I Feel a Scam Comin'

On a warning about some Trading Post deals that really are too good to be true

by sterlingr76

Ever see a deal on the Trading Post that you just couldn't resist making an offer on? Well, it seems some scammers are using that tactic to try and milk you out of your stuff...only they're not trying to get your password, they're promising to give you theirs. Here's a look at three of these types of "great deals" I've seen on the Trading Post in the last couple weeks, the flaws I've spotted in them that make them too good to be true, and how they could get you in a lot of trouble.

SCAM ONE: "I'm getting out of NeoPets and giving away my account, highest amount of NPs or rarest items gets my password." (Used by many different accounts, in different wordings.) Now think about it...if this person was quitting, why would they care about how expensive or rare your offer was? This is the most obvious of the three scams; once the trade is complete, they simply block your user name from their Neomail and never hear from you again. They have your stuff and you've got zilch.

SCAM TWO: "My g/f cheated on me so I'm giving away her account. It has 170,433 NPs and heaps of items. If you want it, then bid! Full under water map or about 10,000 NPs or really good battle items will win!!!" (Exact same message used by two or three accounts, most likely all owned by the same person)

The tip-off here is they're supposedly giving away *someone else's* account. That means (if this is even true) that their "girlfriend" still has the password and could still access it, and you know that the NeoPets staff will crack down hard on anyone accessing someone else's account. And even if it isn't true, then it's simply Scam One in a different package.

SCAM THREE: "Sign up for my shop's contest and you could win an account with 1,000,000 NPs!!!" (Only seen once, but it might resurface again. Some guilds also advertise a giveaway like this if you join them)

Usually shop contests consist of "whoever buys the most stuff wins," and there have been many complaints of shops running fake contests just to drive up sales. You'd do better to put those Neopoints in the bank rather than spend them all in the hope that you'll get a big reward.

In all three of these cases, the main thing you need to remember is that even if these "great deals" *are* true, and the person *does* give you the password to their account, you could get in big, BIG trouble for accessing an account that isn't yours. And if they aren't true (and they most likely aren't), then dealing with them will only result in you getting suckered out of whatever you bid for the account they never intended to give you in the first place. It's automatically a lose-lose-situation for you.

However, if you see one of these scams, I highly encourage you to warn others about it before someone else gets taken advantage of. (I also hope the NeoPets staff will be considering ways to combat this as well, since it will be very problematic if people are continually being ripped off at the Trading Post by these.) Remember folks; never give out your password, and never try to buy someone else's either.