Ingame Scam Prevention

[JohnSins]

Just wanted to make a thread specifically to give tips and tricks to identify a possible scammer, avoid being scammed, and what to do if someone is trying to or did scam you. This is very crucial nowadays, because MnF will officially NOT compensate you for being scammed by an unapproved seller. So read this to avoid arguing with a mod or a dev about losing a lot of money to a scammer. Any other tips/tricks are greatly appreciated, because this is for the community. Hopefully people will realize that these are very soundproof ways to avoid getting scammed and they become common practice.
FOR BUYERS:
Identifying a possible scammer:
1. THEY CONTACT YOU FIRST: Most them will tell you that they are “selling codes” and ask if you want one. Of course this is a generalization, but assuming they have very desirable prices for their codes, people should be going to them not the other way around.
2. THEY ARE UNAPPROVED: This is crucial, most reputable sellers are approved thoroughly by Kumori, and have to show him their codes every time now. Unapproved sellers are not vetted, and there is no insurance if you get scammed, so avoid MOST (not all) of the time. *Also some unapproved sellers think they are smart by putting “Approved” on their bio even if they are not, so check the list of approved sellers before continuing business!*
3. CODES ARE “TOO LOW” IN PRICES: These scammers know that people will take high risks if the reward is good enough, so they will vastly deflate the price of a code to entice you to take the bait. Unless you know the seller to be honest and cheap, codes should have around a 50k deviation from the average price.

Avoid being scammed:
After being told how much the code is by the seller...
1. SEND THEM A LINK: with a whole picture of your avatar (Most recent picture, with current clothes,hair style, color, bio, and money available). 
2. TELL THEM YOU SENT YOUR PROOF: of purchasing ability, your money, to them and that now they should send you the code, because your the one at risk, NOT them. If they are argue with you and are adamant that “money first” they are most likely scamming you. It’s YOUR money, unapproved sellers have no say in the matter, either they become approved or deal with having to send the code first, as your the one taking the risk with your money. They should accommodate you, not the other way around. *THIS STEP IS NOT FOR APPROVED SELLERS*.
3. ASK A MOD TO MEDIATE: the transaction (wait for one if you can’t find one), if they don’t approve of that, they are VERY HIGH RISK and most likely a scammer. This will scare away fake scammers, because they will get banned right on the spot if caught, but also the mod will check the code before hand before you send the money. 
4. USE THE BANK AT ALL TIMES: If your premium, use the bank, don’t be stubborn, or else your asking to be scammed! If your nonpremium, ask a close premium friend to transfer the money for you, so that they use the bank. Send the money to him/her via pole, then let them transfer it to the seller by bank, so that there is a record of purchase, and the money is traceable. *IF YOU CANT FIND A PREMIUM FRIEND TO HELP YOU, I AM MORE THAN HAPPY TO HELP, BUT ASK ME FOR MY CONSENT FIRST BEFORE ASSUMING AND STARTING YOUR BUSINESS*
5. LET THEM KNOW THE PM’S WILL BE ON THE FORUM: This should scare away any fake sellers that are stubborn themselves. Just pm them nicely that your going to post your convo on this thread so other people and mods can see that they are high risk and possible scammers. This is important and the main reason for this thread, to call out scammers and to avoid them. If they choose not to sell to you because you were being cautious with your money, POST the PM’s on this thread! Think about the community too. *SO DONT BE AFRAID TO POST YOUR CONVO WITH THE PIC OF THE AVATAR AND NAME OF THE SELLER*

What to do if you get scammed:
1. PM A MOD OR THE SUPPORT TEAM IMMEDIATELY: Get that person banned as soon as possible, so they can trace that money to the new avatar. You might even get lucky and get your money back...
2. WARN THE COMMUNITY: Put your convo on here so others can see that you were scammed and show the whole convo, from start to finish...None of that fishy business...
3. GO ON WITH YOUR LIFE: It’s not the end of the world, your probably not going to get your money back, and that’s very painful, but that just means you gotta follow my rules/tips/tricks more carefully. 

I have BOUGHT over 10 premium codes (I lost count), NONE which have been with an approved seller, because like youselves, I want a reasonable deal for when purchasing codes for my friends and I. So trusting this processing can be very benefiting, as long as you use your brain. Especially now since the T.O.S has changed.

FOR SELLERS: If your approved, then nothing to see here. Unapproved sellers should strive to be approved sellers as soon as possible. Nevertheless, If your afraid that someone is trying to scam you, ask them for multiple screenshots (give the buyer a 100/200 bucks to change their hairstyle/hair color  to one of your choosing and ask for a new screenshot immediately) of their avatar to see their purchasing ability. Also asking for a mod to mediate the transaction should be good enough, if they refuse to participate in that, then don’t sell to buyer. And if you can’t wait for the mod and aren’t satisfied by the first tip, well too bad... most of the uncertainty is from you, and you gotta take responsibility of the situation or just become an approved seller. 

As an occasional nonapproved seller myself, I have sold plenty of codes this way and have NEVER gotten scammed, so you should have no problem too, if you have faith in this method! But of course be safe, have insurance and our trust, and become an approved seller!

Below is a pic of a conversation I had with a scammer, this the ideal way to have a convo if your buying a code from a nonapproved seller. Feel free to add pic yourself so we can see all the scammers on mnf and get people to avoid them as well!

[Zephyr]

Good advice John.

I'm sure most scamming is done to buyers; does anyone have experience of it happening to sellers?

But proof of having money is not proof that it will be paid over. The risk is merely transferred to seller.

Would you sell my AV below a code for $100k? She does not have indicated $125k:  I pasted that from another Av.

I would not transfer code on basis of screen shot because I don't think mnf would help an unapproved seller.

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[Alexa_Darkness]

As a APPROVED SELLER, I support the above tips.

I am probably the only player who advertises that I supply Premium Codes... In fact if you Google MNF CLUB PREMIUM CODE I will come up in the search (although at present, I am taking a break from supplying codes, and just refunded about $800,000 in game cash to all my 34 Sex Pets).

[JohnSins]

(05-03-2018, 05:41 PM)Zephyr Wrote: Good advice John.

I'm sure most scamming is done to buyers; does anyone have experience of it happening to sellers?

But proof of having money is not proof that it will be paid over. The risk is merely transferred to seller.

Would you sell my AV below a code for $100k? She does not have indicated $125k:  I pasted that from another Av.

I would not transfer code on basis of screen shot because I don't think mnf would help an unapproved seller.

---

    I have to agree to disagree on that statement, we don’t actually know whether that’s true or not as most of these reports are sent to support so we don’t see all of them, but even so, most of the complaints on the forum have been about getting scammed by sellers. 

     Nonetheless, I would either ask a mod to facilitate our exchange and/or gave you money to buy a new outfit or hair to one of my choosing ($100 skirt or hair color) and send me a new screenshot with the new said changes within a couple minutes. You think you can photoshop that quickly? I’m sure mods will help facilitate any exchange, and there is no way to scam around that as a seller will have to show the mod the code first before the mod can give the ok on the money transfer.

   Anyways, the point was to encourage every seller to be an approved seller, and that if they choose not to be, so be it, but hopefully they can take the pressure of having to go through unnecessary hoops  that I had to do as a sporadic unapproved seller just to make a quick buck. 

    If everyone follows the tips above, there should be no way anyone gets scammed anymore. Just gotta use the resources available and your mind!

[Zephyr]

We don’t disagree. You said most scamming is done by sellers: I said most scamming is done to buyers. Isn’t that the same thing?

Asking a mod is a good idea but have you asked if they willing to help? Hard to find anyway.

Yes, I think that I could do it in a couple of minutes by using something simpler than photoshop. But proof of having money still does not prove it will be paid.

Being an approved seller is best but is it worth it if you just want to do it once because you have a spare code?

What happens if an approved seller was scammed? Do mnf revoke certificate and return it to seller?

It’s good advice John. I just think it needs a little refinement.

[JohnSins]

The most updated portion of the T.O.S:
“5. If any player decides to involve in a transaction with a code seller that is not found on the Approved Code Sellers list (you can find it at http://www.mnfclub.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=1592), is fully responsible for any outcome of that transaction. No in-game/real money will be refunded if the user lost the in-game/real money as a consequence of a transaction between the said player and a code seller that is not present on the Approved Code Sellers list.”

Well the terms of service doesn’t specifically state that it’s limited to only buyers. A case can easily be made that “Any players...involved in a transaction...with a seller not found on the approved list is fully responsible”. The approved seller is “any player”...”involved in a transaction” that happens to be the approved seller, thus lawfully protected by mnf from scam buyers. So that’s definitely a worthwhile perk of being an approved seller!

On the other note, I missread what you said about the majority of complaints regarding scams, I apologize...

[Emmie]

If this was already mentioned, I do apologise. But it's good to also remember that some scam by selling the same code to several people. And because a lot of people buy to then sell on, it means they won't notice it right away. This type of scamming can be quite hard to catch before it's too late. And that is why it is very recommended to use an approved seller, cause even if they scam you, you can get your money back.

[JohnSins]

Ingame name: Sellingcodeforcheap
Another code scammer! Asked her if she wanted a moderator to moderate the exchange, so she told me she was “scared” and said I should go to an approved seller... watch out everyone, she is still roaming MnF, so DO NOT buy from her, she is super high risk!!! 
#Scaringscammers 

[Vrook]

Maybe it was a scam attempt. But again, if you get across people that actually scammed you, it's a must that you report them before posting on forum/looking for mods in-game.

[Zephyr]

Is it a scam?
Sending a pic showing money does not mean you will pay. I would be wary.
She then actually advises you to buy from an approved seller. She seems more scared of being ripped off herself.
She might not understand the role of mods: not sure if they even want to get involved even if you can find one.
She never forced anything and I would not sell to you just because you could prove, and I have shown to you that that can be faked, that you have a certain sum.