If you have any questions, please neomail me.
NON-Existent area scams
This is where a scammer starts a trade off with something like "I know where the Faerie Queens Cave is, She gives you 200K just for saying NO to her!" Or some such idiotic statement. It can be a "Dark Faerie Cave", "Desert Genie", or a "Crystal Cave" or a "Tooth Faerie" that gives you 100K instead of the little bits she randomly gives out normally. The words "Cave" or "GENIE" are usually good signs to go by, to know that it's a scam. But they can use other words as well, but usually always involve one of the poor faeries in their scam. "Water Faerie Cavern"..etc. They want you to give them nps, or good items, and they will tell you where this "cave/cavern/world" is. But they don't. Thus - the scam. Avoid these too!
Hidden Tower Scams
By far the most prevalent scam in the trading post. This Trade will usually say something like "This is a retired Hidden Tower item!" or "HIDDEN TOWER ITEM!". The item being paraded as a "Tower" item, is usually a piece of junk. Sometimes it's one that slightly resembles a REAL Hidden Tower item. Take "Earth Faerie Leaves" for example. They, ARE Hidden Tower items. Scammers will try to pass off "Golden ivy leaves" as Hidden Tower items because visually, they resemble the leaves. Morale of the story? ALWAYS check the wiz for item values before bidding. This goes for EVERYTHING in the Trading post and Auctions. Common items that scammers try to pass off as Hidden Tower Items are: Golden Ivy Leaves,
U-bends, Blizzard Rings.
The "I've been scammed" SCAM
I'm Re-editing this one because it has become VERY COMMON in the trading post of late. People claiming to have just been "HACKED" or "SCAMMED". They usually say something like "HELP! I've just been hacked, they stole 300k and all my items, please donate to me" or something similar.
Occasionally, in rare cases, the person MIGHT be telling the truth, but it's very rare. 99% of them are scams to get donations from kind-hearted people by lying to them. Sad for the people who might be telling the truth, because all those scammers are making it tough for them. ALWAYS REMEMBER, that NEARLY ALL the people claiming to have just been scammed, or HACKED - are LYING, and just want donations from you. They weren't hacked, OR SCAMMED.I avoid them like the plague.
Another version of this is the BIRTHDAY SCAM. Another scam by people asking for DONATIONS from you, the kind-hearted person. They say something like "TODAY IS MY BIRTHDAY and my greatest wish is a blue paintbrush, sigh, I'll never get one though" ...or..."It's my birthday today, and No one remembered. Please give me something!". It's just another attempt to weasel donations of items out of you. Especially when you see the person day after day after day, and it's been "their birthday" for weeks and weeks. AVOID THEM.
Sadly, most of them are scams too (if they are asking for donations).
ACCOUNT SALE scams
Neopets says it clearly and often: SELLING ACCOUNTS IS ILLEGAL AND CAN GET YOUR ACCOUNT FROZEN. And believe me, I see the accounts get frozen on my list often. They will and DO freeze accounts for this. Not just the person selling it. You can get frozen just for PARTICIPATING!
BUT...ASIDE FROM THAT, most of them ARE scams anyway! You aren't going to get the account! they usually just take your money that you offered, block you from neomailing them, and continue on their way. OR, they give you an empty shell account, that they created just for this purpose less then a day ago, the account will have NO inventory, no money. You could've created it yourself and not ran the risk of being frozen to boot!
They often use the line "I'm quitting neopets, I'm too old!" (etc.).
AVOID these scammers at all costs.
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