[Gameplay Guide] Avoiding scams.

[Dynamics]

It's been a pretty good closed beta so far but I'm disappointed to report that there have been a few cases of people low enough to scam innocent players of their money. What I've compiled here are the things to look out for whenever you go mushroom shopping, or when enhancing weapons. As few scammers there may be in Fiesta, I just want to prepare as many people as possible from falling victim to them.

Deliberately mislabeled prices scam

What is it?

Okay, so we've probably all come across that perfect shop selling every thing you needed for 1 copper, or some other insanely low price. The first thing that comes to one's mind is one of either:

a) LOL! This guy probably priced his items too low by mistake! I've got to take advantage and buy it all before anyone else!
b) OMG! They're so cheap! I bet I can make a profit if I buy them all now quickly!

Either way, you've fallen into one of the stupidest scams I've seen in the short history of Fiesta. What the person in the mushroom is attempting to do is "trick" the customer into thinking that every item in his store is of the same price.

How does it work?

This can be achieved by selling the same item in every single slot available. For example, store owner X sells 5 Elrue[1], 1 in each sale slot. He will sell 4 out of 5 at the ridiculous price of 10 copper or something even lower. 1 of the 5 (most probably the last) will be sold at 1 silver and 10 copper (so long as the copper corresponds with the other Elrue[1] figures). The customer in a panick quickly purchases the first 4, confident the last Elrue[1] will be of the same price. Looking only at the copper value and ignoring the 1 silver, he falls into the store owners trap. The customer after realising his mistake, then proceeds to shout insults and whatnot in orange at the store owner, who is most likely enjoying his subway half way across the world. Fat, sleezy bastard.

How do we avoid this?

There isn't much I can tell you. Common sense is key, and also a keen eye. Of course you won't always keep your guard up for scams, as Fiesta has so few, but do try to keep your eyes open. As stupid as it sounds, falling for it isn't hard for the typical player. You have to look out for suspicious things, such as:
- Why does the store owner separate 5 Elrue[1] (or any other item of the sort) into 5 piles, rather then stacking them into one?
- Is the name of the said person suspicious in any way? (an unnecessary amount of numbers, or foreign characters). This isn't meant to be racist or derogatory in any way, it's just how I've found things to be in MMO's. Please don't be offended.

Remember, if you get scammed it's most likely due to your carelessness, so keep your guard up.

The fake purchase store scam

What is it?

This is a much more elaborate version of the previous scam. It requires two or more people working together, and you'll rarely ever see it. But it works, more then any other scam I have ever come across. I fell for it once, losing 100 silver in the process. It involves one person setting up a purchase store, buying a said item (particularly an uncommon item) for prices well above their market value, but having insufficient funds to actually buy them. Another person will set up a store conveniently next to them, selling the item that the purchaser besides them wishes to buy at a price slightly or ridiculously above the market value, depending on their greed.

How does it work?

I've pretty much explained it in the paragraph above, but I'll use a proper example now. We'll call the purchaser Bob, and the seller Bill for convenience sake. Bob sets up his purchase store to buy 50 Lix[2]'s at about 20 silver each (slightly above market price). However, he does not have the funds to purchase them from any player. When a player attempts to sell him the Lix[2], that player will receive the message "Cannot sell due to insufficient fund." Now, why would anyone do this? Easy. It's to exploit every merchant's law of, "buy low, sell high." A good merchant will see this as an oppurtunity, and if he does not have Lix[2] to test for the scam, he will desperately try to buy any Lix[2] he can find, in an attempt to turn a profit. This is where Bill comes in. Bill will be conveniently located next to Bob, selling Lix[2], and other various items (as to not arouse suspicion to the customer). He will sell the Lix[2] at 17 silver, enough for the customer to believe they will make a profit, whilst enough for Bill to make a higher profit then anyone else in the market. Our customer after receiving the "Cannot sell due to insufficient fund" message, has realised his foolishness, and moves to abuse Bob and Bill through orange chat. Or the customer will curse his luck, as Bob appears to have already purchased some, though in reality, Bob has only fixed the numbers to give this illusion.

How do we avoid this?

This scam's difficult to identify at times, as it varies on the complexity of the person's plot. My only real advice is to again, think before you buy. You have to survey the possibilities and the circumstances before making the choice. If you're lucky, you'll possess the item the purchaser wants, and then you'll be able to test your ability to sell. I suppose the best advice is don't buy in bulk if you're going to try and take advantage of such a situation. Sometimes they'll purchase a few of your wares, lulling you into a false sense of security, at which point you might foolishly bulk buy the item. Just remember, everything you do is your choice. You can blame the scammer all you like, but the reality was it was your carelessness that got you tricked.


"I understand the enhancing system, give me your weapon, stones and some money, I'll do it for you" scam. (Name does not need rework).

What is it?

I'm disappointed that people still fall for this. The scammer will try to convince the player that there is a 'trick' of some sort to enhancing. They'll probably say there's a 'pattern' of some sort. Anyway, they'll attempt to rift the player's weapon, stones and funding from them.

How's it work?

The scammer will appear to be nice, and even explain the 'system' they've so cleverly devised in their heads. They'll explain their system in such a vague way, the player has no choice but to believe them and put faith into their BULLSHIT. After receiving the items via trade, the scammer will walk away casually, jumping on the occasion, or even riding the horse they bought with their dirty money. The scamee will cry on the spot, or slit their wrists hating themselves for their stupidity.

How do we avoid this?

Well, I risk sounding like an old record player when I write this. USE COMMON SENSE. But things to really keep in mind:
- Enhancement is based on luck. There is no pattern. As pretty as the roulette looks when it spins, and as many options as there are, there is no concise pattern to 100% succeed. It's a roulette for goodness sake, since when does a roulette ever play on patterns?
- If someone's asking for money, equipment, or enhancement stones, keep in mind you more then likely won't get them back. Scammers are like some kind of blackhole, they hurt everyone around them. If you throw something at them, it's pretty much gone forever, and it only succeeds in making them a bigger problem.
- Again, keep a lookout for suspicious names. Names such as "iScam", "RipU4Life" or "marketnoob" are definitely names to avoid on your friend list.

So concludes my guide on "how to avoid scamming". My goal was not to encourage you guys to scam by informing you how (which I've most likely done, inadvertently of course), but to warn you guys of the scams that are out there, and prepare you for them. Remember, common sense is key.


If you've any inquiries, comments or information you'd like me to add, feel free to post.