STEAM GROUP
TF2 Outpost by Fanbyte
Membership by invitation only
STEAM GROUP
TF2 Outpost by Fanbyte
160,732
MEMBERS
2,117
IN-GAME
21,850
ONLINE
Founded
7 August, 2011
Language
English
Overview Announcements Discussions Events Members Comments Curator
Thimple ThighMan 29 Oct, 2014 @ 5:19am
The 'reverse' sell Scam
This has happened twice to me now. I'm sure this is not new and a lot of people are well aware of it, but this quite subtle scam is quite easy to fall for (especially if you're tired - or drunk! )

You have a Gift advertised, let's say for 3 TF2 Keys.

A direct trade comes in and you see it's the Gift and 3 Keys in the trading window. You're just about to accept when you notice that the gift is THEIRS and the keys are YOURS!

I fell for this, this morning, luckily only for one key, when I had just crawled out of bed.

The first time this was attempted someone actually added me.

I say in the chat window, 'Hello...how can I help?' There was complete silence. 'Hello....' again, silence.

Next thing is a comment on my profile! 'Added you for Payday 2' (so they CAN write).

So, I say, 'OK, shall we trade then?'...again..silence.

Next thing is a direct trade offer NOT via the chat window.

THEIR game copy for MY keys.

Nearly fell for that too. They then removed the comment from my profile and I reported them to Steam for attempted trade scamming. Do Steam actually do anything.

Hope this helps someone.

< >
Showing 1-7 of 7 comments
LiddoJunior 29 Oct, 2014 @ 9:43am 
I don't even consider this a scam.

This is an issue between miscommunication and language barriers.
They personally don't know that left is have and that right is want, they usually think that is reverse when searching.
They honestly believe you are buying at that price so they added you, told you they added you regarding the game. And when you add keys there is nothing odd going on in the trade.

You just didn't make it clear that you were the one selling, and steam won't do anything since this isn't even close to being a scam. You just aren't paying attention to your own actions such as buying instead of selling.

They are "quiet" it's just that they are slow at translating because english is not their native language!!
Last edited by LiddoJunior; 29 Oct, 2014 @ 9:44am
#1
Thimple ThighMan 29 Oct, 2014 @ 10:14am 
In the example above they were competent enough to write 'added you for Payday 2' on my front page, so lack of English comprehension seems unliklely.

It's of course very difficult to prove these people's original intent, yes, it's possible they may have been a seller mistaking my ad as me being the buyer, or it could have been deliberate.

I don't expect Steam to refund me, as it was my fault for accepting the trade.

But, Steam don't appear to do anything at all. I've reported about 30 odd phisher bots (I get about 2-3 a night fairly regularly) and they don't even acknowledge the report or ask for more information. So, I gave up.

Scam or not, just be careful when accepting trades which appear to be exactly what you asked for, is the message here.
Last edited by Thimple ThighMan; 29 Oct, 2014 @ 10:15am
#2
anakin whore walker 29 Oct, 2014 @ 5:01pm 
Originally posted by Thimple ThighMan:
don't even acknowledge the report or ask for more information.
Steam doesn't respond to reports you submit against users so don't expect any from them. They could be handling the situation without your knowledge.
Last edited by anakin whore walker; 29 Oct, 2014 @ 5:03pm
#3
Thimple ThighMan 29 Oct, 2014 @ 5:05pm 
Apparently, I have the 'this user has been reported for trade scams...' pop-up too! That's really made my day complete!

I get ripped-off, now I'm a scammer!

Steam's a bloody joke.
Last edited by Thimple ThighMan; 29 Oct, 2014 @ 5:07pm
#4
LiddoJunior 30 Oct, 2014 @ 9:49am 
Google translate exist.
I get plenty of adds by users who are mistaken that I am selling, not buying. Its not uncommon nor is it a scam.

Steam won't get back to you to follow up with your reports, you won't be informed of their actions. And steam does take action, sometimes faster than SR they trade lock accounts and those who have traded for the stolen items.

And that message is useless, trolls can report you and its only something that shows up after you have accumulated plenty of those reports. It goes away in time. You aren't flagged as a scammer
#5
Thimple ThighMan 30 Oct, 2014 @ 9:59am 
OK, anything's possible. But, why does a user add me, then ignore the chat window after translating their foreign language and go the indirect route of posting the translated text on my profile page?!

If the boot was on the other foot, I would have pre-prepared a few likely phrases to copy and paste into the chat window.

I'd like to see definitive proof that you only get tagged with that scamming message after multiple reports i.e. from a Steam representative themselves, because it seems a bit of a coincidence that the day after I report someone, I get falsely tagged too.

I've never scammed anyone, but I've certainly rejected lots and lot and lots of ridiculous offers for gifts, such as emoticons for a Payday 2, 4-pack etc. If they were annoyed because they were rejected, then there'll be an awful lot of annoyed trolls out there. :)

#6
ReTired xPert ツ 30 Oct, 2014 @ 6:57pm 
Yes, there are A LOT of trolls and stupid people out there, depending on what items you trade you attract a lot of them, e.g. scrap.tf is the home of the kids and ponies, pretty much every of their bots have the scammer tags, and their bots are working pretty well, never got a wrong trade, so they defo dont scam you. Of the warehouse bots only a few are tagged ;-).
#7
< >
Showing 1-7 of 7 comments
Per page: 1530 50

All Discussions > General Discussions > Topic Details
Date Posted: 29 Oct, 2014 @ 5:19am
Posts: 7
Start a New Discussion

Discussions Rules and Guidelines