BE SMARTER THAN THE CON ARTISTS!

Thieves know that the only way they can steal from you is IF YOU LET THEM
so they are always coming up with new tricks and cons to try.  

We are going to show you a few of them here,
but keep in mind that your best defense is using common sense
and remembering that all you have to do is to say NO.

Don't fall into their traps.
Don't buy into their cons.
Don't hand them your items.
Don't put them on your lease.
If something sounds fishy or you are not fully comfortable with a situation,
listen to yourself...
you might just save yourself some grief.

Here are a few actual scenarios that have happened in Kymer
(though names and actual text have not been used).

I HAVE SOMETHING FOR YOU...

A Con walked up to an Avatar and told them they had been looking for them
because they had a gift for them.  The Con refused to say who the gift was from
and insisted that it could only be given in the Avi's turf.

Luckily, the Avatar was suspicious of this and said NO.
Apparently, there was no gift from a friend,
it was just a ploy to get into their turf.

If there really was a friend that asked this person to give the Avatar a gift, then the friend should fully understand his/her reluctance and be able to find a different way to give the gift.

THIS IS FOR YOU, SEE, YOU CAN TRUST ME NOW!

In a similar situation, the thief actually gave the Avatar a gift then asked to see their turf.
The Avatar took them to their turf.
Upon entry, items were taken from an open chest.
Just remember that all people that give you gifts are not necessarily your friends.
Real trust and friendship comes over time - not just because they say you are their friend
or because they give you something.

DOUBLE TEAM

Another variation is when there are two Cons working together.
One gets the intended victim to show them their turf (using any numerous reasons).
After they have gone to another room, the second thief enters the turf
(if the owner has not locked it after the first person enters)
and steals unglued items (or items in chests) from the vacated room(s).

Be careful who you let in, lock the turf after your guest/guests have arrived and make sure that EVERYTHING is glued down.

SHOW ME THE ID

A very common Con that occurs way tooooo often.
It can take place in a turf or in a public locale.

If someone asks to see an item so they can see the ID:
DON'T hand it to them
DON'T set it down on the street
DON'T set it down in your turf
for them to ID it.

If you hand it to them, you have just given them the item.
If you set the item down on the street, the Con or their buddy can grab it.
If you set the item down in your turf, you better hope that you are faster than they are
(and hope you don't run into a lag)
or they can pick it up and take it.
If you set it down in THEIR turf, you might just find yourself booted and locked out.

What if someone wants to BUY your item
but insists on seeing the ID first?
Very simple, Page an Acolyte.
Hand the item to the Acolyte and the Acolyte can tell the other person the ID.

Unfortunately, many people don't bother doing this
(or getting a middle person for a sale which will be discussed later).
When asked why they didn't (after their item is stolen)
they often say "I figured I could trust this person."
When asked if they know the person, they say NO.

Believe me, Acolytes would much rather have you page them to be a middle person
than to see you have your item taken because you have handed it over to a Con.

If there is no Acolyte on duty,
get in touch with someone you know - or someone you know to be trustworthy.

SAY "MIDDLE PERSON" PLEASE!

You are buying or selling something.
The deal is with someone you don't know.
You ask for a middle-person.
The other person says "Sure" and gets someone you don't know (not an Acolyte).
WAIT... two people you don't know is NOT better than 1 person you don't know.
Request someone that you know.
Better yet, page an Acolyte.
If the person says they won't buy it with a middle person (or an Aco)
tell them: "NO SALE"
then pat yourself on the back for not getting ripped off!

This also holds true for a shop that you don't know
that is run by an avatar that you don't know.
Don't set an item you are selling down on the ground so they can see the ID.
You might just find yourself booted from the turf WITHOUT your item.

Don't just hand an item or tokens over to someone you don't know.
Use an Acolyte or or someone that both parties know and agree to as a middle person.

How does a Middle Person help?
Let's say you are buying a lockable chest for 20K.
You page an Acolyte.
When the Acolyte arrives, you give them the 20K.
They will ask the seller how much they are selling it for and verify the amount they have been handed.
The seller hands you the chest.
You verify the item, ID and that the key is inside the chest.
The Acolyte then gives the 20K to the seller.

This protects BOTH parties.
If you don't give the Aco enough, the seller doesn't give you the item.
If the seller doesn't give you the item, the Aco doesn't give the seller your T's.

PUT ME ON YOUR LEASE

Another common problem is people trying to get onto other peoples leases.

The person you met 5 minutes ago that now wants to be put on your lease may NOT be your new best friend.  If you put them on your lease, you probably just lost your turf and everything in it.

There are some very reputable turf decorators.
Unfortunately, there are some that are not.
Before you agree to let someone decorate your turf
(you have to put them on the lease for that)
check them out.  Talk to people you know.
Talk to people that have had their turf decorated by them.
Ask around.
Get references - just like you would in the RW.

GIVE ME YOUR ACCOUNT INFO

No staff member is going to approach you and ask for your account information.
If someone does, page an Acolyte.

If you approach a staff member with a problem (like an Acolyte or someone in Member Support), it is a different situation because it is someone YOU have approached.

If you ever question an email, ESP mail or request from someone who claims to be staff,
check it out first:
Page an Acolyte, send an email to Avaterra, ask someone in Member Support.
If it sounds fishy to you, it probably is!

HELP ME!  HELP ME!

One of the saddest cons comes from those that claim that this or that terrible thing happened to them.
So-and-so robbed me blind... suddenly everyone is giving them items.

Believe it or not, there have been cases where the so-called "Thief" was actually that persons alt!

Not all cases fall into this category, but some do.
Simply Be Aware.

Surely you have heard of the newbie that isn't really a newbie.
This doesn't mean to turn your back on all newbies.
Nor is that the intention of adding it here...
the point is to Be Aware.

There are lots of wonderful newbies (after all, you were a newbie once, right?)
and many of them really do need and do deserve everyone's help.
Just Be Aware.

There is no way we could cover all of the possible Con's here.
Hopefully the ones mentioned have made you think though...
and perhaps it will make you stop and think
if someone approaches you with something that doesn't seem quite right.

When you come across something that doesn't seem right
or someone asking you something strange (like to see the ID on an item)
stop and ask yourself:
How well do I know this person?
Do I care if they take my item?
Is this really a SMART thing to do?

Most of the folks IW are wonderful and wouldn't dream of trying to con someone.
Unfortunately, there are those that are cons.
Use your head and use common sense...
Remember that:

Thieves CAN NOT steal unless YOU LET THEM.

It's your "stuff" and your choice.

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