Runescape Trade Scams

Trade scams in runescape are likely the most frequent method people use to cheat. Jagex have so far not been able to effectively prevent this type of scamming on runescape due to the nature of the way their ingame report abuse feature works.

I made sample video to try and highlight the fact - simply as when I went to world 18 Edgeville bank a scammer by the name of 69Stoner4 tried to scam me by switching the total amount of cash in a trade. I was aware and took my time and checked the 2nd trade screen, many people do not check the 2nd trade screen and fall victim to such scams.



The video serves a purpose to inform people of the importance of being vigilante when dealing in busy trading locations. I didn't capture the scam on video as I was simply starting to record at the time - maybe next video I get the scam in action.

Hopefully Jagex realise the scale of such trade scams in runescape and properly implement a method to report people while the trade window is open. Currently this isn't the case so scammers are easily able to avoid being reported in any busy trading area.

Jagex Blocks Your Password Scam

Runescape creators Jagex have updated the game today with the aim of helping prevent people from divulging their password ingame. It is against the rules to either tell someone else your password or to try and obtain the password of another player.

The update is a basic ingame protection against one of the longstanding runescape scams that almost every player will have come across at some point. The basic scam being that someone would walk around saying, "Jagex blocks your password" and then try to prove it by typing in asterisks as if it was blocking the password. This caused some people to try it out and they would foolishly type their password only to endanger their account.

Basic security from this update is aimed at eradicating this well known runescape password scam. However, Jagex have stated that it is only a basic check and that players should not attempt to try it out by typing their password ingame. It is a new security update and it may still leave player accounts vulnerable to other runescape scams. Although with the recent introduction of the wilderness ditch that was aimed at resolving the wilderness trade lure scam, Jagex seem to be tackling one scam after another.

If the current trend continues of eliminating one runescape scam per week, this time next year runescape may well be scam free. That is not saying that there are only 52 possible runescape scams, as there are numerous scams that are not well known and Jagex cannot effectively code all known scams out of the game. It is player education and awareness that needs raised in order to totally eliminate scams from runescape.

Overall, it is another step in the right direction by Jagex and along with educating people on their account safety, Jagex are making it harder for both scammers and players to become victims of scams in runescape.

Wilderness Trade Lure Scam

The runescape wilderness has had a ditch added to its edge. Jagex introduced the wilderness ditch to overcome the problem suffered by many players - the wilderness trade lure scam.

The Scam:
Player A would approach Player B in a bank (normally Edgeville bank) or some location relatively close to the wilderness. Player A would trade with Player B and then go into the wilderness. Player B would follow them to trade with them and once Player B entered the wild, they would get attacked and normally lose most of their inventory and items they were wearing.

This runescape scam caused many players to lose large amounts of items of considerable virtual wealth. In some cases it was the final straw for players who have consequently quit runescape. Jagex felt they had to act and the wilderness ditch was their reaction - although it is not known whether it is a permanent fixture yet. Perhaps Jagex are working on a better solution that will be unveiled at a later date.

The scam prevention:
Since the wilderness ditch has now been added to runescape, any player trying to scam another person using the trade lure scam, will find that they can no longer dupe a player into unwillingly entering the wilderness. The ditch causes players to have to manually hop over the ditch to enter the wild and has a safe spot right beside it.

Runescape Players Reaction:
Obviously many runescape players are in favour of this - especially if they have been a victim to this type of scam. However, for the players who love pking, it has become a contentious issue with many people wanting it to revert back to how it used to be.

Jagex will have the final say and all I can add is that it is a step in the right direction. It makes sure people willingly enter into the wilderness and that they can not be duped again.

My Suggestion:
The ditch itself does help prevent this runescape scam from happening, although regular pkers are against it. I would suggest that Jagex keep the ditch but make an auto-hop feature which can be selected by players - similar to the accept aid feature. Players would therefore be able to automatically hop over the ditch (and not interfere with their clue hunting or pking runs) if they had selected the ability to auto-hop.

Meanwhile, any player who had not selected the autohop feature would be safe from this trade lure scam as they would have to manually hop over if they wanted to enter the wilderness. This is a compromise on the solution implemented by Jagex and the deseire of the honest pking players. It retains the ability to prevent this scam but does not hinder the gameplay in any way.

Runescape Password Scams

Runescape password scams have been the bane of many players since Jagex first launched the game. It is something that all players should be aware of and is in fact part of jagex rules on the game, players should never reveal their password to anyone.

Recently I received an email from a player who had been scammed out of all their items. They contacted me through my main runescape help site instead of contacting Jagex directly. I do not always check my emails and as such it was a couple of days before I was able to get back to them and set them straight.

I will point this out - I am not a member of Jagex team and the role I have is simply running a runescape help site. I cannot access information on runescape player accounts and I cannot help players with any issues related to the game. Players who are a victim of any runescape scams should contact jagex via their main website - www.runescape.com

Anyway, back with the runescape password scam. This player had revealed their password to an ingame friend who later raided all the items in their bank. They obviously regretted giving out their password - but they had revealed it.

I feel sorry for people who get duped into revealing their runescape password, but there is nothing I can do and nothing that Jagex will do either. It is against their rules and they may end up banning both the person who revealed their password and the person who obtained it.

One of the easiest ways to avoid scams is to not reveal the information scammers are trying to extract. It will make it a lot easier for everyone concerned, players in general, me and Jagex. Runescape scams and scammers will continue to exist, but players should learn not to voluntarily give out helpful information to scammers.

Runescape Trust Scams

Runescape trust scams are among the more devious types of scams in the game. They generally involve building trust over time, either directly or indirectly, with the ultimate goal to make a large gain for the scammer.

This type of scam has much greater impact on the overall player attitude in the game as it a more personal assault that was planned out well in advance. Runescape scams of this nature directly impact on a persons desire to continue playing the game. It is therefore in the interest of Jagex to aim to stamp this out of the game. However, it is very hard to tell when a scammer will pounce, so players should always assess the situation carefully before parting with anything of value.

Some of the most common methods of trust scams in runescape are:

• quitting runescape scams
• low level player scamming a high level player
• the trust game - asking for items or password to trust them
• building trust over time
• the boyfriend/girlfriend scam - similar to building trust over time
• training account scam
• runescape member scam
• asking personal information to gain recovery questions information
• account sharing - involves divulging password
• bodyguards or protectors

The above list of common trust scams in runescape are all easily avoided by following Jagex rules and remaining alert to unbelievable events or situations. If a player is looking to scam you in runescape, they will inevitably get caught out over time if people simply stick by the rules and remember to report any attempted scams ingame via the report abuse feature.

Overall, runescape scams, and in particular, runescape trust scams can be very damaging to players and leave them with a very bad impression of the game - as well as seriously affect their real life situation.

In an ideal world, runescape scams would not be a thing anyone had to worry about - but it isn't an ideal world and with it being virtual, people will tend to take extra risks to get away with scamming, as they do not feel it is ethically wrong. Afterall, runescape is a game, although it is real players who play the game and it is real players who are affected every day by runescape scams.