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False Bribes And Gift Scams

AuthorMessage
Survivor
Sep 27, 2015
21
I come here with a warning. Please, please, please, please, PLEASE, don't listen if someone says that they'll gift you, unless you actually are their friend in real life, or you have been their friend for a while. Don't let anyone who isn't someone you know put you under the illusion that they'll gift you, no matter how convincing they seem. This had just happened to me today, about thirty minutes ago, and boy, I had payed the price.

I was in the bazaar, in the midst of the usual struggle of trying to buy stone blocks, when a level twenty in a mooshu costume from Eloise came in and said, "I really need help, and I'll gift anyone that helps me level up". Now, I immediately thought that this was fake, but I wanted to see how pathetic this was going to be, so I, a level 67 storm in waterworks gear, say, "Sure, I'll help". There was another guy, level 107, who also said, "I'll help too". So, the level 20 in unstitched gear explained that if we do Winterbane with him, then he'll gift us. Now, tier 2 Winterbane is pretty easy, so I thought, hmm, this won't take long. So after finishing the first floor, before battling Tyrfang, I tell him "I've dealt with fakes in the past, so I would just like you to clarify how this is going to work". He says that he has 10k that he can spend on me and the 107, and he actually had a convincing story about his birthday and how he had so much crowns to spend on everything.

It was at this moment I actually believed him, so it's also my fault for trusting him. Now, the 107 was affected worse than me. HE ACTUALLY SPENT CROWNS ON HENCHMEN TO SAVE THE LEVEL TWENTY'S HIDE, WHO KEPT MAKING POOR CHOICES IN COMBAT, AND HOE DOES LEVEL TWENTY REPAY HIM? HE DOESN'T! After we finally beat Erikur, level twenty says thanks, and leaves. I ask him, "What would you be willing to buy for us?", and he ignores my question, and instead asks, "can you help me level up again?". "Sorry, I can't. I can later, but could you get me the gift right now?", I ask him, and then he removes himself from my friends list. Now, I don't know if this is a bannable offence, so I was hesitant to report him. But my gosh, he wasted an hour and a half of my day, and he wasted level 107's crowns.

Believe me, you do not want to feel like this. I hope by reading this, you can avoid situations like this yourself. So as I said, please, please, please, please, PLEASE, don't let someone do this to you, just for your time's sake. If anyone else has had an experienced like this, please, do share, and let the community know how big a problem this is.

Michael Starhunter, Level 67

Defender
Nov 19, 2009
127
There is a really useful tool called "common sense," have you heard of it? Seriously, do you think someone is going to give you 10k crowns worth of items for helping them with a non-essential dungeon? $20 for a video game? I don't empathize at all with people that get scammed like that; it was entirely preventable.

Delver
Jun 17, 2012
204
I am sorry this happened to you Michael. That was a story with a horrid end, but you told it well. I also spend time helping people, I just like to help. I hope you are not going to turn away from people who ask for help, (maybe just not promising anything in return). I am happy to be your friend, no strings attached. Good luck in the spiral and thank you for sharing this lesson.

Autumn Wild Heart

Delver
Aug 21, 2013
234
I think you were all in the wrong. First, should be willing to help without expecting anything in return. Especially if you are an adult and the other person is a kid, which they were (or at least were pretending to be). After helping, if they offer you something as a way of saying thanks, that's different, because you weren't trying to charge for the help but they are trying to give you something anyways. I've helped other players before and told them that it was my pleasure, ie, no need to gift me anything. Doing that, if I don't get anything (and I usually don't because I tend to refuse), I'm not disappointed.

Defender
Nov 05, 2010
170
TheCanadianHorse on Dec 5, 2016 wrote:
I come here with a warning. Please, please, please, please, PLEASE, don't listen if someone says that they'll gift you, unless you actually are their friend in real life, or you have been their friend for a while. Don't let anyone who isn't someone you know put you under the illusion that they'll gift you, no matter how convincing they seem. This had just happened to me today, about thirty minutes ago, and boy, I had payed the price.

I was in the bazaar, in the midst of the usual struggle of trying to buy stone blocks, when a level twenty in a mooshu costume from Eloise came in and said, "I really need help, and I'll gift anyone that helps me level up". Now, I immediately thought that this was fake, but I wanted to see how pathetic this was going to be, so I, a level 67 storm in waterworks gear, say, "Sure, I'll help". There was another guy, level 107, who also said, "I'll help too". So, the level 20 in unstitched gear explained that if we do Winterbane with him, then he'll gift us. Now, tier 2 Winterbane is pretty easy, so I thought, hmm, this won't take long. So after finishing the first floor, before battling Tyrfang, I tell him "I've dealt with fakes in the past, so I would just like you to clarify how this is going to work". He says that he has 10k that he can spend on me and the 107, and he actually had a convincing story about his birthday and how he had so much crowns to spend on everything.

It was at this moment I actually believed him, so it's also my fault for trusting him. Now, the 107 was affected worse than me. HE ACTUALLY SPENT CROWNS ON HENCHMEN TO SAVE THE LEVEL TWENTY'S HIDE, WHO KEPT MAKING POOR CHOICES IN COMBAT, AND HOE DOES LEVEL TWENTY REPAY HIM? HE DOESN'T! After we finally beat Erikur, level twenty says thanks, and leaves. I ask him, "What would you be willing to buy for us?", and he ignores my question, and instead asks, "can you help me level up again?". "Sorry, I can't. I can later, but could you get me the gift right now?", I ask him, and then he removes himself from my friends list. Now, I don't know if this is a bannable offence, so I was hesitant to report him. But my gosh, he wasted an hour and a half of my day, and he wasted level 107's crowns.

Believe me, you do not want to feel like this. I hope by reading this, you can avoid situations like this yourself. So as I said, please, please, please, please, PLEASE, don't let someone do this to you, just for your time's sake. If anyone else has had an experienced like this, please, do share, and let the community know how big a problem this is.

Michael Starhunter, Level 67
You can still talk to people without being there friend just right click there name in the chat, give them a hard time, like a really hard time. Same thing happened to me awhile back, someone asked me to trade them some polymorph Trent tc, I bought them traded them to him, he said he'd gift me. He didn't obviously, oh well, whatever doesnt really matter, slightly annoying but whatever. But the best thing was when someone asked me to help them quest, just like you, they said they'd gift. I knew full well they wouldn't I just wanted to see how he'd handle it after I helped him. He wanted help in the great spyre. So, I breezed through it, defeated malistare and so I asked him. "So, where is whatever you are gifting me?" He didn't respond and he left, I wasn't surprised. But I decided to take it one step further, he went back to the commons, I followed him. Well what do you know he was asking for stuff again. So I went up to the guy and I said "don't trust this guy, he is a filthy beggar." The guy who scammed me teleported away and unfriended me, but I knew how to speak to him, so as you'd imagine I gave him an absolute hard time, and you what? He deserved it.

Squire
Oct 29, 2011
586
Anil235 on Dec 8, 2016 wrote:
There is a really useful tool called "common sense," have you heard of it? Seriously, do you think someone is going to give you 10k crowns worth of items for helping them with a non-essential dungeon? $20 for a video game? I don't empathize at all with people that get scammed like that; it was entirely preventable.
Do you really think kids are going to have much sense?

Squire
Oct 29, 2011
586
Fangs McWolf on Dec 9, 2016 wrote:
I think you were all in the wrong. First, should be willing to help without expecting anything in return. Especially if you are an adult and the other person is a kid, which they were (or at least were pretending to be). After helping, if they offer you something as a way of saying thanks, that's different, because you weren't trying to charge for the help but they are trying to give you something anyways. I've helped other players before and told them that it was my pleasure, ie, no need to gift me anything. Doing that, if I don't get anything (and I usually don't because I tend to refuse), I'm not disappointed.
The problem is being promised a gift and receiving nothing in return.

Delver
Aug 21, 2013
234
frostednutella on Dec 10, 2016 wrote:
The problem is being promised a gift and receiving nothing in return.
Not really a problem. Someone offers to gift in return for help, simply turn it down. If someone is truly happy to gift as a way of thanking someone, they will offer again after receiving the help. By turning it down up front, it's already believed that there won't be any 'reward' for the help. If they see that there are people willing to help without getting gifted, then they might try asking (without offering to gift) in the future, which in turn means someone else won't be at risk of believing it and feeling ripped off when they don't get 'paid' for their efforts.

Survivor
Sep 27, 2015
21
I wish I had explained this sooner, but this was exaggerated, just so younger players could understand that, if you want something, don't count on other people.

Illuminator
Aug 03, 2016
1475
I am sorry this happened to you and the level 107.

The other person did not live up to the deal. They shouldn't offer if they can't or won't meet their end of the bargain.

I don't know if this is any better but I've helped people for free, helped them grind, and then they just suddenly vanish or log out when they get bored or whatever. It's kind of odd because I've sat there past when I was tired or bored just to help them try to farm what they wanted (in one case he couldn't get into the dungeon or battle any other way unless he ported to a friend), so I feel it's a bit abrupt when it's suddenly "BYE!" and they are gone before you can even reply.

I guess the only answer is to not do more than we are comfortable with 'if' the worst happened on the other person's part. But it's difficult to not help when we enjoy helping.

Since it was his idea I don't see anything wrong with the both of you accepting his offer of a gift, but, yeah unfortunately there are scammers, people do that in trades, too.

Illuminator
Aug 03, 2016
1475
TheCanadianHorse on Dec 12, 2016 wrote:
I wish I had explained this sooner, but this was exaggerated, just so younger players could understand that, if you want something, don't count on other people.
Wait, which part did you "exaggerate?"

Are you saying none of it happened?

Survivor
Sep 27, 2015
21
SparkleTude on Dec 13, 2016 wrote:
Wait, which part did you "exaggerate?"

Are you saying none of it happened?
It all happened, but how I said I was heartbroken and how this was the worst experience possible. Well, I didn't really say any of those, but I sure made it seem like that. I really only wanted to make sure other players didn't do this.

Illuminator
Aug 03, 2016
1475
TheCanadianHorse on Dec 13, 2016 wrote:
It all happened, but how I said I was heartbroken and how this was the worst experience possible. Well, I didn't really say any of those, but I sure made it seem like that. I really only wanted to make sure other players didn't do this.
Thanks for clarifying what you meant.

It's OK to use hyperbole in my opinion because emotions are subjective. What greatly affects one person might not bother the next person at all and vice versa.
Sorry that all happened to you and to the others they tricked.

Squire
Oct 29, 2011
586
Fangs McWolf on Dec 12, 2016 wrote:
Not really a problem. Someone offers to gift in return for help, simply turn it down. If someone is truly happy to gift as a way of thanking someone, they will offer again after receiving the help. By turning it down up front, it's already believed that there won't be any 'reward' for the help. If they see that there are people willing to help without getting gifted, then they might try asking (without offering to gift) in the future, which in turn means someone else won't be at risk of believing it and feeling ripped off when they don't get 'paid' for their efforts.
That really has nothing to do with what I said. The only possible way to know if someone is going to gift you is if you can see into the future.

Armiger
Jan 18, 2010
2280
TheCanadianHorse on Dec 5, 2016 wrote:
I come here with a warning. Please, please, please, please, PLEASE, don't listen if someone says that they'll gift you, unless you actually are their friend in real life, or you have been their friend for a while. Don't let anyone who isn't someone you know put you under the illusion that they'll gift you, no matter how convincing they seem. This had just happened to me today, about thirty minutes ago, and boy, I had payed the price.

I was in the bazaar, in the midst of the usual struggle of trying to buy stone blocks, when a level twenty in a mooshu costume from Eloise came in and said, "I really need help, and I'll gift anyone that helps me level up". Now, I immediately thought that this was fake, but I wanted to see how pathetic this was going to be, so I, a level 67 storm in waterworks gear, say, "Sure, I'll help". There was another guy, level 107, who also said, "I'll help too". So, the level 20 in unstitched gear explained that if we do Winterbane with him, then he'll gift us. Now, tier 2 Winterbane is pretty easy, so I thought, hmm, this won't take long. So after finishing the first floor, before battling Tyrfang, I tell him "I've dealt with fakes in the past, so I would just like you to clarify how this is going to work". He says that he has 10k that he can spend on me and the 107, and he actually had a convincing story about his birthday and how he had so much crowns to spend on everything.

It was at this moment I actually believed him, so it's also my fault for trusting him. Now, the 107 was affected worse than me. HE ACTUALLY SPENT CROWNS ON HENCHMEN TO SAVE THE LEVEL TWENTY'S HIDE, WHO KEPT MAKING POOR CHOICES IN COMBAT, AND HOE DOES LEVEL TWENTY REPAY HIM? HE DOESN'T! After we finally beat Erikur, level twenty says thanks, and leaves. I ask him, "What would you be willing to buy for us?", and he ignores my question, and instead asks, "can you help me level up again?". "Sorry, I can't. I can later, but could you get me the gift right now?", I ask him, and then he removes himself from my friends list. Now, I don't know if this is a bannable offence, so I was hesitant to report him. But my gosh, he wasted an hour and a half of my day, and he wasted level 107's crowns.

Believe me, you do not want to feel like this. I hope by reading this, you can avoid situations like this yourself. So as I said, please, please, please, please, PLEASE, don't let someone do this to you, just for your time's sake. If anyone else has had an experienced like this, please, do share, and let the community know how big a problem this is.

Michael Starhunter, Level 67
Don't be so gullible next time, you aren't the first he's conned and I'm sure you won't be the last. Unfortunately, that's just how some people are.



Happy Holidays Though!

Delver
Aug 21, 2013
234
frostednutella on Dec 14, 2016 wrote:
That really has nothing to do with what I said. The only possible way to know if someone is going to gift you is if you can see into the future.
What I said applies quite well in response to what you said.

By declining the offer up front, there is no expectation for them to gift. They get the help knowing that the helper isn't expecting anything in return, which in turn makes the situation more honest. They may even appreciate it enough to try to do something in return or to try to help someone else in the future. While it's less likely (given they weren't going to gift in the first place, regardless of promising to), it's still a possibility. Lead by example and some may learn by it.