Banner courtesy of @PhobiaHow to Avoid Scammers Hi everyone! In light of the growing issues pertaining to scamming and new players being taken advantage of, this thread has been made to help. If you have any specific questions, comments, or concerns, you’re welcome to wall me @Day. What is scamming? Scamming in its most basic form is a dishonest scheme or fraudulent act. This can include any sort of activity in-game that seeks to gain items from other players through deception or dishonesty about a situation. Can I report a player for scamming? Scamming on its own is not against the Terms of Use but, in some extreme cases of abuse, further action may be taken. Ultimately, all players are expected to be responsible for their items and make their own decisions on gifting and trading. Avoiding Scammers ▹ Use the trading system! All players can friend each other and make use of this handy tool. This allows both players to preview the items that they will be exchanged before the item(s) leave their account. ▹ Claims of Authenticity and “Trusted Trader” Stamps. Although these may seem helpful, these sorts of posts can be unauthentic in an attempt to fool you into trusting them. PIMD has a fantastic trading system that bears no need for proof of ability to trade! ▹ Trades that cannot go through the trading system. Certain items such as Hypnocats or Money Dogs cannot be traded (Examples: Flashes, Buddy Box Bombs, DVP and Tutorstrip). This can lead to difficulties in ensuring a fair trade. It is a common practice to wait to pay until the item has been dropped in the party. Ask friends and club mates for recommendations on trusted droppers to ensure scamming doesn’t occur. ▹ Links and any Third Party Platforms. ATA does not moderate third-party platforms, so any abuse that occurs off-game can not be regulated. Therefore, clicking any links provided or conducting trades through apps other than PIMD is strongly advised against. ▹ Real World Currency. The use of RWC in exchange for in-game items is against the Terms of Use and never permitted. Any player asking for a RWC exchange should not be trusted since the exchange itself is against the rules. ▹ Account Information. Some scammers may offer to buy Extra Credits or other items on your account for you, as a way to take items or your account itself. Keep in mind that account sharing in any capacity is a bannable offense, so avoid sharing private information. ▹ Price Checking and Rarity. Although buying at a low price isn't technically scamming, it does allow one player to gain an advantage over another player's lack of knowledge. Therefore, price checking and understanding rarity is important! Many players often use one of the many threads linked at the bottom of this thread or ask in Campus for pricing. ▹ If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Although there are many kind and generous players on PIMD, it is a good idea to question why a player is giving away an item of high value in exchange for that of a lower one. Generally speaking, most players won't make these kinds of exchanges so it is often best to proceed with caution. Spotting a Potential Scammer Scammers come in all shapes and forms, but many do tend to use similar techniques to gain items and other benefits. Keep in mind though that scammers are consistently finding new ways to work around the rules, so these examples are not the only possibilities. Common Examples: “The next 10 people to send me a chibi will get something from my showcase!” “Giving out 20 🍱! Gift me any furniture item for a chance to get one.” “Gift me a stat item and I’ll send you a bento from my main.” “Opening boxes and gifting back what I get! Gift me!!” Updated Note 11/16/2023: Developers will never request account information through DMs or contact you from a third-party source. If this happens to you, please check in with a moderator or communicate through support. DISCLAIMER: Not all players who make these types of posts are scammers. But, based on common scamming tactics these examples were given. Taking Action Against Scammers Public defamation is against the Terms of Use and is silenceable regardless of if claims are true or not. This means that any accusations made on a public channel are not permitted. NO: “Lyssa is a scammer!” “Don’t trust Atlas, he scammed me out of a cat and never dropped.” “Phobia stole my 999 and then blocked me, don’t trade with her!” “Report @Pride for scamming!!” Walling a Player Calling them a Scammer Asking People to Check Your Wall for a Scammer YES: “Remember to use the trading system when possible to avoid being taken advantage of!” “Try getting a price check from a friend to ensure you get a fair price for your items.” Warning Players in Gifts or PMs Giving Advice IF you feel that a player is abusing alternate accounts or is breaking the Terms of Use in some way pertaining to the event of scamming, it is best to run it by a Moderator or send in a Help Ticket via Support. [UPDATED 11/8/23]Things that we may take action on: Sugar Baby scams are prevalent now, and can be taken care of by a moderator. These messages are from players who will try to collect your banking information. They are not real, and they will not give you any money. So for your own sake, do not give them any information. FAQ Why can’t I call out a scammer on a public channel? Spoiler Calling another player a "scammer" is considered public defamation regardless of if accusations are true or false. This is because there is no easy way to verify that claim. If we allowed defamation, people would just throw claims around about anyone they didn’t like. Therefore, it is not permitted to claim another player is a "scammer". Why isn’t scamming against the ToU? Spoiler Scamming is extremely hard to verify since much of the issue does not take place on a public channel and is often based on hearsay. In terms of pricing "scams", part of the beauty of the game is the ability to create pricing within the community, so it becomes difficult to limit trading in that regard. Additionally, players are expected to be responsible for their items and trades, especially since PIMD does have a complete trade system that can be easily accessed by all players. Can I farm another player to get my items back? Spoiler As long as the item is a valid CF term, it is entirely acceptable to choose to farm the accused scammer in hopes of getting items returned. For more background information regarding PvP and Farming, check out this detailed guide here. What do I do if I was scammed? Spoiler For the most part, since players are responsible for the gifting and trading that occurs on their account, little can be done to recover items if the exchange was made on the player's own accord. IF you believe a player(s) has broken the ToU in some way, you may report it to a mod or to Support in a Help Ticket. Thank You Editing, Proofreading & Overall Being Amazing @-iLyssaTheGummyBearKissa- @Atlas @Phobia Special shout out to Lyssa for taking the time to comb through my mess of a guide. I appreciate you so much! Other Useful Threads Forum Code of Conduct Privacy Policy Terms of Use Guide of Mods/HS/Devs Silences, Bans & Related Issues Guide for New Players Furniture Pricing Thread General FAQ Thread You can learn more and find other helpful links here.
“The next 10 people to send me a chibi will get something from my showcase!” “Giving out 20 🍱! Gift me any furniture item for a chance to get one.” “Gift me a stat item and I’ll send you a bento from my main.” “Opening boxes and gifting back what I get! Gift me!!”
I think I was scammed or just taken advantage of but either way this guy wanted to buy all my starred furnitures so I gave him a huuuge discount. After all the trades, he insisted that there should be more items (69 in total) but all I traded was only 59 items. I didn't bother to count all my starred furnis (so stupid) but I sent him my price list and told him that's everything is fairly calculated. To settle things between us I added 10 more furnitures.
just a reminder to players to be nice to each other, just because someone got scammed or taken advantage of doesn’t mean they lack common sense or are “stupid”. it happens to us all, especially when you’re a new player.
@funky44 public defamation is against the rules of the game and forum. This thread literally says that.
I could be wrong but aren’t what you call scammers just great negotiators. If ATA really cared about scamming wouldn’t they just refund the person that got got. Tru votes end discrimination against great negotiators in 2021. : (
Lol. Why should ATA pays for is. Some people will also hide stuff in alts r creat a fake drama to claim. Read this thread 10times more and stop blaming ATA.