Blaze Cu Sidhe Scam - Cheaters Just Won't Quit

[MYUO]

I posted this on Chessy forum and repost here for better awareness:

The first time I saw this guy named Bl**K Beard on chessy at luna bank was about 1 month ago. Since then he has been always sitting there spamming to sell his blaze Cu.

Last night, he approached me in party chat and asked 25mil for his Cu. I am like "oh really?" and offerred him 20mil. He agreed and I told him I would logon my 2nd account to do the trade. With some delay, he started the trade window with a cu named Jimbo. At the same time, I detected above half screen away another Jimbo on the 2nd floor of the bank with the all name macro (ctrl+shift). When I approach it, it quickly moved away with its owner. After I went back to Beard, the 2nd Jimbo and its owner approached us again. I told Beard I was missing a check, and quickly ran upstairs - surely, there is another regular cu Jimbo sitting there.

Surprisingly, the scammer didn't flee the scene after his trick is busted. Instead, he went on mumbling some obscene words, some words referring to tramel players, blood elementals, and no one on chessy owns more than 5mil, etc... From the response from other players, it seems he is known as a scammer. Well, let's make him better known.

My advice if you want to buy any expensive pet: go to an open field where no one can hide or do it in your private house. This kind of scam has been old for quite a while, but that won't stop stupid scammers keeping on trying it.

edited title for typo.

 

[imported_onthefifty]

thanks for the heads up.

i play chessy and saw that guy too. hate doing anything in luna bank anyway as its so crowded.

 

[Guest]

arent pets colored now in trade windows

 

[Calell]

maybe someone hasn't purchased anything as a pet, especially colored, and would have no idea that the color in the trade window change had ever been implemented? that's not a fair judgement call there. there is no 'well they deserved it, they should have known better' to end any story like this..Some people don't have the hours and time it takes to 'research' something that shouldn't be allowed to happen in game anyway, and especially to go unpunished.

 

[imported_Suzzy]

If you simply keep up to date on patch notes by visiting uo.com every now and then, this information is readily available to you. If you are not responsible enough to do that, then you're leaving yourself open to being scammed. That's all I'm saying. It's your responsibility to keep yourself protected from breaches of trust, and while it sucks if you get scammed, who is to blame for that happening to you when you can simply prevent it by being more cautious.

 

[Cygnas]

<blockquote><hr>

Thank you for the post as scammers are scum imo, however, I just want to make it clear that scamming is not cheating. We need to make sure that there is a known line between the two. Scamming is simply considered a breach of trust, while cheating is using a bug/exploit to scam someone.

In regards to this particular scam, they changed it so the cu retains the color in the trade window. So if you buy a blazed cu, it will show up as blazed in the trade window. I'm sorry to say this, but if someone were to still fall for this scam after this change, they may have been deserving of it due to stupidity, as the trade window change was put in to prevent this scam from continuing.

edit: my apologies for being so blunt, but if you don't do the research, you leave yourself open to scams. Ignorance(as in not knowing of the changes) is not an excuse for being careless and allowing yourself to be taken advantage of.

[/ QUOTE ]

Actually, cheat and scam have much of the same meaning. Look it up.

scam: : a fraudulent or deceptive act or operation &lt;an insurance scam&gt;
cheat: : to deprive of something valuable by the use of deceit or fraud

While it should always be buyer-beware, it's rather rude to blame the victim.

 

[imported_Suzzy]

Sorry, this is actually what I meant in regards to the difference.

I simply meant that a scam is a breach of trust which is not a violation of the rules of conduct of UO.

A cheat in this situation would be the same thing, except you used an exploit/bug to scam someone, which would be violation.

This particular scam, it is not a cheat. That is all I wanted to make clear between the two in regards to this particular scam.

 

[Guest]

Cu's are colored in the trade window as far as I know.


Hiryu is NOT.


Someone tried to scam me out of a purple hiryu, I laughed.

 

[Calell]

Some people play every day and religiously read the patch notes and keep up with info in UHall etc, and with that much information overload, it's highly probable something will be forgotten or slip into a brain-crease somewhere and be overlooked in a time of need.

When someone hasn't played in 3 or 4 years and return to the game, keeping up with those patch notes is out of the question, especially when several times the changes aren't even IN the patch notes but pointed out in posts and threads.

If someone has never played UO, and pops in KR or ML or something and has at it, 10 years worth of research really isn't going to happen. That's not even logical to request they read every possible scenario prior to logging in.

UO.com isn't a very helpful resource either. Has anyone gone to it and tried to look up a help-topic since EA's wonderful service team took over?...

I appreciate the OP bringing this reminder to everyone about animal scams. *curtsies*

 

[Guest]

<blockquote><hr>


When someone hasn't played in 3 or 4 years and return to the game, keeping up with those patch notes is out of the question, especially when several times the changes aren't even IN the patch notes but pointed out in posts and threads.

If someone has never played UO, and pops in KR or ML or something and has at it, 10 years worth of research really isn't going to happen. That's not even logical to request they read every possible scenario prior to logging in.

[/ QUOTE ]

If someone is returning after 3 or 4 years or is new to the game and is trying out kr or ml chances are they either don't have 25m+ or are not yet willing to buy it until they have decided to stick with the game.

Also, as blaze cu's generally sell for several times the amount the op posted they were offered it for, why would someone new or returning a. know that a blaze cu is anything special, b. know anything about its worth.

Even if they do ask around, and find out the answers to these questions, they should still question why they are being offered something for a fraction of its trade value.

Also its generally accepted in UO that a scam is something a player does that decieves another player for their own profit, while cheating is considered something that breaks the tos and provides an unfair and unacceptable advantage to an individual.

 

[imported_Suzzy]

Very true, and to those who get scammed it sucks. My whole point in responding to this thread is that if you are cautious and take the time to keep up to date, you will keep yourself protected 99.9% of the time. I leave that .1% open as there is always a chance that the most informed person out there will have a brain fart and allow themselves to be scammed.

Here are some simple tips to keep yourself safe.

1) Stay informed. Read uo.com regularly, and peek into Uhall and the trade/server forums for your shard to see if anyone has posted about some suspicious actions.

2) If it seems too good to be true, it is. Simple rule to follow with in game trades and just in general. It applies to both in game and real life as well.

3) Avoid trusting people you do not know. The internet is a haven for anonymity. People can easily pretend to be something they are not, they can make up lives they do not live, they can say whatever they want and not have to back it up with actual fact. It's how the internet is. If you believe what someone has to say on the internet without actually knowing them, that is a risk.

4) Be cautious and patient. Take the time to think things through and analyze the situation. If you have any doubts about it, leave. It is just a game after all, so "missing out" on an amazing offer! is not as bad as you might think.

 

[davebobbit]

regarding potential buyers of a blaze cu sidhe not knowing about pets being coloured in the trade window... I believe that anyone who is in the market for such a highly valued pet WILL have done their research on the matter... also they will know that they vend for WAY more than 25mil - if something seems to good to be true, it most likely is...

 

[stevethepirate86]

personally i am sorry to hear that people in this video game have so much troubl making money they scam others still. with the new doom system and with the new runics i have made millions. i do agree that someone who is looking for such a pet will try to look into why they want so much money for it. i have an ice white cu and never understood people at WBB buying them for 10 mil. yet on the same note i wanted some gloves bad enough i paid 35 mil for em......

 

[Guest]

How about this.
When black dye tubs where illegal then legal. Before they were given out.

The scam

Normal dye tub.
Dye black balls of wool (the big ball).
Drop on normal tub in bag.
Looked like black dye tub less you highlighted it.

Point.
Always a scam. And scammer are jerks. Or meannies if I cant say jerks.

Go to atlantic luna now.
Vendor by where they fight golems

Has a agapite smith hammer for 7 million....

SCAM
Says "agapite SMITHS hammer"
Should say "agapite RUNIC hammer"
also has resistances on it.

He is selling it for 7 million.

 

[imported_revenant2]

<blockquote><hr>

Go to atlantic luna now.
Vendor by where they fight golems

Has a agapite smith hammer for 7 million....

SCAM
Says "agapite SMITHS hammer"
Should say "agapite RUNIC hammer"
also has resistances on it.

He is selling it for 7 million.

[/ QUOTE ]

Ideally, this type of scam would be handled by the game not allowing the two items to be so similarly named.

In any case, I feel that scamming is nothing more than the same act provided by the "stealing" skill, but one which deliberately bypasses the "stealing" skill and therefore isn't handled by the game mechanics.

Serial scammers should be hunted down by the GMs and be banned and be made to stay gone IMO, they victimize both EA and the individual players (EA in the long run, the players one at a time).

 

[MYUO]

<blockquote><hr>

Thank you for the post as scammers are scum imo, however, I just want to make it clear that scamming is not cheating. We need to make sure that there is a known line between the two. Scamming is simply considered a breach of trust, while cheating is using a bug/exploit to scam someone.

In regards to this particular scam, they changed it so the cu retains the color in the trade window. So if you buy a blazed cu, it will show up as blazed in the trade window. I'm sorry to say this, but if someone were to still fall for this scam after this change, they may have been deserving of it due to stupidity, as the trade window change was put in to prevent this scam from continuing.

edit: my apologies for being so blunt, but if you don't do the research, you leave yourself open to scams. Ignorance(as in not knowing of the changes) is not an excuse for being careless and allowing yourself to be taken advantage of.

[/ QUOTE ]

I have been following stratics quite closely and I can't remember when the change in trade window was made. It might have been hidden in one of the long lists of publish notes. Nystul-Cats mentioned hiryu is not colored in trade window. I know greater dragons are not colored in trade window either. How do you expect someone know which ones are colored which ones are not? This is a flaw in game mechanism and was only bandaid fixed for cu but not for other pets. A few years ago, scammers pull the same trick on house trading. It was after years of complaining before a blue neon scroll with location of the house was placed in trade window and both parties have to stand under the house sign to stop the scams. Just imagine what if only castle and keep trades get the scrolls and house sign requiremnt but other house trades don't.

If anyone is reading the publish notes, their are better informed than a good portion of other players. If anyone is reading stratics, they are better informed that most of other players. Weeks after runic change and introduction of greater dragons, I still explain to many players what has changed and why the dragons are so nasty now.

IMO scammers are cheaters. They take advantage of the flaw in game mechanisms and try to ruin other players game play. The trade window scam, the overload items scam, the runic hammer scam... they are no different from using 3rd party programs/scripts to dupe, speedhack, raid spawn, mine/lumberjack. As a matter of fact, I am sure any scammer will cheat when ever they can.

 

[Guest]

In addition to making the pet colour the same in the trade window, it would help if the pet had to be within a couple of tiles of the recipient.

It's one thing to say "buyer beware" but this scam has been going long enough. Regardless of whether anyone thinks a scam victim should be smarter, these players do not deserve to earn gold from it.

Wenchy

 

[Guest]

I agree that buyer must beware..... Though it is my personal opinion that folk who deal dirty handed like that should be treated just like they would IRL and they should be tossed in jAIL. Where they must remain for up to a year.... if they want to keep paying for the account until they can use their characters again great if not...... GOODBYE.... don't let the door hit you on the way out. It's people like that, that give the game a bad name and leave a lasting impression on folk. And when nothing is done about it by game staff that leaves another BAD impression on people... this goes along with the duping, scripting and hacking that goes on..... the more things like this go unchecked the more folk feel they can get away with and the more people cheat... And those who don't and are constantly under attack from scammers and cheaters the greener other pastures become and the more inclined the actual decent people in game will be to leave and not look back...

It's my opinion that if a much sterner stance were taken on cheating scum like this the less likely people will be to attempt to defraud the public... and the less likely people will be to try their hand at even worse things like duping and scripting. I mean really is that the kind of people we want to play with??? Not I.

 

[TheGwy]

Since Trust &amp; UO dont go hand in Hand anymore, I usualy tell seller to meet me somewhere safer like a house or to follow me a few screens away, that way if he goes afk for a min while doing this, we can know whats going on, just a little bit safer, and also, I try buy from trusted people not from no name characters that appear from nowhere with a colored Cu or Hyru for sell

 

[Guest]

[
edit: my apologies for being so blunt, but if you don't do the research, you leave yourself open to scams. Ignorance(as in not knowing of the changes) is not an excuse for being careless and allowing yourself to be taken advantage of.

[/ QUOTE ]


So, i'm an old lady 85 years old. I buy a 200.00 ticket to the broadway show. Some guy pretends to be an usher and has a jacket similar to the ones employees wear. He takes my ticket and walks away. It's my 85 year old fault I was scammed because I was not aware. guess I should have asked for ID...


Good thing the law doesn't see it this way. No idea what the virtual police think of such activities - You my friend need to learn right from wrong. That poor old lady was CHEATED out of her ticket....

 

[Redxpanda]

Stories like this make me happy that i am too poor to but stuff from other players.

 

[Guest]

I hope he gets chronic hemorrhoids.

 

[Guest]

This is not cheating. Scamming and cheating as far as UO goes not even nearly the same.

It is a low thing to do thats for sure, but it is not cheating.

Love it how when something goes wrong or not the way a player would like in UO these days everyone cries 'cheater!' or 'HAX' Its like how Fox News blames everything on 'Terrorism.'

 

[blust3]

He approached me to sell the glaze Cu Sidhe twice. He asked 100 million gold. I told him I don't have such kind of money.

 

[Fayled Dhreams]

<blockquote><hr>

[
edit: my apologies for being so blunt, but if you don't do the research, you leave yourself open to scams. Ignorance(as in not knowing of the changes) is not an excuse for being careless and allowing yourself to be taken advantage of.

[/ QUOTE ]


So, i'm an old lady 85 years old. I buy a 200.00 ticket to the broadway show. Some guy pretends to be an usher and has a jacket similar to the ones employees wear. He takes my ticket and walks away. It's my 85 year old fault I was scammed because I was not aware. guess I should have asked for ID...


Good thing the law doesn't see it this way. No idea what the virtual police think of such activities - You my friend need to learn right from wrong. That poor old lady was CHEATED out of her ticket....

[/ QUOTE ]

needs a bit of work ...
ushers are typically INSIDE the venue ...

your "usher" stole a "scammed" ticket ... either way ... granny is still inside the venue ... no ticket now ... but ... some one with a valid ticket ... is sitting in "her" seat ...

Your usher WAS arrested ... not for theft ... but for scalping the stolen ticket (unless he's dumb enough to confess as to how he got it ...

)

granny is still inside the venue ... without a seat ...
exactly where she would have been ... without the ushers intervention ...

Sorry granny ... should have checked the source of the ticket ...
The "legit" ticket for that seat ... $ 65.00 ... if you would have shopped around ...senior discount could have applied ...$59.95 ... If you'd have tried the ticket window first ... there were two unclaimed box seats ... free upgrade for new patrons of the arts (makes the theater look filled)

needs a bit of work ...

 

[imported_The_Dude_]

Ive never really understood how anyone gets cheated this way. All you have to do is initiate the trade first. They will not have both people standing on each other out in the open. If they keep closing the window thats because they are trying to scam you.

Some guy while ago was selling mace and shield for like 5 mil back when they were 9+. They were dyed black and he kept closing the window everytime. Finally he put them in there and they were the brightsight.

People just need to be careful. If your gonna pay alot of money for a pet gate somewhere secluded. Have a tracker. Not hard.

 

[Cygnas]

<blockquote><hr>

Ive never really understood how anyone gets cheated this way. All you have to do is initiate the trade first. They will not have both people standing on each other out in the open. If they keep closing the window thats because they are trying to scam you.

[/ QUOTE ]

If you buy a house or pet from another player, the house/pet owner has to initiate the trade... so this won't work.