Hello EcoCity! I am here to explain to all of you what "proper proof" is when a user has been scammed. Lately, I have seen many users upset from scams that occur and it is making me sad. During this little explanation, I will be informing you of how to catch these scammers. I will mainly be focusing on a few of the most common scams: Trade, Auction, and Donation. ScreenshotsThis will be a quick tutorial on how to take a screenshot. Most users know how to, but some do not. To take a screenshot, you simply hit the "F2" key on your keyboard. On some computers, like a mac, you will hit the function key(usually labeled "FN") and the "F2" key on your keyboard at the same time. Do not use the "print screen" feature! Now that you have taken a proper screenshot in Mincraft, you must find where it is stored. Note: This is for Windows. Time-StampingWhen it comes to dates, we will need s time-stamp of when this occurred. This is mainly concerning loans, but can be helpful with any situation. An acceptable time-stamp would be double taking a screenshot, and using the second screenshot. The second screenshot contains a date. This date is the name of the screenshot saved and will be accepted as a time-stamp. An example is below. **YOU NEED A FULL SCREENSHOT, CROPPED SCREENSHOTS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED. THIS INCLUDES SCREENSHOTS FROM MINECHAT, A CHAT LOGGER, OR ANYTHING OF THE SORT.** Under your search bar, type in "%AppData%" Go to "Roaming" Go to ".minecraft"(usually the first folder) Go to "screenshots" And there you go! You should see a list of all the screenshots you have taken. The most recent screenshot will be at the bottom. UploadingSome users have no idea how to upload their screenshots, and this will be required when you want to have a picture on the forums. I like to use the site called imgur to upload all of my media. First, you will visit the website and click "Computer"(top right on the web page). Then, you will select all of the screenshots that you would like to upload then click "open". To start uploading all of the pictures, click on "start upload". To link it, copy and paste the link labeled "BBCode (message boards and forums)". This will display the picture straight on the forums without having to click a link. You will have to do this for each picture that you uploaded. TradeTrade chat is a widely used form of global trading and it is very easy for a scam to occur if you do not follow the right steps. Always make sure that you trade with trusted users/ users you personally trust. When filing a complaint again a user for the reason of scamming, you will always need to take screenshots. The few things that we will have to have when dealing with complaints are: A screenshot of said user selling the item. Ex: "Selling 1 diamond for $45!" A screenshot of you offering to buy the item/ agreeing to trade. Ex: "I'll take it." A screenshot of you paying the agreed upon amount of money. Ex: "$45 has been sent to ____." A screenshot of you not receiving the item/ the user refusing to hand over the item after payment. Ex: Your inventory or "Sorry, I don't have it." AuctionAuctions are frequently held, fast-paced ways of selling items. A scam occurs when the user auctioning the item does not follow through and give the item. Another situation that could occur would be a user cancelling an auction or a user withdrawing a bid. When you are bidding on an item, always remember to take screenshots. A few things that we will need when dealing with auction scams are: Failure to hand over item A screenshot of the user starting the bid. Ex: "Auctioning off 1 diamond starting at $30!" A screenshot of you bidding on the item. Ex: "$30!" A screenshot of you winning. Ex: "Sold to ___ for $30!" A screenshot of you paying the user. Ex: "$30 has been sent to ____." A screenshot of you not having the item. Ex: Your inventory or "Sorry, I don't have it." Failure to continue auction **Auctions canceled due to lack of any bids are allowed** A screenshot of the user starting the bid. Ex: "Auctioning 1 diamond starting at $30!" A screenshot of you bidding Ex: "$30!" A screenshot of the user denying to continue the auction. Ex: "Auction canceled." Withdrawing a bid A screenshot of the you starting the bid. Ex: "Selling 1 diamond starting at $30!" A screenshot of a user bidding on the item. Ex: "$30!" A screenshot of the user withdrawing the bid. Ex: "Bid withdrawn." LoansUser- User loans are transactions that occur daily on EcoCityCraft. Loans can range from small (5k) to large loans (over 100k). Remember to lend money only to trusted users/ users you personally trust. Scams will happen, and you need to make sure you have the proper evidence when something like this may pop up. We will need the following evidence when dealing with a complaint: A screenshot of the on the amount that will be loaned. Ex: "I will lend you 20k." A screenshot of the amount that will be paid back. Ex: "I would like 30k back." A screenshot of the time allotted to pay back the loan. **Be sure to include a time-stamp!** Ex: "Please pay back 30k by Monday." A screenshot of the other user agreeing. Ex: "I will pay back the 30k by Monday." A screenshot of the payment being sent over. Ex: "$20000 has been sent to _____." DonationDonation scams do occur and are very unfortunate. The biggest tip out there is to only purchase donations from trusted users/ users you personally trust. The safest way to ensure that you will not get scammed is to donate using your own money. Please note that donations are done every 24-48 hours, and that yours could take longer than normal. Whenever someone has donated for you, always ask them to send you the transaction ID through the forum. We will need the following screenshots when dealing with a complaint: A screenshot of the user offering to sell the donation. Ex: "I can sell you MultiHome for 75k." A screenshot of you agreeing to the transaction Ex: "Sure, I'll buy it." A screenshot of you paying the user Ex: "$75000 has been sent to _____." A screenshot of you not being able to use the donation. (optional) No donation medal or and error message when trying to use the donation feature.
Nice job, ill double check make sure everything is included, i feel this should be stickied, on the thread so all users can see this.
It's more of a requirements list. Lately, I have seen users with only some of the required evidence. The only tutorial part was the screenshots and uploading part.
For donation feature buying, you should include checking if the user has donated, and how many [$$$] signs they have.
Unfortunately with this kind of screenshot, it is easy to 'fake' such a thing. For instance, someone could have gotten the item, moved it to a chest real quick (/home, /back, etc), then took a screenshot saying they didn't have it or it was not in their inventory. :/ As well, someone else may have ran or flew through the trading and stole an item, and neither the buyer or seller saw--the seller could get in trouble when they did technically "give" the item. I always tried to get screenshots of the seller admitting they did not give it, or maybe acting really defensive when you brought it up/accused them. Though, this is under the assumption that no one snatched up the item(s) being traded. edit: Or a video of the 'transaction', but that is tedious..especially for those who trade a lot. :/ /ramble-y Good thread, though. People really do need to be getting proof of scams - or at least trying - if they want to get them solved.
This really should be stickied and added to the wiki. Possibly added to the new player section as well since scamming is a very big albeit unfortunate part of ECC (and life in general). Just one comment I would like to make about this guide. You mention several times to "only purchase donations from trusted users/ users you personally trust". As a new player on the server they will not know whom to trust or who is a trusted user. In the past, there has even been instances of "trusted users" that have scammed people for many EcoDollars. I would change this and have a new section on how to determine if you should do a trade like the following for example: How to Determine if you Should do a Trade -Players with white colored names are generally, newer to the server so be especially careful when trading with them. -Never make a trade that you can't afford to lose. What I mean by this is, if you have 10k and want to buy an awesome new Efficieny 4 unbreaking 3 silk touch pick for 10k, and the other player takes your money and runs you will be bankrupt. -If a deal sounds too good to be true, it usually is. -Don't trust anyone. Always take screenshots/be prepared for the worst.
Are you saying i can refuse bids? Like in this example? "Selling 1 diamond starting at 20!" "I bid 25!" "Sorry, I'm not going to let you bid, anyone else?"
