Account safety

Jagex stresses the importance of Account safety. Their latest push for the increase in security and safety is the addition of the Stronghold of Security, is an area where players must answer questions about account safety, while rewarding them for good safety practices.

General Online Safety and Security
Jagex of course not only stresses the need for the security of your account and keeping it from being stolen, it also it very concerned about its users personal safety. Some general safety instructions include:
 * Do not tell any user any personal information, such as your real name, email address, home address, messenger handle or phone number, etc.
 * Do not carry on a conversation with another user that makes you feel uncomfortable.
 * Do not carry on a conversation with any implications of sexual content, (aka "cybering"). Notify Jagex via Report Abuse.
 * RuneScape is an online game. There is no need to meet anyone in real life. Remember you only have the other player's word that they are who they say they are. If you decide against this and do plan to meet a RuneScape player in real life, please inform your parents or guardian what you are doing and have them accompany you to the meeting. Do not go alone.
 * If you have any problem not answered by the RuneScape Guidelines, fill out a customer support form and a Jagex Staff Member will respond to you as soon as possible.

Account Security
While dealing with the safety of your RuneScape account, Jagex suggests that there are a few simple things to follow to prevent your account from being hacked.
 * Do not ever tell anyone your account password. This is the #1 easiest way to get your account hacked. Jagex blocks the entire message if you say your password, but this is ingame only.
 * Choose a password that is not too simple and is composed of a combination of both letters and numbers.
 * Set your Security Questions. These are used in retrieving a lost password if you forget it. Jagex recently motivated many players to set their Security Questions by the creation of the Stronghold of Security, where the players are awarded 10000 (10K) coins and fancy boots or fighting boots for setting their Security Question, and also allowing the players to further explore the dungeon. Do not tell anyone your Security Questions, because that will allow them to retrieve your password.
 * Fake sites are set up often to steal your account information when you type it into their site. Jagex warns of the following fakes:
 * RuneScape cheat sites - There are NO RuneScape cheats. These are fakes!
 * RuneScape staff sites - We do not have secret sites on which you can become an admin or moderator! These are fakes!
 * RuneScape chat boards/rooms - Don't use your RuneScape password on these sites! Use a Different password to avoid getting it stolen
 * RuneScape test servers - Watch out for fake servers. If in doubt create a NEW account, rather than risking your main character.
 * RuneScape fan sites - Never tell anyone your password or anything about your password on these. If you have to create an account, using your username is OK but never your real password!
 * Be careful around users that claim to be staff. There are many people pretending to be Jagex Staff or impersonating its creators. It is easy to forge emails, so don't trust an email just because it looks official. Real Staff will never ask you for your password!
 * Do not share your account with anyone else.
 * Make sure your computer is secure, virus free, and spyware free.
 * Use a bank pin so if your account IS stolen, the perpetrator cannot access your valuables.

Scam Prevention
According to the RuneScape Safety and Security Guidelines posted on the main RuneScape Website, A scam is the act of acquiring item(s) from another player through misinformation, confusion and pressure, or by taking advantage of basic trust. The following are ways Jagex suggests to prevent scamming:
 * Think carefully about the trustworthiness of the other player. Before commencing in a trade/transaction with another player always consider the trustworthiness of their character.
 * Be wary of newly created/low level players. A player's level is one indicator that may be used to measure their trustworthiness. For example if a level 3 (lowest level) player is offering you rare or expensive items you should ask yourself exactly how such a low player could have acquired these items? There are some people that will register a new character purely to scam other players. Higher players are generally more trustworthy as if they do scam and you report them they have more to lose than a newly created character. These examples are not ALWAYS the case, and it does not mean ALL high level characters are trustworthy, but generally it holds true. You can see a player's level by right clicking on their player, or by going to the high scores table from the main page.
 * Ask around. If you are unsure of a player's credibility, it is definitely worth asking around in game to see if you can find out anything on the player. You might be able to find someone who has had a trading experience with this player.
 * Does the person you are trading with want to trade officially? If another player suggests an unofficial type of trade, you should definitely be suspicious. We have a very secure trading system for players and there is absolutely no reason why someone should not want to use this. Some examples of this are people asking for you to give them items first before they are willing to give you their part of the deal. Another example is someone asking you to drop the items on the floor instead of using the trade window. In 99% of these cases the other player will be looking to scam your items. Suggest to them that you use the secure trading system and if they decline then refuse to go any further in the trade. For more information on our trading system please refer to the trading guide, located in the online manual.
 * Be wary of "Displays of trust" Some players will ask you to display an element of trust in order to receive a free item or to join a group. This normally comes in the form of giving them an item, and them giving you it back. This will start as a small item and escalate to larger items or even multiple items. Do not engage in any type of trust test as it will almost certainly result in you losing valuable items. A good rule to go by is do not give any other player an item you are not yourself willing to lose.
 * Is the deal too good to be true? If you are being offered an exceptionally good deal and there are certain things that are making you suspicious then do NOT go ahead with the deal. If something seems too good to be true, in most cases it normally is.
 * When conducting a trade with another player try to be extra careful and vigilant. You should be aware that people can remove and add items freely up until the final confirmation screen. ALWAYS check the final confirmation screen to ensure that you are giving the items you mean to and you are receiving what you expect.
 * Be wary of Players offering to make you items. Certain objects in RuneScape have minimum level requirements in order to craft the item. If somebody offers to make an item for you, its good practice to not only be aware of the level of skill needed to craft that item but to check on the high scores table to ensure the player really does have the skill level to make that item. Then if you are happy with their levels it's a good idea to ask for something in return of the same value of the items you are giving them to craft to cover yourself should they be looking to steal the items. Any player that is genuinely looking to craft these items for you should not have a problem with this method. If they do, then most likely they are trying to scam you. To avoid this, use the assist system (right click player -> Req Assist) to gve them xp but for you to keep the item.
 * Watch out for Large trades. If you are conducting a very large trade and it is too large to conduct in one transaction, it is suggested that you break it into smaller, equal proportions. In order to cover yourself it is best that for each of these smaller trades you only trade items in which you receive items from the other player of the same value.

Examples of Various Common Scams used by untrustworthy users in RuneScape can be found in the Cheats and Scams article.