Post by shajimasclaw on Apr 25, 2015 18:57:29 GMT
Everyone gets scammed at some point... it's bound to happen in a game based on anarchy.
Here are some common scams, how they work, and how to avoid them.
Can theft:
Unless you are looking for a fight, do not take items from someone else's canister or wreck - even if they tell you it's okay or they are asking you to in Local/Private chat. As soon as you take items from a container that isn't yours, you can be shot at by the owner. Some veteran players will prey on new pilots this way to get cheap kills. Alternatively, if you are mining with a canister, it isn't uncommon for a cheap frigate to steal from your can, pick a fight, and have friends fly in to help. Our advice: keep your stuff in your ship and only your stuff, unless you're looking for a fight.
Local chat lotteries:
Trade hubs are filled with lotteries in which you give someone isk and have a chance of winning more isk. They even provide proof that they are paying out winnings and build websites to support their claims. What they don't tell you is that they are giving you proof that they are paying alts, friends, and corpmates. Do not give someone isk unless you intend to get nothing back or unless you are using an exchange contract or trade window.
Isk sellers:
Buying isk from vendors with real world money is against your Eve User Agreement. It will get your account banned! If you want to "buy" isk. Purchase a PLEX (a 30 day subscription item) from the Eve store and sell it in the Eve marketplace in-game.
You "win" mail:
If you get a mail about winning something. Ignore it. No one gives anything away for free in Eve.
Contract scams:
Let's say you're looking for a Widow (an advanced Caldari battleship) on contracts. It's common for people to label a want-to-sell contract with sought after items and put the cheaper version in the contract (in this case a Raven battleship). The Widow is worth 940 million and the Raven is worth 180 million. The contract will require you to pay 940 million but give you the Raven. Make sure you read contracts carefully. You cannot dispute a tricky contract with game moderators. If a deal is too good to be true, it probably is. That said, contracts are very useful and sometimes you can get a deal.
Market scams:
When selling items, look at how much below market value the purchasing price is. On larger items that sell more slowly, it's common for buyers to remove ",000" from the end of the purchase price. Selling a 940 million Widow battleship for 940 thousand can make for a very bad day. Always consider refining unwanted modules/loot... the refining menu will give you a value for the minerals before proceeding and you can compare whether refining/selling is more profitable.
That should help. If you have any questions, just ask in the RUBUL chat channel.
Fly safe!