I wrote this post about how one can determine rippers and, believe me, little has changed, in fact, its only gotten worse?
So here they are
Top 8 signs your dealing with a scammer/ripper
1. New user's first post is to attempt to vend something
Nothing screams out I am a ripper than this act.
Some are just there to post their contact info and wait to reel the naive and no0b in. While others have their other nicks giving phony affirmation and feedback.
2. A new user 'claiming', typically in his first post, that he is no newbie and, in fact, has been around since CL days.
The sad fact is that many of these in fact have been around since then, or at least a few years. But at some point turned ripper. Now repeatedly returning under new nicks to rip again and again.
Any such of these you encounter should immediately be confronted by "So what was your nick on (this) or other boards". While you will find the odd case of somebody changing their nick cause they didn't like it, the truth of the matter is, the absolute vast majority of these individuals have been banned and don't dare give their previous nick and will, at all costs, attempt to get off the topic.
3. A 'new user' attempting to vend multiple products and services, usually in a very short period of time. Without question ALL OF THESE ARE SCAMMERS.
4. Inviting the scammer/ripper in.
This one is largely the fault of the user himself who just plain refuses to read the rules, regulations and many warnings highlighted in sticky's and announcements. How many posts have we seen from those asking "who can a I get cc's, plastics, cashing out, etc. from?". Sadly, about 1/2 dozen a day. While there is the rare vendor who will contact somebody. The opposite is typically the norm. Thus, 99% of those who contact said individual offering services ARE SCAMMER/RIPPERS.
5. Unsolicited people contacting you via PM/ICQ offering services
Many times these individuals when asked for references will quite promptly supply their other nicks. Also many newbies daily fall for the self-proclaimed "senior member" who has hundreds of posts. Posts that were typically generated in a few weeks by the 'post whore' whose agenda is to rip. The sad fact is that no matter how many times people say otherwise for many new users "post count does signify credibility"
6. A 'vendor' who claims publicly to be happy to offer escrow and in private says otherwise IS A RIPPER.
7. A 'new' potential vendor appearing "out of the blue" with lots of backing from 'senior members'. Usually its for Nov's or plastics and invariably they get reviewed and become vendors. But BEWARE! In many cases this is an 'old ripper' returning under a new name being given smooth passage by his self-proclaimed "old school" buddies who wield alot of influence on the board, and who see nothing wrong with somebody ripping a no0b. To them it "only counts" if he rips "one of them"
8. A more recent development is the ubequitious claim that "my ICQ UIN/email got hijacked" and "it wasn't me" you dealt with. An increasing number of users are being ripped this way.
Do not confuse this with the legit vendor who targeted by a scammer who claims to be that vendor. A simple reading of the Vendors thread wherein where he states his contact info. What his UIN is or if he even uses it for that matter. As well as simply checking the user details of the individual's IM should demonstrate if, in fact, this is the true vendor.
This next one was from May 05
TOP 10 SIGNS YOUR DEALING WITH A SCAMMER/RIPPER
? 1. Spams a board with his 'offers'
? 2. Uses a different nick on every board
? 3. He won't accept escrow; or will publicly and then not privately
? 4. Claims everything has to be done in a rush, using terms as "I don't have all fucking day"
? 5. Claims he is a 'long time member' of the scene, well known on CP (though he'll never give you that nick he was under there), last year it was "been around since CL days" until everybody realised that surely meant scammer.? And yes, these guys HAVE been around SCAMMING since CL days.
? 6. He asks/harasses/begs you for 'TEST' dumps/cc's/fulls/paypal's/ebays
? 7. Uses an ICQ # different than what is listed in the vendors thread (this is scammers trying to impersonate a vendor) or any ICQ # at all when the vendor maintains publicly that he does not use ICQ or even any IM for that matter.
? 8. Starts a thread and posts a link asking "what do you think of this site's services".? Usually means he's either the owner of the site or representing this scam site.
? 9. The only referrals he can give you are names you never heard of (probably his other nicks) or IRC names to support him "since nobody here knows who he is"
10. Offers bank drops from FL
Finally, here's part of my opening from my Top Rippers of 2005 from Jan of this year.
Immediately after SC's bust I easily predicted that bereft/absent CJ (some of the SS officers appeared to have an aversion to annoying kiddie, two-bit iRC rippers) and Carsen's nominal bannings, that ripping would increase exponentially.? One of my fervest admirers and one who agreed wholeheartly with my thoughts was none other than Sp3ci4Lk? ? Yep, that longtime scammer.
To no surprise this turned out to exactly be the case in 2005.? Not soley for the fact that any number of the SC vendors who weren't busted decided it was a good time to turn.? But 2005 saw a major turning point in the mentality of rippers.? A great many now went from 'selective ripping' to fulltime, perhaps secure in the knowledge that they could not be penalised by a scene that no longer had strong controlling boards and admin's.
That lack not only emboldened the scammers but opened the floodgates to a wave of kiddie, iRC rippers, previously kept off (for the most part) from the major boards and relegated to the 'infamous' ccpowerforums.
Now they were to be found on every board, part begger, part two-bit scammer, ALL LAME, as the boards headed straight down the toilet.
I guess what was the saddest, though not totally unexpected, was that one by one by one, many of the most trusted, respected and reliable persons turned ripper.
So here they are
Top 8 signs your dealing with a scammer/ripper
1. New user's first post is to attempt to vend something
Nothing screams out I am a ripper than this act.
Some are just there to post their contact info and wait to reel the naive and no0b in. While others have their other nicks giving phony affirmation and feedback.
2. A new user 'claiming', typically in his first post, that he is no newbie and, in fact, has been around since CL days.
The sad fact is that many of these in fact have been around since then, or at least a few years. But at some point turned ripper. Now repeatedly returning under new nicks to rip again and again.
Any such of these you encounter should immediately be confronted by "So what was your nick on (this) or other boards". While you will find the odd case of somebody changing their nick cause they didn't like it, the truth of the matter is, the absolute vast majority of these individuals have been banned and don't dare give their previous nick and will, at all costs, attempt to get off the topic.
3. A 'new user' attempting to vend multiple products and services, usually in a very short period of time. Without question ALL OF THESE ARE SCAMMERS.
4. Inviting the scammer/ripper in.
This one is largely the fault of the user himself who just plain refuses to read the rules, regulations and many warnings highlighted in sticky's and announcements. How many posts have we seen from those asking "who can a I get cc's, plastics, cashing out, etc. from?". Sadly, about 1/2 dozen a day. While there is the rare vendor who will contact somebody. The opposite is typically the norm. Thus, 99% of those who contact said individual offering services ARE SCAMMER/RIPPERS.
5. Unsolicited people contacting you via PM/ICQ offering services
Many times these individuals when asked for references will quite promptly supply their other nicks. Also many newbies daily fall for the self-proclaimed "senior member" who has hundreds of posts. Posts that were typically generated in a few weeks by the 'post whore' whose agenda is to rip. The sad fact is that no matter how many times people say otherwise for many new users "post count does signify credibility"
6. A 'vendor' who claims publicly to be happy to offer escrow and in private says otherwise IS A RIPPER.
7. A 'new' potential vendor appearing "out of the blue" with lots of backing from 'senior members'. Usually its for Nov's or plastics and invariably they get reviewed and become vendors. But BEWARE! In many cases this is an 'old ripper' returning under a new name being given smooth passage by his self-proclaimed "old school" buddies who wield alot of influence on the board, and who see nothing wrong with somebody ripping a no0b. To them it "only counts" if he rips "one of them"
8. A more recent development is the ubequitious claim that "my ICQ UIN/email got hijacked" and "it wasn't me" you dealt with. An increasing number of users are being ripped this way.
Do not confuse this with the legit vendor who targeted by a scammer who claims to be that vendor. A simple reading of the Vendors thread wherein where he states his contact info. What his UIN is or if he even uses it for that matter. As well as simply checking the user details of the individual's IM should demonstrate if, in fact, this is the true vendor.
This next one was from May 05
TOP 10 SIGNS YOUR DEALING WITH A SCAMMER/RIPPER
? 1. Spams a board with his 'offers'
? 2. Uses a different nick on every board
? 3. He won't accept escrow; or will publicly and then not privately
? 4. Claims everything has to be done in a rush, using terms as "I don't have all fucking day"
? 5. Claims he is a 'long time member' of the scene, well known on CP (though he'll never give you that nick he was under there), last year it was "been around since CL days" until everybody realised that surely meant scammer.? And yes, these guys HAVE been around SCAMMING since CL days.
? 6. He asks/harasses/begs you for 'TEST' dumps/cc's/fulls/paypal's/ebays
? 7. Uses an ICQ # different than what is listed in the vendors thread (this is scammers trying to impersonate a vendor) or any ICQ # at all when the vendor maintains publicly that he does not use ICQ or even any IM for that matter.
? 8. Starts a thread and posts a link asking "what do you think of this site's services".? Usually means he's either the owner of the site or representing this scam site.
? 9. The only referrals he can give you are names you never heard of (probably his other nicks) or IRC names to support him "since nobody here knows who he is"
10. Offers bank drops from FL
Finally, here's part of my opening from my Top Rippers of 2005 from Jan of this year.
Immediately after SC's bust I easily predicted that bereft/absent CJ (some of the SS officers appeared to have an aversion to annoying kiddie, two-bit iRC rippers) and Carsen's nominal bannings, that ripping would increase exponentially.? One of my fervest admirers and one who agreed wholeheartly with my thoughts was none other than Sp3ci4Lk? ? Yep, that longtime scammer.
To no surprise this turned out to exactly be the case in 2005.? Not soley for the fact that any number of the SC vendors who weren't busted decided it was a good time to turn.? But 2005 saw a major turning point in the mentality of rippers.? A great many now went from 'selective ripping' to fulltime, perhaps secure in the knowledge that they could not be penalised by a scene that no longer had strong controlling boards and admin's.
That lack not only emboldened the scammers but opened the floodgates to a wave of kiddie, iRC rippers, previously kept off (for the most part) from the major boards and relegated to the 'infamous' ccpowerforums.
Now they were to be found on every board, part begger, part two-bit scammer, ALL LAME, as the boards headed straight down the toilet.
I guess what was the saddest, though not totally unexpected, was that one by one by one, many of the most trusted, respected and reliable persons turned ripper.
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hunter67