Scam Awareness

In the past days, the number of scamming attempts by individuals have been rapidly increasing. We would like to educate and give awareness to players regarding this kinds of scams to help them avoid such.

wikia wrote:Scamming is the act of stealing money, items or accounts from another player through deception or trickery.

Objective:
Increase awareness of in-game and internet scams.
Identify some method of operations of scammers.
Provide accurate and reliable information to victims and potential victims
Warn people about fraud on the internet and in-game.
Help players protect themselves against scammers

Scammer's modus operandi
There are lots of different kinds of scam but I will just differentiate some common methods of scams:

1. Phishing scams
   
   Phishing is an act of attempting to acquire information such as username, password and credit card details. Phishing site is designed to steal some information and it also may contain download links that are infected with malware or keyloggers. It is usually done through emails messages, PMs and websites. You can easily determine a phishing site if the said site will require you to enter your account details and download some applications. So, beware of clicking and visiting any sites.
   
   
2. Item-switching scam
   
   The other side of the scam involves items that are so ridiculously cheap compared to its normal economic price. Scammers will try to sell their items in a cheap price which is too-good to be true and vice versa. If their potential victim got their bait, they will trade the "real" item first and when the victim accepts the trade, the scammer will decline the transaction and they will make alibis such as blaming it on lag or a misclick, then they will send another trade request. This time, the scammer will offer a much less valuable but similar-looking item in the trade window hoping the victim doesn't notice. This also happens in RP and perin transactions.
   
3. Team Scams
   
   Another one is in relation to Item-switching scam, but this method involves a third party. For instance, where in, two scammers will work together for this scam. One will be selling an item for a high price, higher than its market value, and another will claim to be buying the same item for an even higher price. An unsuspecting victim will buy the item from the first scammer at an inflated price, hoping to sell it to the second scammer for a profit. However, after the victim buys the item, both scammers will leave, resulting in a loss for the victim. In such instances, you must be keen in trading very carefully to avoid being cheated.
   
4. Staff Impersonation Scams and Mailbox Scams
   
   Another popular scam is GM impersonation which is basically, someone will pretend to be a GM by having a similar name of a real GM they are trying to impersonate. These scammers will look for potentially vulnirable players and they will ask for account details. They will make up some story as to why they need to get the said details.
   
   Scammers often use this tactic to send fake system messages such as pseudo-events requiring your account details informing that you have won a prize through mails and private message. Always remember that staffs will never demand for your usernames and passwords in order to claim your rewards. In addition to this, on-going events were usually announced through system shout and forum.
   
   Note: GM Impersonation in ANY form will result in a permanent ban.
   
5. Load, real currency and trade-in account Scams
   
   Account trading is the act of buying, selling, or otherwise trading an in-game items or Mazey flyff account for load, real-world money or other game accounts. Fraud always occurs when purchasing or selling game accounts and items. Players who are engaged in real-world trading or trade-in accounts and items may find themselves at risk of having their accounts compromised since they are easy bait for scammers.
   
   To avoid this scam, it is best to not sell, buy or trade-in an account in the first place, as that is against the Rules of Conduct of Mazey Flyff.
   

How to prevent these scams and things to remember:

• The number one way to avoid it all together is to pay attention to what you are doing. Staffs will not refund or reimburse your items if you are being scammed.
  
• If the person is advertising any hacking program, it is more than likely a scam.
  
• If you have any suspicions that a person you are dealing with is not a reliable seller or buyer of the item, all you have to do is to drop off the conversation and ignore his PMs.
  
• Staffs will NEVER ask for your account details such as username, password and email.
  
• Never believe in-game solicitations or false events which are done through mails. Remember that on-going events are announced through system shout.
  
• Always check the item/s carefully before accepting the trade.
  
• Always verify the red perin/ perin amount if it is correct.
  
• Do not trust someone to try your item, to exchange your accounts, to upgrade your item or let them borrow your account even they are your close friends in-game.
  
• Do not download and install any suspicious programs.
  
• Do not share your account login information with anyone.
  
• Do not enter your login details into any website except www.mazeyflyff.com
  
• Do not sell, buy or trade-in accounts for load, real-currency and other game accounts/items.
  

Note: The server will not compensate or restore items and accounts lost as a result of being scammed as any trades are our player's sole responsibility.


Sources:
Wiki
Wikia
Scam Warners