Scams

This is a list of cheats and scams found in RuneScape. This is not meant to promote scamming, but to prevent players from being scammed. Please note that using these ideas will result in action taken against the players' account. All of these scams have been noted and acknowledged or submitted to Jagex.

Cheats
Since RuneScape is a massively multi-player game, it would be unfair to have "cheat codes" in the game. Therefore, none exist in RuneScape. Players who offer "cheats" are usually scammers.

There are still three main ways to cheat, namely character sharing, macroing (using bots or other automated programs), and abusing bugs.

Bug abusing
Bug abusing means using programming errors to one's gain. This is rare, since bugs are usually quickly reported and patched. Jagex does not offer rewards for reporting bugs. The one exception was for the party hat duplication glitch, when Jagex offer a lifetime membership to the first player that described how to duplicate (no pun intended) the glitch.

Suggested action: Players who know about bugs should report them (and users who abuse them) to Jagex.

Character sharing
Character sharing means having two or more people controlling the same character. While the rule against character sharing was always there, it was rarely enforced in the early days.

Suggested action: It is difficult to tell if a player is character sharing, unless the player admits it. In this case, the player should be reported. Another way to tell is if the player calls themself different names, but thereotically, dissociative identity disorder cannot be ruled out.

Macroing
Macroing is the most common form of cheating. In the early days, macroing simply involved using a program that repeated certain clicks. As anti-macroing features were added, the cheats became advanced as well. Later, there were bots (involving modified clients) that would follow certain monsters, and they were eventually scriptable. However, Jagex has been constantly updating their macro-detection technology.

Suggested action: Possible bot users should be reported to Jagex.

Scamming
Unfortunately, some players will decide to make their living by scamming other players. They may try to make the player lose money, or even their accounts.

Here are some possible scams, and ways to deal with such scammers. In addition to following the steps listed below, it may be kind to warn nearby players who may fall for the scam.

All usernames used in the examples are hypothetical, and any resemblance to a real username would be coincidental.

Jagex staff impersonation scam
Players who do not have gold crowns in front of their names are not Jagex staff. Real Jagex will never ask for players' password.

Note that the crowns do not show up on RuneScape Classic.

Examples:

Suggested actions: Report the player immediately. Nobody, not even player moderators, should be asking for your password. For fun, you can give them a fake password, such as youreastupidscammer123.

Trust scam
Ironically, some players might attempt to trick other players into playing "trust games" and such.

Examples:

Suggested actions: Report the user for item scamming.

Password censoring scam
Currently, RuneScape does not censor players' passwords. Some players will trick others into thinking otherwise, and then look for any text that may resemble a password.

Example:

Suggested action: Report the user under password scamming immediately. Passwords are not censored. If you did say your password, then change it immediately while logged on (this way, scammers cannot log on to your account unless they know your recovery answers).

Drop scam (1)
Some players will trick other players into dropping their items for them.

Example:

Suggested action: Alt-F4 closes your window, and you may not have enough time to log back in before the scammer picks up your items. Report the scammer for item scamming.

Drop scam (2)
Other scammers will try to "trade" by dropping. Players should never trade using "unofficial" ways.

Example:

Suggested actions: In reality, Blue_Yeti_5 may drop only 500 gp, or even nothing at all. Since offering 55,000 gp is very easy with the current trading system, players trying to trade with other methods are most likely scammers. Here, the player in question should be reported.

Armour trimming and "upgrading"
Trimmed armour are obtained from treasure trails and normal armor cannot be trimmed anyone. No player or NPC can trim armour.

Example:

Suggested action: Report the user for item scamming.

Similarly, some players will offer to "upgrade" armour. Likewise, this is not possible.

Example:

Suggested actions: Again, report the player for item scammin. For fun, you can give the scammer something useless, such as some burnt meat.

Trust trades
Some players will offer to turn raw products into finished products for those who cannot do so, such as smithing rune, cutting dragonstones, and enchanting amulets. These are not always scams.

Examples:

Suggested actions: This is a tricky issue, but here are some ways to avoid getting scammed:


 * Check the hi-scores to see if the player really has the required skills (RuneScape Classic hi-scores no longer exist, so you'll have to use your judgement)
 * In general, high-leveled players are less likely to scam, as they would not risk their accounts banned for small amounts of gold
 * Try to ask the player to directly trade you the finished product for your raw materials
 * Ask the player to let you hold on to some cash as insurance (collateral)

Account trades and transfers
Not only is transfering accounts against Jagex's rules, it is extremely risky. The player may take your money and never give you the password. Even if you receive the account, the original owner can take it back easily.

Examples:

Additionally, some players may give you a high-level account, in hopes that you'll transfer your items to it. The scammer can then recover the account, and take any items that you may have placed on it.

Suggested actions: Report the player for account trading. If you see an account on an auction site like eBay, then report it to Jagex via customer support.

Fake RuneScape websites
Some players will make sites that look similar to the real RuneScape site, and offer moderator applications or entry into contests. In reality, these sites would collect your password and may present you with a fake error message.

Suggested actions: You should never enter your RuneScape into any site other than the official site, whose domain is runescape.com. You should avoid even visiting fake sites, as some exploit vulnerabilities and can infect you with viruses as soon as you visit the site. Finally, you should report the site to Jagex via customer support.

E-mail scam
Aside from membership receipts, Jagex no longer sends e-mail to players. In addition, such e-mails will never have any clickable links.

Suggested actions: Report the e-mail to Jagex and delete it. When reporting the e-mail to Jagex, try to include the header information. If possible, block the user from sending you any more e-mails. To prevent scammers from harvesting your e-mail address, try to set it to "hidden" on Internet forums.

Cheat program scam
Some scammers will offer programs that claim to make RuneScape easier, but they will actually steal your password. It is for this reason that Jagex discourages from using toolkits.

Suggested action: Do not use toolkits unless it is reputable. Also, be sure that your computer's anti-virus programs are up-to-date. Examples of anti-virus programs include McAfee VirusScan, Norton AntiVirus, and ClamWin.

Dungeon death scam
This scam involves luring you into a dungeon where you need a light source or else you are damaged. They give you a candle and a tinderbox and lead you deep into the dungeon. There, they say that they need a tinderbox (yours). They keep the tinderbox and wait for your candle to go out. When your candle does go out, the dungeon goes dark, making it hard to get out, and you are killed by cave bugs. The scammers take your items. There are variants where players lure other players into the wilderness, or have a multi-combat monster follow them so they will also attack an unprepared player or to tricking a monster to attack another player.

Prevention: DO NOT give out your item if you need it to survive in the dungeon. Teleportation runes, a games necklace, a ring of dueling, or other escape items commonly brought to (all) dungeons and dangerous areas can be a useful failsafe. If you move into an area that you do not know, only take items that you can afford to lose when you inadvertently get killed. Magic teleport tablets offer a guaranteed (not magic level dependant) and very fast (compared to duel rings and so on) escape option.

Trade scam
Another favourite is the changing of items on the "secondary" or "final" trade screen. One should always refrain from pressure to "Just hit the accept trade" button, and carefully review it first. A large majority of scams occur here. The quantity or value is changed (say, from 200,000 coins to 20,000 coins) just a split second before the final accept screen often using some computer program to do the switch and accept operations. The trade partners flies through the trade process, enticing other players to quickly complete an attractive deal. In this haste, people can lose quite a bit. Players often put on the line a noted item and at the last second, as above, they will switch it to another noted item that looks the same (for example, a Rune Scimitar to a Mithril scimitar).

Prevention: Take extra care with noted non-bulk items, move your cursor over the items to view their names, and always check the confirmation screen twice (read it!). '''If scamming does occur it is important to report immediately! Do not hesitate and try to bargain your goods back as if the players have not traded recently afterwards the report will not be accepted.'''

Εxtortion scam
Players will at times attempt to extort cash from others. A good example is the pickaxe head scam: when a pickaxe head flies off due to the random event, other players will pick the head up, and demand an absurd price to get it back.

Prevention: Set your character's speed to run (in the game settings window, marked with a wrench), and be aware of what is happening while you are mining.

"Rare" items
Many players try to find items that are not commonly seen, yet not at all difficult to obtain. They go to a popular world and try to pass these items off as rare, taking advantage of the fact that not many people know about these items. This was becoming such a problem that JaGex made the Yin yang amulet (purchasable from the Makeover Mage just soutwest of Falador for 100 coins) untradable. Jagex figured that since not many people read the Postbag Letters page where it was first mentioned, not many people would know about them. Sure enough, players who had not yet realized that the amulets were untradable were seen selling them for 100,000+ coins.

Some of the rare items that players may try to pass off rare, but are actually worthless, are:
 * Muddy keys (only worth around 5,000 coins, used to get a small treasure from the muddy chest in lvl 45 Wilderness)
 * Cooking apples (used in cooking and quests, not rare)
 * Charcoal (worthless, except in some members-only quests)
 * Sliced banana (worthless, heals 1 hp)
 * Spinach rolls (worthless, heals 2 hp)
 * Burnt bones (worthless, gives the same prayer xp as normal bones)
 * Locust meat (worthless, a members quest item that is for some reason tradable in non member servers)
 * Polished buttons (worthless, except for some members quests)

The actual list is much longer, and with each new update, a new one is potentially added. A good rule of thumb is to never buy anything unless you're sure of its actual value.

Advert scam
Many Runscape fansites, even the most reputable, face a perpetual battle with their ad-serving companies to weed out often inappropriate adverts, for things which are likely to get your account banned, or worthless "guides" that rehash the material any good fansite or forum gives you free.

Example:

Arbitrage scam
This is a group of two or more people item scamming. They will take a somewhat unknown item such as a spinach roll for the scam.

Example:

The intent is that someone buys from Scammer1 with the intent to sell to Scammer2 and make a profit. When someone buys from Scammer1, both scammers put the buyer on ignore and world hop. What you can do to avoid this:


 * Check the street price of the item on a respectable fan-site.
 * If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.
 * Report them both for breaking Rule 2.