Scam Types dot Com

Since the advent of the internet there has been a growing trade in virtual goods. This probably started with reports and then informational ebooks that could be electronically downloaded after payment. Such trades were commonplace on auction sites such as ebay. Though they have enforced stricter rules, you will still see many sellers offering such digital products.

More recently, however, a new tradeable commodity has come to light - characters, cash and equipment from the new massively multiplayer online roleplaying games (mmorpgs) that have gained in popularity in recent years.

Auction sites like ebay and gameplaying forums the world over have seen a sudden rise in trades of real world cash for online, virtual goods. Typically, this was fuelled by lazy gamers who wished to gain experience points, levels, equipment, etc without having to invest the necessary time to gain the advancements themselves. Many game developers moved quickly to outlaw this type of practice. However, it still goes on if you know where to look.

This has led to a new type of scam though. Just like the emails you can receive from “paypal” asking you to verify your details, phishing has become common amongst the mmorpg community. The email that the scammers issue states that unusual activity has been detected on your account. Of course, you need to sign in through their link in the email in order to verify your details.

Do this, however, at your peril - once the scammer has your details you are likely to find your password changed and your account sold to a third party in the blink of an eye. Currently there are no legal practices to deal with this type of transaction and likely none will be in place in the near future. Therefore, it is down to each individual game player to remain vigilant. Lose your account to one of these scammers and it is highly likely that you will be able to do nothing about it whatsoever.

With the “legitimate” trade in virtual property going underground due to the game developers’ rules it is hard to estimate how much trade actually occurs. Some estimates put the figure at up to $1bn a year! As with every area in life, such large figures will always attract the fraudsters and the scammers. Some companies, such as Blizzard who developed World of Warcraft, have now relented and allowed trade of items through their own online marketplace. However, this is still very much done with “caveat emptor” - let the buyer beware!

So, in conclusion, I believe it would be right to say that mmorpgs offer tremendous opportunities for gameplayers both in terms of the fun of playing them and in the potential to make real world cash if so inclined. Just be careful who you give your log in details to though!