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What to do with Diablo 3 RMT-AH scammers
Shizaxxx
Member Posts: 86
So, I was wondering what would happen to such scammers. Let me paint you a (well known) picture:
We see this all the time in, well, pretty much any game. We usually just nerd-rage for 5 minutes and then go out to grind those gold again.
My question is: Will these sort of scams be allowed in the real money AH in D3?
Being scammed out of 200 dollars due to a missclick is.. Well, it would certainly be a concern for parents who let their kids play.
What are your opinions on this, and is there any official information about this subject?
Comments
Considering that Blizzard will be gettign a percentage of the RMT sales... I think it's safe to say those who fall victim will get a nice big "tough shit" response from Blizzard. They don't have to worry about keeping you subscribing, there's no subscription. Once you buy the box game, all that's left is them bleeding you out of cash through the RMT AH, and those who are unfortunate enough to get scammed on an RMT transaction means more profit for Blizzard.
I dont find this as a "scam" just a plain idiot would fall for this.
Fortunately, sellers will have to pay a fee to put an item up on the market so that people that attempt this actually get hurt in the wallet.
Another thing I would point out is that your example doesn't look like a scam at all. It looks like a mistake. His bid is low and his price looks like it was meant to be three gold. If he gets 300, good for him.
I also think that if someone is silly enough to confirm a $200 buyout on something that is worth $2, then they deserved to be separated from their money.
Those scams are easy to prevent. Blizzard can add something like confirmation dialog which requires players to type the amount of money they're going to pay for all purchases over 10$.
That seems a lot more like 'buyer beware' than anything else. You're not using Visa or PayPal, so the only buyer protection you have is from Blizzard. Just don't spend $300 on a $3 item.
I can not remember winning or losing a single debate on the internet.
Of course they'll get a "tough shit" response. If you buy a pair of socks for $9000 on Ebay, you owe $9000.
What would you have them do, arbitrarily screw over the other guy?
If someone is stupid enough to get scammed by a high buyout, that's their problem. And should remain their problem.
Haven't Blizzard said that you'll get to put up items for free on the AH X times a week?
<childish, provocative and highly speculative banner about your favorite game goes here>
Well, concerning that image you really gotta be an idiot to mis-click on the one for 300g, and besides, isn't there a confirmation window that pops up asking, "Are you sure you want to be an idiot and pay 300g for this when other similar stacks are priced at 3-6g?" One should truly deserve it for not paying attention...
That's my fear aswell; since Blizzard takes a small percentage of every transaction, I don't think they mind this.
But I just think it should be taken more serious since we are now working with real life money.
And about my picture not being a scam - This is exactly how the scams work. Bids are low (so the scams are placed at the front of the AH, where everyone can see it), and buyouts are ridicolously high, so when someone comes by who needs 300 x Netherweave Cloth, and just spam buys, he will accidentally buy this too.
Why not price it for 900 gold then? Why 300?
I very much doubt you'll be able to spam buy $ items (confirmation box). Beside I fully expect craftng mats to be mainly in the ingame gold AH with the $AH used to sell the big rare items.
Hoping on the generic "tough luck, take a better look next time" policy as well. Scams like these are blatently obvious. Scams in EVE are often a lot more more elaborate and still endorsed (despite a link between ISK and real life cash through PLEX). I would never scam myself but I am all for the freedom of scamming WITHIN the game's intended parameters. A side product is delicious forum drama.
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There is the actual problem, not the auction itself.
You clearly see the amount of gold for the buyout price, there is no hiding that what-so-ever. It's your responsibility to know what and the cost of that you're buying. That's it, IMO. ( <-Keyword)
There is no scam. It's just a trap for unaware nuts.
EDIT: But to solve the "problem", I guess Blizzard could implement a little box where you have to confirm with the actual price. Let's say you are buying a sword for 5,34 EUR, you'd have to confirm in that box with the numbers "5,34". Simple as that.
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I don't think that's a scam per say. You have no one to blame but yourself for not paying attention if you fall for it. You have eye(s) use for a reason. Use them.
Blizzard actually takes THREE (3) cuts from you:
When you put up an item on the RL money AH (meaning, you'll need to pay just to post an item on this AH, no refunds)
When that item gets bought by someone else for RL money
When your newly earned funds land on your BNet account (or PayPal, depending how they organize it)
I think the payment processor be it paypal or who ever they pick will take the majority of any 'cut' and not blizzard.
Perhaps. It doesn't really make a bit of difference for the end user, though. You still get less money.
Well, thats no different than using eBay, and such has already been going on in D2 for the past decade. At least it'll be legal now...
Not that I've ever done such, but I will in D3 if I happen upon an epic worth some RL money.
Sorry, maybe i'm blind.. but how is anything in the pic a scam? Just an over-priced item, likely just because they wanted people to make bids.
However if someone were to accidently pay such an obvious over-price, i'm quite sure it would be their own fault, since I would imagine there being multiple 'confirm' messages (especially for RMTs).
But again, I don't consider this sort of situation a scam, since a scam would imply some sort of elaborate trickery or glitch abuse, not just relying on stupidity.
There is so much misinformation in this thread...
1. It will be a very small fee to list items - Likely pennies on the dollar.
2. Blizzard takes a fixed cut from each sold item. This is NOT percentage based. If they determine the cut to be $0.50, they will take $0.50 from a $4.00 auction and $0.50 from a $400.00 auction.
3. Blizzard takes NO MONEY from you if you leave the money in your battle.net account.
4. Blizzard will take a small cut if you decide to cash out.
5. The "bank" involved with this will also take a cut if you cash out.
Before you whine and complain about stuff, please get your facts straight.
Ok - On topic:
Question
How do I counter these types of auction house scammers?
Answer
1. Have higher than a 1st grade reading level. Really, you couldn't be bothered to read the price when spending real money?
2. If part 1 isn't feasible for you, exercise some financial responsibility and refrain from adding money to your account.
You call this a scam?
I call it bait for people who have far too much money and just the opposite of sense, also known as the idiot-trap.
... which is what a scam is.
Quote For Truth .... I could understand a 12 y/o posting this crap but the OP is 18 ...sigh.
Then i don't see the problem.
Why're we trying to protect people from their own stupidity instead of letting them wise up?
Because sometimes the people perpetrating the scamming are saavy enough to do so in not such a obvious way. On one level you have buyout traps on the AH, on another you have the ponzi scheme in Eve that netted over a trillion isk in profit from the victims that came to fruition last week. Keep in mind that some scams may rely on loopholes or gaps in the game that make it difficult to avoid fallnig victim to such an exploit, even if you're vigilant.
Typically if there is a decision to deal with scamming, either all scamming is dealt with, even if it's considered due to 'stupidity', or nothing is. When nothing is handled with regards to scamming, you better pay a hell of a lot of attention. It's easy to call other people stupid for falling for scams, whether it be straight forward like the OP or something else that's elaborate... until of course it happens to you.
Be glad that there are rules in real life protecting yourself and others from scams. Honestly, I'd prefer the same in the games I play just to have piece of mind, but that's just me.
With the possibility of real money transactions in the Diablo Auction House, I wonder exactly how long it will be before someone does get scammed, and a lawsuit is filed. How much liability will Blizzard face by facilitating such transactions?
For myself, if I do play D3 (and that's not entirely certain), I hope their auction house also has a section for using in-game assets (gold) instead. I simply can't see paying any amount, even $0.01, for a potion that is used in a single key-stroke. Not counting the various errors and corrections made as I type, at that rate, this post would have cost me about $6.00. Not worth it.
Logic, my dear, merely enables one to be wrong with great authority.