Scams
Scamming is the act of stealing money, items or accounts from another player through deception or trickery. It is strictly against the Rules of RuneScape and can be punishable by a mute or ban. Scamming is as old as RuneScape itself, and the wide range of scams range from simple and obvious to clever and complex. Most scams involve tricking a victim in one way or another, although occasionally scammers will exploit flaws in the trade system, or even glitches in the game, to steal players' items.
Players can be reported for attempted or successful scamming. However, victims of scamming will not have their items returned to them, even if Jagex punishes the scammer.
Quick tips to avoid scamming
Players who adhere to the following suggestions will find it much easier to spot scams and avoid being fooled by them.
- If a deal seems too good to be true, it probably is a scam.
- For items you are not wiling to lose, it is advised at any point not to: Drop them, bring them into the Wilderness or dangerous Clan Wars, or offer them in trust trades (including gambling).
- Keep account information secure. Only enter it into the official RuneScape website and don't tell anyone else your password, recovery questions, or email address.
- Always carefully check the trade window to verify which items are being traded.
A trust trade occurs when a victim gives a scammer money or an item, trusting that the scammer will then return the favor, either by providing a service or by giving the victim a greater amount of money or a more valuable item. Instead, however, the scammer simply takes the victim's money and leaves. Trust trades may also occur when scammers ask to borrow items that cannot be lent, such as the various spirit shields.
Any players who consider engaging in a trust trade should factor in the risk that the recipient will steal their item or money. Even a friend or clan member could decide to abuse a player's trust and scam them out of millions of coins.
Doubling money
The money-doubling scam is one of the most popular scams in RuneScape, and can often be seen being performed at populated areas such as the Grand Exchange, particularly on trading worlds. The scammer will offer the victim a deal: If the victim trades the scammer some money, the scammer will then trade the victim double the victim's amount. The doubling occurs in a separate trade; the money must first be given to the scammer. Doubling money, therefore, is a trust trade. After the scammer receives the victim's money they will simply log out.
Over time this scam has evolved to appear more legitimate. For example, in order to establish credibility, the scammer will often double small amounts of money (such as 50,000 coins) before accepting a larger amount and logging out. Some players will simply take this smaller amount and leave; much to the dismay of the scammer. Some scammers may also have other players pretend to have their money doubled by the scammer, and stand around talking about the "legit" money doubler. However, the scammer will still log out when given a large amount by an unsuspecting player.
Variants: Adding certain percentages to your money.
Example of a transaction:
Player 1: Doubling money! 50k test!
Player 2 offers trade to player 1
Player 1 and Player 2 trade
Player 2 offers 50k
Both players accepted trade
Player 1 and Player 2 trade again
Player 1 offers 100k to player2
Player 2: Wow you are legit!
Player 1 and Player 2 trade
Player 2 offers 500k
Both players accepted trade
Player 1 leaves or logs off, leaving Player 2 behind
Note that any player who doubles money in one trade is not scamming. (Although equivalent to giving money for free) However, be wary of the rounding scam also the Just click 'w' scam.
Suggested actions: Report the player with Scamming, don't try to give your money to doubler if he/she does it in two trades. "Testing" the doubler is a risky process even with small amount of money.
Dungeon leeching scam
A scammer will offer to rush a Dungeoneering floor for a victim while the victim idles in the base room, in exchange for a hefty fee (usually at least 1 million coins). While there are players who legitimately offer this service, it is another form of trust trading, and is therefore easily abused for scamming purposes. The scammer will simply accept the victim's payment and then log out. This scam is rather popular on the most populated Dungeoneering worlds.
Example of a transaction:
Player 1: Offering Dung leeching service!
Player 1: You just have to afk and have your dung exp!
Player 2: Ok, you rush a dungeon for me, how much?
Player 1: 1m
Player 1 and Player 2 trade
Player 2 offers 1m
Player 1 and Player 2 both accepted trade, Player 1 leaves or logs off, leaving Player 2 behind
Suggested actions: Don't accept such service if you don't trust the service provider.
Trust game
In the trust game, a scammer claims that he or she will give money or a valuable item to whomever trusts the scammer the most, by giving the scammer a less expensive, but nonetheless valuable, sum of money or item. The scammer may also offer to return the victim's money or item after the trade is completed. The scammer will simply take the money or item and leave.
Some scammers may use bots to spam a chat message claiming that whoever gives the scammer money will receive a valuable item, automatically accept any offered coins, and continue to spam the chat without giving anyone anything.
Information for payment
A victim may request information about something from a scammer, who will offer the information in exchange for a fee. If the victim pays the scammer before the information is shared, the scammer will simply log off with the payment.
Several websites exist, such as this wiki, that can provide reliable and accurate information on any RuneScape-related subject. There is no need to risk a trust trade by paying another player for information.
Gem cutting scam
A scammer will offer to cut any gems for free; this scam is particularly performed with higher-level gems such as diamonds, dragonstones, and onyxes. Instead of cutting the gems and returning their cut versions, the scammer will simply leave. The popularity of this scam was drastically lowered with the introduction of the Assist System.
Bone running scam
This scam is usually performed in world 31 (House Parties), where the scammer - once you join someone's house for a gilded altar - will offer to help you in carrying your bones from the bank to the house portal while you are training prayer, to save that time for you. Once you trade him the bones he will log out and set you on ignore.
To avoid this scam simply don't trade with him, instead take the time to run from bank to portal and back. It is time consuming but still better than be scammed for 1000 frost dragon bones. (Note: if "bone running" is done properly, it might not be a scam. If you have all your bones noted in your inventory, and you keep trading 27 noted bones in exchange for the runner's 27 unnoted bones plus a fee, then it's not a scam. If you wish to hire a runner always ask what his rules are.)
Drop/Pricecheck scam
This scam takes use of glitches, which although instantly reportable for bug abuse may not deter a scammer. The common variation takes use of squares across the Runescape map that do not permit a player to stay on them for an extended time, and will push a player in a certain direction if stepped on. The scammer will come up to the victim attempting to duplicate an item, show an interesting bug, or otherwise intrigue the recipient. They are then provided with the information of the bug allowing them to temporarily stand on the otherwise inaccessible square and are told to drop the item of interest. When the item is dropped, the bug is undone and the player is forced off the square. Unable to pick the item back up again, the victim loses the item to the scammer who telegrabs it.
Other variations include different ways of removing the victim from the location, from pushing them onto traps, kicking them from an instance controlled by the scammer, or having a partner kill them. The scammer may also trick the player into putting an expensive item in their Price Checker interface then giving them an item to separate the pricechecked item from the victim's access.
To avoid the scam, simply do not drop an item when requested and do not risk wealth when following a player proposing impossible things.
Aside from the issue of trust trades, players should keep in mind that gambling games are run by other players who are seeking to make a profit. A gambling game that has 50/50 odds for the player to win is not profitable for the host; with such odds, both player and host will tend to break even in the end. Therefore it is very common to find players hosting gambling games with odds that favour the host. In any game wherein the payout does not match the risk of loss, players will tend to lose over time and hosts will tend to win over time.
Flower game
A host will accept a bet, ask the player to guess a colour, and plant a mithril seed to grow flowers. The host offers a payout to players who correctly guess the colour(s) of the flowers that grow. The colours are red, blue, yellow, orange, purple, mixed (pastel colors), mixed (red/blue/yellow), black, and white. However, black and white flowers are many times more rare than the other seven colors. Various hosts have various policies for black and white flowers; some hosts may automatically award the player a winning payout, some may plant another seed, and some may count it as a win for the house.
According to data found on the flowers article, there is roughly a 1 in 7 chance for a given flower to grow into a specific colour. Therefore, in order for a flower game to be considered fair, the host should offer at least a x7 payout (or seven times the player's bet) to offset the large chance of guessing wrong. Some hosts, however, will offer as low as a x2 payout (or double the player's bet). Even if the host does not run off with bets, this can be considered a scam as the odds are stacked immensely in the host's favor, and against the player.
Note: Never forget that Jagex may make a hidden update changing the probabilities of flower drops at any time as was proven multiple times on the Beta servers. Even if you trust the host of the flower game, it may be tough to confirm your chance of winning is as is promised.
Hot/cold/frosty
A popular variant of the flower game is the hot/cold game (sometimes abbreviated as h/c). It is similar to the flower game, except that players are asked to guess whether the flowers' colour will be "hot" (red, orange, or yellow) or "cold" (blue, purple, or the pastel mix of colours). Most hosts offer a x2 payout for correctly guessing the flowers' colour group.
Despite appearances, hot/cold games are often rigged in favour of the host. In addition to the three "hot" colours and the three "cold" colours, there is a seventh common flower: the mixed flower consisting of red/blue/yellow flowers. Although the host may state or imply that the player has a 50/50 chance of winning the game, many hosts will simply count a mixed flower as a house win. Therefore, when playing hot/cold, there is a 3/7 (or approximately 42.8%) chance that a player will correctly guess the flowers' colour group, and a 4/7 (or approximately 57.2%) chance that a player will guess the incorrect group or that the red/blue/yellow mixed flower will appear. When the risk of winning is greater than the potential payout, players will tend to lose money when playing hot/cold.
In the case of a frosty gamble, the host has predetermined the type of flower required to receive the reward (Cold flowers). Since cold flowers have been estimated to come up less than 50% of the time (Est. 41%), a gamble for twice the money paid is a scam.
A.B.C./Flower Poker
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Games where you have to get closest letter pertaining to the first letter of placed flower closest to the letter a. It goes in order as followed : Black,Blue,Orange,Pastel,Purple,Rainbow,Red,Yellow,White. Most host's will try to confuse you between Pastel - Red being that most people arent 100% familiar with their abc's and will trust what the host actually states, also they could log out and scam you then you're left with nothing!
Special
This version of the flower game has the host offer an item reward for which the player is asked pays a lesser amount of gp. Should the player guess the colour/type/etc. of flower correctly, they will receive the item. Like other gambling scams, if the guess is wrong the payment is lost.
The game can easily be rigged, as (Assumimg a 47/53 chance of winning) the host may ask players to put down more than 1/2 of the item's average cost. A host could just as easily offer specials on items that are falling in price, thus using the game to both profit and get rid of a depreciating item.
Random emote game
This game can be performed with one of a few different emotes, particularly the Seal of Approval, the emote for the classic cape, and the use of an easter egg, wherein a player turns into one of several different-coloured easter eggs. Players are asked to guess the outcome of the emote; in the case of Seal of Approval, players must guess the number on the seal's back, which ranges from one to six; in the case of the classic cape, players must guess whether an axe, a metal bar, or an arrow will appear over the host's head; in the case of the easter egg, there are several different colours of eggs that can result from the transformation.
These games may be considered fair if and only if the host offers a payout that meets the risk of losing. For example, an emote game played with the classic cape would have to offer a x3 payout or better in order to be considered a fair game.
Dungeoneering skillcape variant
The emote game can also be played with a Dungeoneering Cape of Accomplishment. Its emote randomly transforms the wearer into a warrior, ranger, or mage. However, the transformation chosen is affected by the wearer's bonuses to the three attack styles, and scammers can equip items in the ring slot (which do not appear on players' avatars) in order to influence the transformation.(For example, Explorer's ring for magic bonus, Archer ring for ranged bonus, Warrior ring for melee bonus)
Plate game
This gambling game is notable for being available in free-to-play, whereas other games are members only. A host will take a bet, ask a player to guess "cheer" or "cry", and spin a spinning plate. There are two possible results: if the plate falls to the ground and breaks, the host will automatically perform the Cry emote. If the host does not break the plate, he or she will perform the Cheer emote. Payouts are given to players who correctly guess the outcome of spinning the plate.
Currently it is unclear whether or not a spinning plate has a 50/50 chance of breaking; it is also unclear which factors, if any, affect whether the plate breaks or not.
Goody bag
A host will have a number of items in their inventory of a wide varity of values, ranging from low-priced to expensive items. Each item will be privately assigned a number by the host. A player will place a bet, typically of a lesser value than the expensive items, and pick one of the numbers; the host will then give the player the item which corresponds to their chosen number.
Along with the fact that this game involves a trust trade when placing the bet, nothing stops a host from simply giving whichever item he feels like to the player. The players do not know which items correspond with which numbers, and it would be simple for a host to pay out a low-value item such as a cabbage and claim to be honest.
Some scammers may attempt to convince victims that they have an actual "goody bag" item that performs this function. This is false, as no such item exists.
Fake dicing and horse games
Some players still do not know that Jagex has disabled the ability to gamble with the dice bag and toy horsey. Some scammers advertise dicing or the horsey game, accept bets from uninformed players, and then log out.
Middleman gambling/partner
In order to prevent "distrust" between gamblers, the self-proclaimed trustworthy host would stand as a middleman, storing the investment of two playing characters. The winner of the gamble would receive the two payments, minus a 10% cut chosen by the host, allowing him to profit even in the most honest circumstances.
Note: The host could just as easily take the two payments and leave, or one player may actually be a partner of the host taking the invested wealth 50% of the time plus 5% from the host's cut.
Outsourcing
Although Jagex has removed the dice bag from the game, some dicing clans and communities still exist. Instead of using the in-game dice formerly provided by the dice bag, these clans use bots of any sort (Like text chats, autotyper scripts, and websites) to perform the necessary rolls of the dice.
Because these dicing bots are controlled by the dicing hosts themselves, it is not possible to trust them to roll fairly. It is very easy for the bot's writers to adjust the random rolls of the dice in order to bias the roll in the hosts' favour. Even after somehow demonstrating an "impartiality" of the bot code, a host may alter it live to have the winner be the host or his friends.
Phishing is the act of tricking a player into divulging their login details, particularly their username and password. Once a scammer has access to a victim's account, they can then steal all of the victim's items and money. Players should never enter their login details into any website except runescape.com, and should never tell anyone else their login details, in-game or otherwise. Note that scammers can run websites that appear to be the official RuneScape website; for this reason, it is important for players to carefully check the address bar at the top of the web browser to ensure that the website is, in fact, runescape.com.
Phishing site scam
There are multiple forms of the phishing site scam. All of them involve the scammer attempting to get the victim to enter their RuneScape account's login details into his or her website, which may or may not resemble the official RuneScape website. The scammer then logs into the victim's account and takes all of their items.
Scammers will often offer victims incentives to login to the fake website, such as membership in a clan, or being given a valuable item. Some scammers will also pose as Jagex staff and tell their victims in private messages that they are being considered for a position as a player moderator, which they will receive if they verify their account details on the (fake) website. Another way is scammers will send out fake emails telling players they have been banned, and need to log-in to appeal their ban. However, Jagex staff will never contact players in-game, and will instead use the Message Centre. Anyone who offers a position as a player moderator in-game should be reported for impersonating Jagex staff.
YouTube scam
Some scammers will stand at the Grand Exchange and claim that if players search YouTube for a specific phrase or player name, they can watch videos that teach them how to easily make money. Instead, these videos attempt to phish victims' login details by telling them to log into a third-party website controlled by the scammers. Some scammers also stand at the Grand Exchange telling you that you can be in a YouTube video they're making when you follow them. If you follow them they will take you to a dangerous place like the Clan Wars red portal and eventually kill you when you're in the dangerous zone. Always lookout if there is a second person following the person who has invited you to. He will act like he is also participating in the video but will eventually help the other person kill you and eventually get a part of the loot.
Password phishing
A scammer will attempt to get a victim to say their password aloud. One possible way to do this is to say "Look, Jagex changed it to where you can't say your password backwards anymore! See, mine is ********." However, the asterisks are actual asterisks; while RuneScape does censor passwords in chat, it will not censor variations of passwords, such as passwords said backwards. The scammer will then log into the victim's account and take all their items.
Another variant of this scam is to tell players to change their password to something specific, then log out in order to receive free items. This will simply result in the scammer logging into the victim's account and stealing their valuables.
This scam will not work on members who have set a character name at least 28 days prior, as such players must use their original account names to log in. Also, this scam will not work on free players who have their accounts created after a certain date, as such players must use their e-mail address to log in. Therefore, this scam may lost popularity.
Membership scams
Sometimes scammers will log into free-to-play worlds and start offering to buy membership for anyone who gives the scammer their password. Rather than upgrading the victims' accounts, the scammers will simply steal all their items. Scammers may also offer membership in exchange for coins or valuable items, with which they will simply run away. This is a form of trust trading.
Furthermore, there are websites that claim to upgrade players' accounts to members status for a smaller fee than what Jagex charges. These sites will simply take the victim's fee, then log into their account and take their in-game items as well.
Real-world trading
Aside from violating the Rules of RuneScape and risking a permanent ban, players who engage in real-world trading may find themselves at risk of having their accounts compromised. An RWT website may request the victim's email address in order to verify the transaction; using the email address, they will then attempt to guess the victim's recovery questions in order to get their gold back and take all of the victim's items.
Macroing
Similarly to real-world trading, players who use macroing software may have their accounts compromised. A website may offer "undetectable" macroing software that is "guaranteed to work", but actually contains a keylogger, which records any keys the victim presses on their keyboard (such as when logging into RuneScape) and sends them to the website's owners. The owners then use the login information to break into the victim's account.
Warning emails
Players may be sent a warning purporting to be from Jagex, stating that their RuneScape account has been credited with an infraction. It will provide a link that claims to lead to the section of the RuneScape website that will show this offence and allow them to appeal. Needless to say, this link is fake and should not be followed, however convincing the email looks. A few things to watch out for:
- The addressee of the email; any real email from Jagex will use your current display name to address you, however a scammer will not know this.
- The email address the email is sent from; if the email has come via another address, it's not legitimate.
- The offence you've been accused of; if you know you have not botted, been involved in RWT/advertised a gold site and you're being accused of it, then chances are it's a scam.
- Look for the domain at the end of the email; Jagex use the domain "@email.runescape.com" to send email, any other domain is fake(such as "@jagex.com, @runescape.com, etc).
If you have any doubts about the legitimacy of the email, then you can check your account status without following the link in it. Go to the main RuneScape website in another tab, either via your bookmark or the URL, log in there and check the account status section of account settings.
Because players who are killed in the Wilderness drop all their items upon death if skulled, it is common for scammers to attempt to lure unsuspecting victims into the Wilderness, wherein they can be killed by the scammers. Scammers may also trick a player into thinking that their item(s) are safe in the Wilderness, when they are actually lost upon death for one reason or another.
Note that these scams may also apply to the dangerous Free-For-All Clan Wars battlefield, wherein no items are kept on death except one item if Protect Item is activated.
Protect Item scam
A scammer will approach a victim who owns a valuable item such as a godsword or dragon claws and ask to fight them in the Wilderness. The scammer will recommend that the victim bank every item except the valuable item, and use the Protect Item prayer or curse to keep their sole item safe. After the victim attacks the scammer, thereby becoming skulled, the scammer will initiate some form of prayer drain, such as Smite, the Ancient mace's special attack, or Soul Split, to drain the victim's prayer points and deactivate Protect Item. The scammer will then kill the victim and take his or her item.
Redemption variation
The scammer may also ask the victim to activate the Redemption prayer along with Protect Item. However, once the victim's life points are reduced to 10% of maximum, Redemption will activate, heal the victim, and drain all their prayer points.
Suggested actions: Never turn redemption on.
World-switching variation
The scammer may ask the victim to hop worlds together, citing an excuse such as lag or a lack of people in the area. Upon logging back in, the victim's Protect Item prayer or curse will be turned off, and the scammer will attempt to kill the victim as quickly as possible before the victim can reactivate Protect Item.
Suggested action: Don't hop world if you think you are not fast enough to active Protect Item after you hopped world.
Item Lending scam
A scammer will offer to lend an item to a victim, then fight them in the Wilderness. Once the victim is killed, assuming they are skulled, the lent item will be kept over any of the victim's other item(s).
Suggested actions: Never accept item lending in wilderness unless you can keep your item after you are lent one item.
Wilderness drop party scam
A scammer will announce a drop party at Daemonheim, then lead everyone south to the Wilderness gate. The scammer will drop an item on the other side of the gate, in the Wilderness, and then kill anyone who enters the Wilderness to take it. The scammer may cast Ice barrage to prevent victims from running also Teleblock to prevent victims from teleporting out.
This scam may also occur in the vicinity of the Wilderness wall.
Suggested actions: If you really want to take part in this type of drop party, bank everything before you do so.
Tele Group Ice Plateau scam
This scam involves the use of Tele Group Ice Plateau to transport an unsuspecting player into the deep Wilderness, wherein they can be killed by the scammer and any accomplices for their items. Although the spell has a confirmation screen warning players that they are about to teleport into the Wilderness, scammers may attempt to get players to accept the teleport anyway. A scammer may offer a teleport to another location, such as Catherby, and instead cast Tele Group Ice Plateau in the hope that the victim won't notice. A scammer may also enter a populated area such as the Grand Exchange and claim to be hosting a drop party, or giving away valuable items. The scammer will attract a large crowd of players, then cast Tele Group Ice Plateau, telling the crowd that whoever accepts the fastest will receive valuable items.
Suggested actions: Never turn Accept aid on unless in a dungeoneering party with others or during a boss fight. Also, check the location CAREFULLY before accepting teleport.
While the trade window contains a number of protections to prevent scamming, such as a confirmation screen and a wealth tracker that determines how balanced a trade is, scammers have nonetheless found ways to circumvent these protections and scam players out of money or items.
Money rounding scam
A scammer will offer to round someone's collection of coins up to the nearest million coins in one trade. The victim will offer an amount (for example, 850,000 coins) in trade and the scammer will offer the remainder (in this case, 150,000 coins). However, because this is being done in one trade, the victim will give the scammer 850,000 coins and will receive 150,000 coins in return, resulting in a loss of 700,000 coins for the victim.
This scam can be easily avoided by paying attention to the bottom of the trade window, which will always display the net value of the trade.
Inventory lending scam
A scammer would approach a victim who owns a valuable item, such as Bandos tassets. The scammer would offer to give the victim his own Bandos tassets if the victim lent the scammer his tassets until logout. The scammer would accept on the first screen, but decline on the second, hoping that the victim would not notice the "Other player declined trade." message. If fooled, the victim would believe that he now owned the scammer's tassets, and that his tassets were lent to the scammer. The scammer would then request that the victim trade return "his" tassets to him in trade -- in fact, the victim would be giving his own tassets to the scammer, and the scammer would run off with both tassets.
In response to this scam, on 4 January 2012, Jagex made the "Other player declined trade!" message easier to read in the chat box.
Some scammers have continued to use this scam even after the update, by requiring that the victim join his friends chat and set the chat interface to friends chat only. This filters out all game messages, including the "Other player declined trade!" message.
Spirit shard scam
A scammer will ask the victim to purchase a large quantity of spirit shards from an in-game Summoning shop for 25 coins each, then sell them to him or her. However, the Grand Exchange value of a spirit shard is almost always below 25 coins, typically 23 or 24. The scammer will buy the shards for their market price, instead of 25 coins each, and the trade window will report that the trade is even. The victim will lose 1 or 2 coins per spirit shard in this manner.
It is easy to avoid this scam, as all players can easily purchase a near-unlimited number of spirit shards from Summoning shops. Therefore there is no legitimate need for a player to ask another player to buy them spirit shards.
Rapid trading scam
A scammer will offer a victim a trade that is either fair or beneficial for the victim, such as replacing one set of armour with a more expensive set. However, the scammer will claim that their game is lagging and the trade needs to be performed quickly. The scammer will offer an expensive armour set, but then decline the trade and blame it on lag. In the next trade window, the scammer will offer an inexpensive armour set, such as iron, hoping that the victim is too excited about getting a good deal to carefully check the trade window. The end result is that the victim is scammed out of their armour set. This is related to Item-switching scam.
Example of transaction (The words in () are explanation, they aren't said out):
Player 1: Selling 100 torstol seeds for 10m!(~50% cheaper price since 1 Torstol seed is ~200k each)
Player 2: I will buy!
Player 1 and Player 2 trade
Player 1 offers 100 torstol seeds
Player 2 offers 10m
Player 1 declined trade, usually 1 to 3 seconds after player 2 offered the coins(10m in this case)
Player 1: OMG my **** client, too laggy! You must perform the trade more quickly!
Player 1 and Player 2 trade again
Player 1 offers 100 Torstol seeds
Player 2 offers 10m
Player 1 declined trade again
Player 1: As I said, my client is very laggy!
Player 1 and Player 2 trade again
Player 1 offers 100 Guam seeds(Guam seed is usually <10 gp each, they look the same as Torstol seed)
Player 2 offers 10m(From now on, Player 2 will accept the trade as soon as possible, he/she isn't aware of the item switching done by player 1)
Both players accepted trade, Player 1 then logs off, leaving Player 2 with 100 Guam seeds
Just click "W" scam
The scammer will ask the victim to test an alleged glitch (usually involving an exploit that doubles any items in the trade screen), by telling the victim to offer coins and valuable items in the trade window. The scammer will then ask the victim to accept once and keep clicking on the "W" in "Wealth transfer" in the first trade window. The key to this scam is the fact that the "W" in "Wealth transfer" is in the same spot as the "Accept" button in the second trade window. The scammer hopes that the victim will click the "W" as fast as possible, and accidentally click "Accept" on the second trade screen, inadvertently giving the scammer all of their valuables.
Inventory showing scam
A scammer may offer a free valuable item to the victim if they show their inventory to the scammer. The scammer will then press Accept and hope that the victim accepts as well; the victim will transfer his inventory of items to the scammer in exchange for one valuable item. Scammers will decline the trade if the item they offer is worth more than the victim's inventory.
Price misrepresentation
A scammer may offer to sell an item to a player at a price that does not reflect its true value. This is one of the oldest scams in the game; as far back as RuneScape Classic, scammers were attempting to sell players "rare black lobsters" that were in fact burnt lobsters. In this example, the scammers were inflating the item's price far beyond its true price. In another example, scammers may attempt to sell an item that is rapidly falling in value for one reason or another.
With the release of the Grand Exchange, this scam is more difficult to pull off, as each item's value can quickly be assessed in-game, on the RuneScape website, or on the Grand Exchange Market Watch.
Item-switching scam
Related to the rapid trading scam, a scammer will offer to trade a valuable item, such as a set of Dharok's Barrows equipment. However, the scammer will decline the trade and blame it on lag or a misclick, then send another trade request. This time, the scammer will offer a much less valuable but similar-looking item in the trade window, such as a set of bronze armour, hoping the victim doesn't notice. The victim pays the price of Dharok's set for a set of bronze armour.
This scam can be avoided by carefully checking both the first and second trade windows to see exactly which items are being traded.
This scam has historically been popular with multiple item combinations, such as:
- Saradomin swords and white 2h swords
- Dragon bones and big bones
- Saradomin armour set (lg) and rune armour set (lg)
- Dragon helms (noted) and uncut rubies (noted)
- Rune full helm and Mithril full helm
- Torva platebody and Black platebody
- Spectral Spirit Shield and Elysian Spirit Shield
More examples may be found here.
"Turning 1M into 11M" scam
In this scam, a scammer will offer to turn a victim's pile of 1 million coins into 11 million coins in one trade. Instead, the scammer will offer 111K coins. This scam is difficult to fall for as the trade window will warn the victim that they are giving away 889,000 coins in wealth.
Also, in this case, 11M will be shown in green text, 111K will be shown in white text.
Miscellaneous scams
Famous player scam
A scammer will pose as a famous player at a crowded place such as the Grand Exchange or Void Knight Outpost. These scammers will often pay other players to stand around and talk about the scammer as though he or she is a famous, well-known player. Some of these advertising players may also say things such as "Wow, thanks for the dragon chainbody!" in order to give the scammer an apparent air of legitimacy. Once the scammer has attracted a large enough crowd of players, he or she will host gambling games and take money from other players, then log out.
Interview Scam
While this is a rare scam that is hard to pull off, it can be very costly and hard to detect. One person, generally mid-level, will ask you for an in-game interview to make a video or answer questions. While this person is supposedly recording, their partner will walk up and start bugging you to be in the video. The person who is interviewing you will begin world hopping or teleporting to lose this annoying player, and ask you to follow them. Eventually, they will teleport you to the wilderness or a dangerous game, and say that you should have the second person follow you. You will lead them into the wilderness, with the intention to kill him/her or teleport, and they will both attack you, killing you and taking your items.
Drop to double scam
A scammer will tell a victim that if he or she drops an item in a certain place and leaves it for a while, it will duplicate, and the victim will receive two of them. They will often say that it can only be done once a week or once a month to create an incentive to drop an expensive item, or say that it only works for an expensive item. The scammer will then spam the victim with Teleother menus in order to prevent the victim from picking up their item; once the item appears to other players, the scammer will pick it up, or have an accomplice pick it up.
This scam will not work on players who keep Accept Aid turned off. However, there is always a risk when dropping expensive items, as an untimely random event, bout of lag, or loss of connection may prevent the victim from retrieving their item in time.
Quitting/giving away account scam
A scammer will claim that he is quitting the game and giving away his account, in the hopes that the victim will transfer all their items and money to their new, higher-level account. If the victim doesn't bother to change the new account's password, recovery questions, and email address, the scammer will change the account's password and steal all of the victim's transferred items.
It is against the RuneScape rules to receive or purchase an account from another player.
Armour trimming
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One of the oldest scams still in existence, the armour trimming scam involves a scammer offering to trim a victim's suit of armour for free, most often rune armour. Players cannot trim armour, and anyone offering to trim armour should be reported for item scamming. Trimmed armour is only available as a reward from Treasure Trails or from trading with other players.
Team scamming
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.
Alt+F4/Ctrl+W/F5 scam
A scammer will tell a victim that if he or she drops their items and presses a specific keyboard shortcut, the items will duplicate. The keyboard shortcut is usually one that closes the browser window (in the case of Alt+F4 or Ctrl+W) or refreshes the page (in the case of F5). While the victim is attempting to log back in, the scammer will pick up the victim's items.
Players can avoid this scam by not executing keyboard shortcuts with which they are unfamiliar, although most browsers display a confirmation box when attempting to refresh or exit from the window.
However, the confirmation box won't be shown if you are using the Desktop client of RS.
Fake drop party scam
A scammer may claim to be trying to start a drop party, and encourage victims to drop their items. The scammer will then simply take the victims' items and leave.
Player-owned house kicking scam
A scammer may bring a victim into his or her player-owned house and ask to conduct a trade by placing items on a table. Because placing an item on the table is equivalent to dropping it, the scammer will be able to kick the victim from his or her house, lock the entrance portal, and take the item.
Silent scam
Although rarely seen, this scam is difficult to report. Scammers will hang out in populated areas and try to find people who want to have their money doubled (see the doubling money scam). The scammer will trade the victim, take their money, and log out. The victim will be unable to report the scammer because the modern report system requires players to right-click on other players with "Right-click Reporting" enabled, or to right-click on a message that player has said in chat. If a "silent scammer" has not sent any messages and logs out immediately after the trade, they cannot be reported.
Grand Exchange trading scam
A scammer asks a victim to buy him a certain number of a certain item in the Grand Exchange at a price above the item's market value; the scammer promises to compensate the victim for the extra coins paid for the items. However, the scammer is selling the same items on the Grand Exchange for their market value, and he profits when the victim buys them. The scammer then logs out, leaving the victim with a loss.
This scam is difficult to perform except in particularly specialized markets, as the items the victim buys may not be the same items that the scammer is selling.
Duel Arena trading scam
A scammer will simply spot someone with an expensive armour set or weapons and he/she will ask him/her to help him/her to train in the duel arena in exchange of an amount of money like 1m or 2m. The scammer will then ask the victim to remove his/her armour and will trade him the amount and then decline the trade. He or she will then ask the player to show his or her inventory in the trade to see how many inventory spaces he/she has to give him/her food. The scammer will then trade the player back and show the money he or she promised to the player, then he/she will wait for the player to put all of his/her items in the trade and he or she will then put the food in and accept the trade hoping the the other player didn't notice that he got all of their stuff inside the trade.
Helping For Free Scam
The scammer will say things like "99 smithing assistance" etc, and when someone offers them to help them they will mostly want the victim to help them create something expensive like a dragon platebody. When the victim trades the scammer he or she will offer coins in 2 trades but once the scammer gets the dragon platebody. He or she will teleport or log out leaving the victim with cash wasted. This can be avoided if wanting to make the offer in 1 trade or simply not giving the scammer what he or she wants.
Discontinued scams
Due to a number of updates, some scams have been rendered obsolete or difficult/impossible to execute.
Dice game
In the dice game, a dice bag was used to roll dice (usually percentile dice), with the resulting number being broadcasted to the host's friends chat. If the number rolled was over a set number, the player won; if it was below, the host won. The player was generally rewarded with 2x their money for a winning roll; however, the odds of winning were frequently 45% or lower. Some dicing clans became very rich due to the game being stacked in their favor. Although Jagex removed the ability to roll dice on 15 November 2011, the dicing game is still occasionally played on IRC (see above).
Some hosts would scam their players by switching dice before rolling; for example, a host would switch to a twenty-sided dice instead of percentile dice, which would always roll 20 or below. The house would always win in this manner, as players needed to roll above a given number (such as 55) in order to win.
Horsey game
Just like dicing, the host would advertise their "horsey game" with text such as "HNC game!!! X3!!!!".
HNC stands for the beginning of the letters of the possible outcomes while playing with the horsey. The victim would place a bet, then choose a letter in order to choose one of the possible phrases. Once the host has a bet placed, they would then play with the horsey, randomly saying one of three phrases:
- "Come on Dobbin, we can win the race!"
- "Hi-ho Silver, and away!"
- "Neighhh! Giddy-up horsey!"
If the player guessed which of the phrases would appear, they earned 3x their bet.
On 13 January 2012, Jagex updated the toy horsey to only say "Just say neigh to gambling!" when it is played with.
Gnomeball scam/lure
A scammer would find a player with an item with a very high market value, but a very low High Level Alchemy value. Such items include partyhats, Santa hats, and halloween masks. The scammer would ask the victim to come to the Wilderness or dangerous Clan Wars with their valuable item, and to activate Protect Item to make them feel safe. The scammer and victim would then fight, and once the victim was low on health, the scammer would throw a gnomeball at the victim, who would catch it and automatically wield it. This was possible even when Accept Aid was turned off. Because the gnomeball's alchemy value would be higher than the victim's expensive item, the victim would keep the gnomeball on death and lose the valuable item.
An update on 19 April 2011 changed the system by which items are kept on death. As items are now kept on death according to their market prices instead of their alchemy values, this scam is completely obsolete.