Scam

==Introduction==
A scam is anything that a character does to get Equipment, Money, or other Items in a dishonest way.
Scamming is one of the main problems in Tibia, especially on Non-PVP worlds where there is no (or little) threat of being hunted and killed by a higher-level character.
This is NOT against Tibia Rules, so no one can't do anything to help you if you have been scammed. If you are on a Optional PvP world you could maybe use a Blacklist, but it is not a great solution to it. In Open PvP worlds you can perhaps contact a higher level friend to kill the scammer.
Scammers try to find players with low experience on the game. Therefore, if you are an unexperienced player, you should consider search about what you're trading before closing a deal.
==Bait and Switch==
The ultimate goal of this scam is to get you to do a Trade (the correct way), but offer an item that only looks like the item you want to buy. This can also be done when selling a Backpack of items - especially potions. Someone may have included some flasks of Wine in a Backpack of Mana Potions, or some flasks of Blood in a Backpack of Health Potions.
Most frequent Bait-and-Switch items
===Weapons===
*Relic Sword like Crimson Sword 
* Arcane Staff can look like Banana Staff
* Thaian Sword and The Justice Seeker can look like Mercenary Sword
* Bright Sword looks like Carlin Sword
* Stonecutter Axe looks like Battle Axe
* Infernal Bolts look like Bolts
* Royal Spears look like Spears
* Heroic Axe looks like Dwarven Axe
* Angelic Axe looks like War Axe
* Drakinata looks like Zaoan Halberd
* Mystic Blade looks like Longsword
* http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20080624144219/tibia/en/images/a/af/Solar_Axe.gif Solar Axe can look like http://images1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20080810082940/tibia/en/images/a/aa/Fiery_Headchopper.gif Fiery Headchopper  (Rarely ever traded, though)
===Armor===
* Blue Robe looks like Cape
* Golden Armor looks like Brass Armor
* Blue Legs look like Pirate Knee Breeches
* Golden Legs look like Brass Legs
* Dark Helmet looks like Viking Helmet
* Boots of Haste look like Leather Boots
* Magma Boots look like Leather Boots
* All the Rusty Armors and Rusty Legs look like each other.
===Shields===
* Turtle Shell looks like Tortoise Shield 
===Helmets===
* Magician Hat looks like Batwing Hat
===Creature Products===
* Hardened Bone looks like Big Bone 
* Spider Silk can look like Flour and Orc Powder .
* Lizard Leather can look like Green Dragon Leather
===Misc.===
* Golden Amulet can look like Ancient Amulet or Ruby Necklace
* Demonbone Amulet can look like silver amulet
* The Ring of the Count looks like Death Ring 
* All of the Music Sheets look like each other
* Crystal Coins look like Platinum Coins
* Tortoise Egg looks like Egg
* Treasure Map (Pirate) looks like Treasure Map
* Ring of the Sky looks like Crystal Ring
* Winning Lottery Ticket looks like a parchment 
* Nomad Parchment looks like a parchment 
* Gingerbread Recipes look the same as Yellow Parchments, Research Notes and Parchment (Poetry).
* Christmas Present Bags look the same as Beach Bags 
* Magic Sulphur looks the same as Fine Sulphur 
* Spirit Container looks the same as Ectoplasm Container 
* Bag of Apple Slices looks like Pulverized Ore 
Symptoms
* Player offers to sell an item at an unbelievable low price (or agrees too quickly with your too-low offer)
* They tell you to "accept the trade window quickly" for any number of reasons (bad connection, need to log soon, etc.)
* You open a trade window, and they offer the correct item, but they reject the trade and then try to trade again right away for the wrong item.
How To Avoid
* Never accept a trade without "looking" at the item (+Left Click or just Right Click) in the trade window, and verifying that it is what you agreed on.
* When buying a Backpack of something, always "look" at some (or all) of the items in the backpack to make sure that they did not switch some of the items for their cheaper counter-parts. Also make sure the backpack has 20 items in it, and if you are buying runes look at all the numbers to make sure they have the correct number of charges.
==Slime Trick==
NOTE: Players can no longer die from poison on Rookgaard, but this scam may still be used to lower your hitpoints and make you more vulnerable to death from other creatures.
Someone will say right click on them and then on yourself and you will be healed, which they usually have a vial, cup, mug, etc. under them of Slime. You will then lose your health points, and possibly die.
Sometimes a player approaches you when you are low on health, and offer to give you a Health Potion, or sell one to you VERY cheap. Instead of a Health Potion, they give you Slime. If you drink the slime, you will be poisoned. Newer players are at more of a risk for this trick because they are often unfamiliar with liquids such as life fluids and slime. The poison cannot kill you, but it will reduce your hitpoints so that other creatures can kill you more easily. If you die, they will loot your body.
This usually only occurs on Rookgaard because inexperienced players are the primary targets, you cannot attack another player on Rookgaard (even on PvP worlds), and there is no depot to keep items in, so everything you own is in your backpack.
Symptoms
* Someone offers to sell you a Health Potion VERY cheap when you are low on health , but sometimes they sell it at normal price to trick you.
* Someone gives you "health potion" in any container that is NOT a Empty Potion Flask or a Bucket. They may throw you a Cup, Mug, Jug or other container where you cannot see the color of the liquid inside of it.
* Someone says that he can heal you, or you need to heal him, and begs you to -click him and click on yourself. In fact he did put a Cup or other small fluid container under him containing Slime. If you do what the scammer asks you for, you'll drink the Slime and die.
How To Avoid
* Always "look" at an item (+Click) BEFORE drinking it. It will tell you what kind of liquid is inside it, or if it is empty.
* NEVER Control-Click on other players.
* Always keep at least 1 Antidote Rune (adana pox) in your backpack (In Rookgaard it's an Antidote Potion that can be bought from NPC Lily for 50 gp). If you are on the Mainland, have the Antidote spell ready to use.
Note: After the 8.1 Update, you need to be atleast level 10 to use antidote rune. Therefore be even more careful when a player is showing any of these symptoms.
==Broken/Incomplete Items==
This scam involves selling/trading an item that is not "complete" or "full". This is usually done with Amulets that are missing charges, Rings that are missing time (the Might Rings have got charges instead of time), Runes that are missing charges, or Backpacks that are missing Runes or Vials.
Symptoms
* They tell you to "accept the trade window quickly" for any number of reasons
How to Avoid
* Always "look" at an item (+Click) in the trade window and make sure it has the proper number of charges/time/etc.
* When buying a Backpack of Runes, look at all the little numbers in the top corner of the item "box" to make sure they have full stacks.
* Make sure that the Backpack has all 20 items in it (unless agreed upon trading fewer items). the quick way of doing this is checking the weight, a backpack of runes is 42oz. You can check the weight by simply clicking on the backpack in the trade window. NOTE: You must be standing next to the person trading with you, or it will not show you the weight.
* When buying a Backpack of Fluids, "look" at a few of them to make sure they are the CORRECT type of fluid. Be sure that they didn't include some vials of Wine in their Backpack of Manafluids, or some vials of Blood in their Backpack of Life Fluids.
:Note: This is now less probable since the 8.1 update, which took away the Lifefluids and Manafluids from the stores, and replaced them with unrefillable potions, though vials still exist and can still fool people not yet familiarized with the update.
==Duplicate Items Scam==
This scam begins when someone tells you they know how to duplicate items. Their instructions may vary, but essentially, they will tell you to place the item on your depot box in front of you, and hold while you type "CLONE" or "DUPLICATE" or another word.
The effect is that when you press +, you will logout, and they will take your item.
Symptoms
* Someone tells you they know how to duplicate items, or tries to give you instructions on how to do so.
How To Avoid
* First of all, do not place your items in the open, even on your depot box (many scams depend on this).
* Learn the keyboard shortcuts for the game, and watch out for people that tell you to use certain key combinations.
* Do not press + or + unless you want to logout.
==Drop Scam 1 - Floor Drop==
This scam depends upon you dropping the item on the floor so that the other person can see it. When it is on the floor, they will grab it. If you drop it out of their reach, they might throw Rubbish or use Fire Field, Energy Field or Poison Field on it (or on you to block you), and grab the item when the field dissappears (or they might use a Destroy Field rune).
Note: This has become more avoidable by the function Browse Field  implemented in the Update 9.84
Symptoms
* Character wants to trade an expensive item AWAY from the Depot
* Character asks you to "show" them the item/money by placing it on the floor
* When you refuse to "show" the item to them, they start to walk away, and may call you a thief, or they may say they don't believe you actually have the item/money. Don't be fooled - your natural reaction will be to prove them wrong.
How To Avoid
* ALWAYS use the built-in "Trade" function of Tibia. NEVER SET AN ITEM ON THE FLOOR TO TRADE OR TO PROVE YOU HAVE IT. They can look at it and get their proof in the trade window. Best way to showoff an item is to show it in your house, or a trustable friend's.
==Drop Scam 2 - Depot Drop==
This scam involves standing in a depot stall, and the person asks you to "show" them the item/money before they will trade with you. If you set the item on your depot (where they can't reach it), they will immediately start throwing junk (rubbish, fish bones, worms, candlesticks, etc.) on top of it. The hope is that you will get carried away tossing the items OFF, that you will accidentally throw your item/money on the floor where they can reach it.
Note: This has become more avoidable by the function Browse Field   implemented in Update 9.84
This scam may even happen if you are NOT trading with someone, but merely showing off an item to some friends.
Symptoms
* A person asks you to "show" the item/money to them while standing in a depot stall. They may pretend to want a screenshot, or say that they don't believe you have the item/money, or any other reason.
* If buying something more than 10k, they ask you to change it into Crystal Coins before trading. This allows them to get more than 100 Platinum Coins at a time.
* A person shows you an item on their depot, and says something like "I bet you can beat this", or any other scheme to get you to place your equipment in plain sight.
* To make it more trustworthy the character may even move to the next set of dp boxes and say he cannot throw stuff because he is behind a wall. In reality a friend -or second personally controlled character- will be standing around that may seem unable but in fact is able to throw garbage on your dp. The original character will then also move back and offer help like a backpack just 1 square away. Pick it up and a third char will be logged in on your dp spot and take your valuable item.
* If you become a victim of this scam, and your item/money is covered in junk, someone may suggest that you report the thieves by pressing + or +. DO NOT PRESS IT! These combinations are hotkeys used to logout. So they will be able to move into your spot and uncover your item/money.
* Another thing to watch out for is the server save. When the server saves, all players are kicked from the game and have to log back in. If this happens when your stuff is covered in junk, the other player will most likely be expecting it, and they will log back in before you, take your spot, and steal your stuff.
How To Avoid
* ALWAYS use the built-in "Trade" function of Tibia. Never set an item out in the open - even on your depot box - when making a trade.
* If they ask you to change your Platinum Coins into Crystal Coins, refuse. If they are honest, they can change them after you trade.
* If someone refuses to trade with you until you show the item to them, show via the Trade function, if they say to show on the depot box then, just walk away.
* Do not press + or + to report scammers. Stealing and scamming is technically not against Tibia Rules, but if they do break one of the Tibia Rules, you can report them.
* When making a trade, try to stand in a depot stall where you can throw directly into a trash bin.
* If someone throws junk onto the top of your items, don't throw them off anywhere where this person could steal them. Instead, put the items into your depot. That way, in case you do get carried away, your items will return to your depot, safe and sound. This is better than throwing the junk into a trash can where you could possibly lose your items for good.
==Drop Scam 3 - House Drop==
This scam happens when someone invites you into their house. When inside, they ask to "see" the item. You drop it on the floor. They cast the "alana sio" spell (see Tibia Guide on Houses for more information), and you are immediately kicked out of the house, but your item/money is still inside.
Symptoms
* Someone asks to trade with you in their house. They may use any number of reasons (it's a safe zone, I don't trust you, etc).
* Anyone asks you to "show" the item/money to them on the floor of their house or flat. They may even try to make you feel safe by letting you into a room in the house and closing the door, with them standing outside the door. They can still cast the spell, and you will still be kicked out of the house, with your money/items on their floor.
How To Avoid
* ALWAYS use the built-in "Trade" function of Tibia. Never set an item out in the open - ESPECIALLY IN SOMEONE'S HOUSE - when making a trade.
* If someone refuses to trade with you until you show the item to them, just walk away (be prepared to run if they attack you).
* Only trade in public safe zones, and certainly not in someone's house that you do not know and trust.
== Drop Scam 4 - Theft Scam ==
Another simple but quite obvious scam. When you're trading with another player they tell you they are having problems with their mouse and they have to show their gold or items on the floor. This can be in a depot, other protection zone, or anywhere else, for that matter. So, the player places the gold or item(s) on the floor and quickly retrieves it, giving you just enough time to see they have what you require. Then they ask you to show your gold or items on floor. If you do so, then they will throw a huge amount of trash on your gold/item, or sometimes a field rune, and usually have friends waiting nearby, to try and steal from you, while you frantically remove the rubbish or use a Destroy Field rune. Sometimes a friend will be ready to use a Destroy Field rune and steal from you while you are caught unprepared.
Symptoms
*Player is willing to show their gold or items on the floor, instead of using the trade function.
*Then they ask you to show your gold or items on the floor too.
How to avoid
*NEVER use anything but the trade function when buying or selling items.
*If a player says they are having trouble with their mouse and have to show gold or items on the floor, remind them that they have to use the left mouse button to move objects. Then also remind them, while holding down the key and clicking on the item with the left mouse button, they can select "Trade with..."
==Drop Scam 5 - Potion Scam==
This scam is very recent and a lot of people fell for it.
It is quite simple, someone wants to give items for free, he asks you to put your equipment over the depot and then he puts a pot in the middle, when you use the pot on him, you'll move out from your depot, and someone will steal your item, most likely his partner that will do that. Be careful, this scam can turn out in others scams, like Depot Scam 2.
They usually act in a group, never alone, they most likely have a partner, they usually are levels 100+.
Let's supose: we have Scammer 1 and Scammer 2, Scammer 1 is willing to give Soft boots to Victim, he asks Victim to come above depot, then Scammer 2 comes, asking for free items, Scammer 2 shows his equipments and then Scammer 1 uses the pot on himself, After that, Scammer 1 gives the item to Scammer 2. Then, Victim shows all his items on the depot, and uses the pot on Scammer 1, Scammer 2 comes and steals all the Victim's Equipment. (Since Victim has to move in order to pot someone.)
Symptoms
*Someone tells you that he is giving a rare item, like soft boots, MPA, etc... for free, then he asks you to come above depot.
*He'll ask you to put all your equipment on the DP, then use a pot on him.
How to Avoid
*Never show your items in anywhere EXCEPT the Trade function.
*If someone is willing to give free items, he will probably not ask for any favor.
*Do not always trust high levels, they can be scammers also.
==Server Save==
This scam is just another variation on any of the Drop scams listed here. In this case, you are told to "show" them an item/money/etc. near the time the server will be saved. When the server does a save, all characters are kicked from the game, and have to log back in. If you have items on the floor or on your depot box, they will still be there, but the other person will most likely be expecting it, and they will log in before you, and take your items/money.
Symptoms
*Someone wants to initiate a trade very close to the server save.
*You are asked to "show" the item or money to someone who wants to trade with you.
How To Avoid
*Know when the server save is for the world you play on.
*Do not initiate a trade close to the server save.
*Never place items in the open when trading. The other person can see if safely in the trade window.
==Parcel Trade Scam==
 Parcel Trading is a relatively dangerous form of trading, which should only be used between close friends (if ever). It's a fairly common scam as one can easily ask the other to send their item or money first, saying that they'll follow suit upon receiving the parcel. Inevitably, scammers will take the item and log out or pretend that they never recieved the parcel.
Symptoms
* You negotiate a trade through private messages, and the other person asks you to parcel the money to them.
* They say they can't or refuse to travel for the trade, and if you offer to travel to their location they give an excuse that it will not work (eg. they need to logoff).
* They initially try to meet with you to trade, but you cannot find them. Eventually they say to just parcel it to them. They may not even be in the town they say they are, and may just be sending you on a wild goose chase.
How To Avoid
* Do not parcel trade, only use the trade function of the client.
* If a parcel trade is absolutely necessary, be sure that the other player sends their portion first.
* Look up the character and check their death list and/or residence, the residence may tell you what kind of player they are.
*Exiva them, and if its obvious that they are not in that town, cancel the trade as they may simply be lying about where they are, possibly to lure you into a trap to kill you on your way to a mailbox, see lure and kill scam.
* Even if you have more than one item to trade, do not trade one at a time as you may find that they pay you the first time to lure you in and gain your trust. By doing this you think they will keep paying you but will stop paying once they receive a more expensive item and then log off.
== City Tricked Offer ==
Scam where someone sells you an item (or buys), but you are too far, so they will travel for a better offer (if c-armor costs 12k they will travel to your city for an offer of 13k, or more) -in case that the other player is buying the item you sell, he/she will want you to reduce the price (if c-armor costs 12k they will travel if you sell it for 11k)-, but they are not in a far away city at all, they might be in the same city you are, but they want to get more money.
It's not a very tragic or offensive scam, but you can save yourself some gps by doing some simple things.
Symptoms
* You negotiate a trade through private messages, and the other players says you are too far away, that he/she will go to your city, but you have to pay more (in case you are the seller, the player asks you to reduce the price of the item).
* When you agree to pay more for the item the player appears next to you in a few seconds (even less time than it would take if he/she had to travel by ship).
How to Avoid
* Simply use "Exiva" spell when the player says he/she is far away, and if they are not in the direction of the city they say they are he is trying to scam you.
* If he is not in the direction they said they were, cancel the deal unless they pay the amount according to the price.
* If you are premium, travel to the city yourself (after using the Exiva Spell).
-Note: It's not a very common scam, and there are never great losses so it's not too important to prevent this, but it doesn't hurt anybody to spend 20 mana by using "Exiva" just to make sure you are not being tricked
==Lure and Kill==
This scam happens when someone (usually in a PVP world) wants to trade with you, but they say that they left their money in their house (or somewhere else), and you need to come with them to go get it. When you get a sufficient distance from a Safe Zone, they will attack and kill you and take your stuff. They might also take you to a monster spawn you can't handle (Dwacatra for example).
Symptoms
* A character tells you to follow them somewhere (other than a safe-zone) to do the trade. They may have any number of reasons for you to follow them.
How To Avoid
* Only trade in a Depot or another safe zone (like a Boat)
* Do not follow another character to their house or anywhere else to trade. If they say that they need to get their money, tell them you will wait for them.
==Party Kill==
This is when a character asks you to join a Party for training or hunting. After you join their party, they attack you mercilessly and kill you before you can exit the party.
The reason someone would do this, is that they can kill you, get your stuff, and not receive a Skull for the attack or kill.
Symptoms
* Someone asks you to join a party to train while you are at a hunting area. Party training is usually done near a depot or store so that you can both have quick access to food when you run out.
* Anyone you do not know asks you to join a party
How To Avoid
* Never join a Party with someone you do not trust.
==King/Queen Kill==
The area around the King/Queen is now protection zone, so this scam can no longer be used.
In this scam, the main objective is to kill you. Plain and simple. It will usually start when someone asks you to help them do a quest, and they need your vocation/premium account/etc to get through it. Part of the quest will involve sending you to speak with Queen Eloise or King Tibianus, to get an item or give them something. When you are there, they will tell you to say a certain phrase to the king/queen (such as, "silly key quest" or "hat of the stupid quest" or other words they won't like). This phrase will be offensive to the King/Queen, and their guards will attack you with some kind of magic and you will be left with one hitpoint. Being vulnerable, your trusted friends will easily finish you off.
Symptoms
* Someone you do not know (or don't fully trust), says they need you for a quest. This is especially suspicious if they are the same vocation as you, have a higher level, or have a premium account.
* Part of the quest (usually the first part), sends you to talk to the King or Queen. This may be legitimate, since some quests do require you to speak with them, but in a legitimate quest, you will be sent to them by an NPC, not another player.
* You are told to say something to the King/Queen that may be offensive to them.
How To Avoid
* Unless instructed by an NPC, do not say anything that may be offensive to the King or Queen. Use good judgment.
* There are no quests that BEGIN by speaking with the King/Queen. If someone tells you otherwise, do not believe them.
* Any swear words will offend the King/Queen. Do not under any circumstances say words such as "Sh**", "F**k", "A**", etc. when you are closer than 4 square meters from their guards.
==Reverse King/Queen Kill==
In this scam, a high level player curses at a King or Queen and allows themselves to be damaged to deep red health, and then casts magic shield. This renders the player safe from attacks, however when attacked, the assailant will be marked with a skull and then killed by the "victim"
With the party system, players can also have their friends wound them into very low health in order to accomplish the same scam.
Symptoms
* You see a player of a decent level in deep red health near a king or queen or out and about within the town, especially if they ask you to attack them (but they do not have a skull).
* Be especially cautious if the player is any vocation other than a Knight or a Paladin, and thus has the ability to cast Magic Shield. Additionally, the player could possibly be wearing an Energy Ring.
How to Avoid
* Do not attack unmarked players (players without skulls), as a general rule of thumb unprovoked player killing should be avoided, regardless if the player seems suicidal or not (suicidal players rarely carry any items, therefore the only thing you will come out of the kill with is a skull and a 15 minute Protection Zone Block).
==Redskull scam/kill==
In this scam, you will most likely get trapped by some PKers and low-level characters and get attacked. When you run out of Potions they will something like "We're just kidding" or "We heal you" or something like that, and put UH's under you, so you can heal yourself. When you do so, they will probably throw an Avalanche (Rune) under you. When you accidently use it on yourself, you will hit 3 or more of the low-level characters. The PKers will then kill the low-level characters and you will get a Red Skull. Then the PKers will kill you, and you will lose all your equipment even if you have Blessings or Amulet of Loss.
Symptoms
* You get trapped by usually some level 45+ mages and some low-level characters.
* They will attack you, even if you obviously have blessings.
How to Avoid
* NEVER use UHs given by the PKers. You won't have a chance to survive anyway.
** Or, at least, throw the rune to your backpack and look before using it.
* Be extra careful at small passages (eg. on the way to Kazordoon).
* Try to log out if you see something that looks suspicious (You won't regret it later).
* Fight to escape, but be sure not to kill or attack 2 or more of the unskulled low-level characters.
* If you have blessings, and are trapped by strong PKers (which you wont be able to kill), don't bother to use potions, you will most likely die anyway.
==Phishing==
In this scam, a namefaked character (Examples: Mateuzs Dragon Wielki, Eternal Oblivlon, Taifun Deyilry) will use a cheat tool known as a Broadcaster to send a message throughout the world. This message usually contains a link, and some sort of threat or information that might lure you. The link goes to a website that looks exactly like the Tibia site, and when you enter your account information the person who broadcasts will steal your account and items.
Symptoms
* A higher level (or just a random player) suddenly informs you of a website and sends you a link.
How to Avoid
* Read all links thoroughly.
* Don't trust links given by strangers in PMs.
* Never enter your account details (account number, password, recovery key) on any website but www.tibia.com. Beware of lowercase 'L' and the number 1, and - instead of '.'. (Eg. TlBlA.COM or tibia-com)
Notes: Broadcasters became obsolete after an update by Cipsoft.
Also another way, is using namefaked characters to ask for your help. (Example: 'Arieswer' instead of "Arieswar"). They would ask for you to send them runes or anything valuable. Saying like they are hunting, and that they will pay you back later after hunt. Sometimes they even make namefakes of either guild leaders or guild members to trick other members.
How to Avoid
* Copy name and use the character interface on Tibia.
* Check, if they ask you to send valuables to another character, sometimes this is because the namefake character they are messaging on, is still in Rookgaard.
* Have the Show Level option on -> Shows the level of the character who is messaging you, easy to tell if it's fake. (Example 12:17 Arieswar [136]: hi, is different from 12:17 Arieswar [2]: hi). To turn it on, go Options -> Console -> Tick 'Show Levels in Console'.
==House Trap Scam==
This scam involves a player inviting you into their house, but not giving you rights to open/close the door. Once in their house/guildhall, they close the door and tell you to drop your gp or items on the floor, or they will never let you out of their house. Since you cannot open the door, you may think that you are trapped. The truth is, anyone can "uninvite" themselves from any house/gulidhall that they can enter. Simply say alana sio "your character", and you will immediately be teleported outside of the house.
Symptoms
* Any character invites you into their house to do a trade
* Any character you do not know or trust invites you into their house
How to Avoid
* Remember the magic spell "alana sio"
* Do not perform trades in someone's house
==Training Scam==
In this scam, one or more players will ask you to train on a monster with them. He/she/they will take you somewhere and kill you. They may not kill you right away, trying to lull you into a false sense of security. They may also use the monster to attack you.
Symptoms
* Any character you do not know asks you to train on a monster with them.
* There is more than one character training.
* They say they "need" another character to train (which will never be true).
* This one is especially important! They take you somewhere you will not be able to get away from on short notice (e.g. a rooftop or on top of a mountain). They may remove the boxes so you can't get down if you don't have the right spell.
How to Avoid
* Do not train on a monster unless you can easily and quickly get away should an attack occur.
* Do not go on top of anything that requires stacking of boxes to get down.
* Do not train with people you don't know (especially if they have a skull!)
==Bookcase/Depot Scam==
In this scam, a player will make a "man-made" depot in between two bookcases. He/she will set this mechanism up so it works like a normal depot where other players cannot move you, and you can show your items free of fear. The scammer will start to put his equipment on the man-made depot and encourage you to do the same. Once you put your equipment on the chest acting as a depot, the scammer will throw a bunch of junk on your item to slow you from picking it back up. While you are moving the junk, the scammer quickly changes characters and his other character would have been logged out on top of the man-made depot giving him access to your items. He may push you out of the way or throw your item back to his and relog. This is a fairly new scam and is not widely known around the tibian world.
Symptoms
* If there is a two chests set up to imitate a depot environment in between three bookcases or other objects that can't be moved.
* If the person is persisting you to show your items on his man-made depot.
* If the person will not switch you places (this is in order to make the scam work).
How to Avoid
* Do not ever put your items anywhere else than somewhere safe like your house or guildhall (reminder: things might look safe, but they are made to alter your judgment). Not even your depot is safe enough.
* When you see a set up like this, avoid it, do not even try to play a game with the person.
== Rookgaard Minotaur Scam ==
This scam is specifically for Rookgaard, and is usually done at the Minotaur Tower. The scammer gathers a small group of low-level players, and leads them to the Minotaur Tower, which is accessible only by boxes. The scammer then lets the players up first and takes the boxes away. When all of the players are dead, or only one is alive (to keep the minotaur from attacking the scammer), the scammer takes all of the player's items.
Symptoms
*A higher-level character needing YOUR help, even if you are low-level, to defeat a creature you can't.
*The character leads the way, but sits back and does nothing while you fight.
How To Avoid
*Make sure you can get away if things get bad.
*Ask the scammer to go first. He/she is higher-level, and should at least block.
== Fast Hands ==
This actually started out as a fun game for Tibia but now some people started using bots to gain the item in the middle. Fast hands is when one person puts an item in the middle of 2 depot boxes and then both people try to drag it back quickly. Both people take a turn at doing this.
Symptoms
*The person is willing to put a much more expensive item in the middle than you are because his bot will make him win
*The person asks everyone in the depot to play fast hands, and usually insults the person if they don't play.
*The person promises you will get your item back if he wins.
How To Avoid
*Only play fast hands with friends you can trust, in a place in the depot where other people improbably won't go to avoid dp trashing.
*If the person that wants to play looks dodgy, then do not play at all, or play with something you don't care to lose.
== Guild Hall Scam ==
This scam is hard to carry out because the fact that the culprit needs to own a Guild hall to do so. It's carried out by when the Guild leader gets a guildhall and a large amount of people in the guild who are ready to display their items. When doing so the guild leader will wait for the majority of the "good" items to be down before he disbands the guild and all the items in the Guild Hall go to his DP.
Symptoms
* The leader/owner of the guild/guild hall wants you to display your items rather more than you want to.
How To Avoid
*There really is no way of telling who might do this because their reputation as a player is in jeopardy. Only real defense is to know who your leader is and NEVER display NEEDED items.
== Guild War Scam ==
This trick requires at least two guilds owned by friends or one player with more than one account. They wage war on one another but instead of killing each other off they target the lower level characters of either guild, who cannot afford Blessings, in order to get loot from them.
Mostly used in Optional PvP worlds where normal PvP is prohibited, thus the only way to kill other players is with the War System.
Symptoms
*The reasons for the war are most likely small and often for fun.
*Neither guild wins or loses money. Only the characters that died in the war lose.
*None of the high level characters end up dying.
How To Avoid
*Again, this is extremely difficult to spot. In fact, most of the information here came from one scammer in particular who was boasting about it in World-Chat.
*Only enter wars of a guild you are loyal to and have known for a long time.
== Parcel Trap Scam ==
This scam is usually done in little spaces, such as a depot or dead end caves. One usual place is the depot, after you entered the depot, they will stay behind you, then he will put 3 parcels horizontally behind his back. Why the parcels? Because you can't push a player to a parcel, box or such items. Sometimes they cover the parcels with other items such as trash so you can't see them, of course, they're still there and you still cannot push the player.
Symptoms
* Someone is telling you to go to a little place, telling you that he will give you free items or any more reasons.
* You see parcels in a position you may not be able to escape from.
* You see dead bodies in the space he is telling you to step on.
How To Avoid
* In Non-PvP worlds, if you get trapped like this, the scammers won't be able to attack you, so if they want their scam to work they will have to stay until you surrender. DO NOT FORFEIT YOUR ITEMS, the scammers will have to log out sooner or later, so just be patient and wait. Alternatively you can just log out and play on another character.
Note:After 2009 Autumn Patch, you can't get trapped by players in Non-PvP worlds anymore.
* In normal combat worlds: the only options you have is fight or call a friend to move the parcels or boxes.
* Carry some Desintegrate runes with you. These runes can destroy any moveable objects, including parcels. Note: Will not work if you are not next to the object or if you are in a protection zone.
* If scammer doesn't attack you, you can just log off.
==Enchanted Staff==
This scam isn't used much anymore, since the Enchant Staff spell can only be bought by promoted players (Master Sorcerers of level 41 and above). Someone trades you an Enchanted Staff (39/45), which is a good weapon, but after 60 seconds it turns into an ordinary Staff (10/25), which is not a good weapon.
Symptoms
* A player sells you a good weapon for a really low price
* The player is always in a hurry, because the spell only lasts 60 seconds.
* Mostly Master Sorcerers do this scam
How To Avoid
* Always look at the item, it will say Temporary magic powers enchant this staff. Meaning that this item's high power is only temporary.
* Never buy an Enchanted Staff.
==Skull Robbing==
This is a relatively new scam that will usually happen to low level mages. What will happen is that when you are casting a spell such as GFB or Thunderstorm and other multi-target spells in a place with a big spawn attacking you, a low level character will walk into the space where you are attacking with the rune and you will get a white skull. They will try to keep you there with a white skull, while another higher lvl character will come very quickly, sometimes in seconds. Then, they will gang up and kill you. An important note is that they will keep you skulled so you will get an unjustified kill if you kill the low level. Hence, the low level might suicide and you will get a skull for 15 minutes.
Symptoms
*Attempting to run into you while using runes/spells like GFB
*Following you around the hunting spot
How to Avoid
*No good ways to avoid, just refrain from using area spells as a low level
*If you find that you are followed, try to head somewhere else, or refrain from using area spells like GFB
*Call a friend for help and try to stall for time when the higher level comes to kill you
==Just Plain Stealing==
This one isn't much of a scam but its quite common. usually someone standing by the depot will just come and steal your lootbag by throwing it into a depot stall then getting there before you can, or just taking it from your hunting spot, or throwing an empty bag on top of your lootbag then taking the actual one for himself.
Symptoms
*Someone standing outside the depot or at your hunting place comes and takes your lootbag and puts it in their depot before you can
*Usually a low lvl doing this to mid lvls, not to say its limited to just low lvls, high lvls can do it to
*If they give it back they will repeat it later but give you some sad excuse about how he's having a hard time with game because he is hunted or something about his real life
How to avoid
*Hide your stuff and bring it into town slowly,
*Keep your lootbag close to you or at least hidden while you are hunting
*If you are premium, do the Postman Quest and use the special mailboxes in some hunting spots.
==Low Level Party Killing==
This happens when a low level player asks you to accept his party in a PvP world. You think "He cant kill me, he's a low level player", and accept the party. Then, the low level player logs a high level character with a multi-client (Note this is no longer against Tibia Rules, so reports are completely in vain), invite the character to the party, and the higher level character just kills you.
Symptoms
*A low level player asks you to accept party far away from a protection zone
*If you are blocking monsters to a newbie player, he asks you to accept his party so you can get the loot (Even if the monster doesn't give nice/any loot, like scorpions or anything like this)
*If you are blocking, he can also ask you to accept the party to get shared experience (Remember that to share exp the player must have at least 2/3 of your level.)
How to avoid
*Never accept party from a player that you doesn't trust fully, the level of the player doesn't matter
*If you still want a party with another player, always be the leader so the newbie can't invite his higher level character to the party
==Many-Player Party Killing==
Really similar to the previous scam, a low level player invites you to join his party ( They might say they want you to kill them ) . Once you joined the party, some high level player that also joined the party, will come and kill you.
Symptoms
*A low level player asks you to accept party with no reason, or to make you to kill him.
*You notice there are high level players near the one who invited you.
*A low level player is inviting random players to kill him ( To send them back to RookGaard )
How to avoid
*Never accept party from a player that you don't trust, or you don't even know
*If you still want a party with another player, always be the leader so the newbie can't invite his higher level character to the party
== Bag trade scam==
Pretty simple scam. When you sell something a player will pay you with a bag of money. After the trade the player will move away, but will return shortly to you asking for his bag back. If you are careless, then you'll give him his bag back without taking your money from it first.
Symptoms
*Player uses colored or special bag when trading with you.
How to avoid
*Always check your containers before throwing them away.
== Very rare item scam==
Another easy scam, that is quite recent, someone offers you a incredible item, which is rare, but, it is a very easy item to obtain.
Example:Broken pottery It is dropped only by Juggernaut, however, the scamming player would say this item is rare, due to it being dropped by a Juggernaut, a strong and hard monster to defeat.
But, the broken pottery can be found almost everywhere.
Symptoms
*Player offers you a "very rare" item with certain capabilities/advantages, for a relatively low price, compared to most rare prices.
*Player tells and insists the item can do a certain thing, and/or is very rare.
How to avoid
*Do not always belive them, always check each item function/rareness, by asking players or visiting fansites.
==Fake GM Scam==
This is a good way for people to hack another persons account, it is fairly old and has been a problem for a while. its usually begins with someone who has lost all of their items through certain ways (eg. death, or being hacked) the person usually makes and keeps an account at level one on the tutorial island until he finds his first victim usually above level 20 then he will send a gm message (eg. you have been reported for illegal program use and will be banished in 20 minutes. if you want to falsify this claim then go to something.example.whatever thank you - cipsoft team) once you go to the site that they put into the message it will transfer to them and will automatically log you off if you have tibia open still, once the account is hacked into they will change your password and the only chance you will have is the account retrieval.
Symptoms
*a person (usually level 1-3) sends you a banishment report that includes a website
How to avoid
*dont believe them
*check the character list on the tibia homesite
*dont go to the link they send in the banishment report
*ignore them permanently (temporary solution)
*always have "show character level" turned on (explained in previous scam)
==Trust Test==
This is not as common as it used to be, but a higher level player will come up to you and show you a good piece of equipment such as Dragon Scale Mail or a Demon shield on their depot. They will then ask you to put all your equipment in the middle and ask you to trust them and they will give you the equiment they have shown you. They will then take all your equipment in the middle and log out.
Symptoms
*They ask you to Trust them and come to a depot space
*When you refuse to put your equipment in middle they will say "Come on you want this good item now don't you want?"
*When you ask why you should trust them they will say they are quitting anyways and just wanna give the equipment to a trusting person
*You will see them give a good item to someone else when they "Trust them" it's most likely just a friend to get you to trust them.
How to avoid
*Never put your equipment in the middle or on your depot at all for that matter.
*Don't believe them
==The Dice Game==
This is the most common kind of scam and a very fun one to play. Someone will put a mid range priced item such as a Dragon Shield or Hat of the Mad. They will then put a die on that item and call out "Roll 300 gold!" This means that you put the 300 gold on the depot box on the die and say a number, if you get the number right you get the item under the die. A common thing to happen is the person with the die gets the money on his depot and says he doesn't know who it came from and therefore can't roll the die, he then just keeps the money. It is very addicting game to play and the person can win a lot of money doing this before you win. You also may never win and have to watch to make sure he rolls the die instead of just putting another die with a number you didn't say on top of it. When you finally do win there is a high chance they will just pick up the stuff and say trade. After that they do one of two things 1) They trade the item and cancel the trade and trys to tell everyone around him that he traded you the item to try to get more people to play. 2) He will log out right away.
Symptoms
*It is a good item for a low price on roll
*If you play once they try to get you to keep playing
How To Avoid
*Don't play dice games on peoples depots
==Market Scamming==
With the implementation of the Tibian Market came several ways to scam people. One way to do so is by setting an offer so that it looks like you're buying, for example, Boots of Haste for 33.000 gp - when in reality, the offer is 33.000 Boots of Haste for one gp each! They may also do the reverse, for example selling 90 Assassin Stars for 10.000 gp, making it look like a really good offer of 10.000 Assassin Stars for 90 gp each. This makes the market a very dangerous place for people who don't speak good English.
Symptoms
*Somebody is seemingly offering a high price for an item that other people sell for less gold
*Somebody desperately wants to get rid of their stackable items for what looks like a very low price
How to Avoid
*Look carefully at the numbers, and where the word "gold" is placed in the sentence.
*Don't take other people's offers. Set your own and wait for somebody else to accept them.
== Party Trap ==
A low level will party with a high level person and right before he is hit he will leave the party and get the other person skulled or pz and kill them for their loot.
Category:Game Terms
Category:Game Elements