though... And my opinion of it.
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Naomi Venture
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Posted - 2004.12.14 04:15:00 -
[22]
Originally by: Dianabolic
What's the problem, guys? Vegeta has posted a guide to part of the game that is as integral as mining and PvP.
Deal with it.
Scamming generally involves being a **** to another player, instead of their character.
I think it's sad that Eve allows scamming. Even more than open PvP, scamming can drive away a lot of customers.
CCP's call though... And my opinion of it.
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CYVOK
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Posted - 2004.12.14 04:26:00 -
[23]
I will give him props for posting with his main instead of an alt, but yeah...not the best item of PR I have witnesed on the forums.
Scammers are scum and I would hope that NO ONE in Xetic enguages in such activities, but we all know that is wishful thinking.
As for my part if I ever found a CLS Friendly corp scamming players They would be dealt with harshly!
My personal view on this post is, its a player guide, one I would have prefered never have been written to be sure, but a player guide none the less. If not Vegeta someone else would have done it. Another way of thinking is that this kinda levels the playing field.
-CYVOK-
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CYVOK
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Posted - 2004.12.14 04:26:00 -
[24]
I will give him props for posting with his main instead of an alt, but yeah...not the best item of PR I have witnesed on the forums.
Scammers are scum and I would hope that NO ONE in Xetic enguages in such activities, but we all know that is wishful thinking.
As for my part if I ever found a CLS Friendly corp scamming players They would be dealt with harshly!
My personal view on this post is, its a player guide, one I would have prefered never have been written to be sure, but a player guide none the less. If not Vegeta someone else would have done it. Another way of thinking is that this kinda levels the playing field.
-CYVOK-
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Asmodia
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Posted - 2004.12.14 04:35:00 -
[25]
Very good reading.
Sure , many XETIC will not be happy to see this coz they are only scam noobies with overpriced modules. (joking)
A lot of this stuff is against my ethic as player, but it is part of the game. Some people do that and most is legal and people doesnt get a ban for that. Good to talk about that.
------------------------------------------------
CEO of Spectre Syndicate - Curse Alliance
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Asmodia
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Posted - 2004.12.14 04:35:00 -
[26]
Very good reading.
Sure , many XETIC will not be happy to see this coz they are only scam noobies with overpriced modules. (joking)
A lot of this stuff is against my ethic as player, but it is part of the game. Some people do that and most is legal and people doesnt get a ban for that. Good to talk about that.
------------------------------------------------
CEO of Spectre Syndicate - Curse Alliance
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Crunch Freeman
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Posted - 2004.12.14 05:00:00 -
[27]
Originally by: Vegeta
Well, now that I'm a part of Aztec and XETIC I dont do any of that stuff, naturally I will follow their rules. Notice I have only been a member for under 2 weeks.
Hmm, now is this statement part of a scam to gain their trust???? Since you have only been a member for 2 weeks i guess you still have a few months of gaining their trust before you stab them in the back also.
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Crunch Freeman
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Posted - 2004.12.14 05:00:00 -
[28]
Originally by: Vegeta
Well, now that I'm a part of Aztec and XETIC I dont do any of that stuff, naturally I will follow their rules. Notice I have only been a member for under 2 weeks.
Hmm, now is this statement part of a scam to gain their trust???? Since you have only been a member for 2 weeks i guess you still have a few months of gaining their trust before you stab them in the back also.
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MdKharaa
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Posted - 2004.12.14 05:31:00 -
[29]
Where I came from, scamming was planned, and wonderfully executed, and was mostly pretty damned smart thinking too. In Eve however, you have all the tools there to scam away. And CCP seemingly allow it.
One day I'll catch that nameless player who buggered me out of millions of ISK because I wanted to try a courier mission for the first time 
But it is a nice article veg, and what Naomi Venture is mostly spot on.
-----
--> Give Eve Online the score it deserves - Eve Online ftw ! <-- |
MdKharaa
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Posted - 2004.12.14 05:31:00 -
[30]
Where I came from, scamming was planned, and wonderfully executed, and was mostly pretty damned smart thinking too. In Eve however, you have all the tools there to scam away. And CCP seemingly allow it.
One day I'll catch that nameless player who buggered me out of millions of ISK because I wanted to try a courier mission for the first time
But it is a nice article veg, and what Naomi Venture is mostly spot on.
-----
--> Give Eve Online the score it deserves - Eve Online ftw ! <-- |
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