Scams

"RuneScape is home to millions of people from many countries and walks of life and, like any community, there can be a few bad apples."

- Jagex

Scamming is the act of stealing items or accounts from another player via trickery which is strictly against the RuneScape rules. Doing so will result in banning of the player's account or even subsequent accounts used by the player.

Different kinds of scams tend to come and go due to updates. For example, the Gravestone update reduced scamming greatly by preventing players from immediately being able to pick up a player's items after dying. Although Jagex has made an effort to limit scamming as much as possible, it still persists today. Secondly, the removal of free trade and the wilderness in 10 December 2007 put an end to most scamming, as players could no longer scam others for valuable items without paying for them; the most a player could theoretically gain from scamming was 50k. Wilderness luring also had become an impossibility.

However, the return of both Free Trade and the Wilderness on 1 February 2011 caused many scams to resurface, including new ones such as the "Dice Game" and "Flower Game" as players were no longer limited by the amount of coins that could be traded. This guide will hopefully ensure you outsmart the scammers of RuneScape. This page is not meant to promote scamming, but rather to prevent players from being scammed.

Item Scams
Always remember that ''' if a deal is too good to be true, it's probably a scam. '''

Double Money Scam
The true money double, although few ever do it, is to show the doubled money in a single trade.

This scam is often performed in honesty to gain trust, doubling genuine amounts of money as "tests" often in piles of millions, when trust is gained and players gain confidence, and attempt to double larger piles of money, the trade is accepted without a trade back.

Suggested Action: Don't trade, Jagex cannot do anything about this scam as you have accepted the risk and terms of the trust trade, the easiest way to put a stop to these players is report them for macroing or autotyping as it is commonly referred to and put the players on your ignore list, point out the risk to local players and spread awareness.

Trust scam
Some players might attempt to trick other players into playing "trust games" where you have to show your "trust" of another person by letting them hold onto a large amount of cash or a valuable item of yours. ''' never participate in these types of games! ''' "Trust game" scams have now resurfaced as a result of the free trade update.

Beware these types of scams, as there are many possible variants and ways of gaining your trust. For example, the scammer may actually return the given items the first few rounds, making the game actually seem legit until someone offers a sufficiently valuable item or a large amount of coins. In addition, the scammer may also have a friend for the purposes of bringing up the price of the bids, and in the event that the friend's bid is the highest, the scammer may give his friend the promised money to make the scam seem legitimate.

Suggested actions: Immediately after the host provides evidence that he is playing the trust game, the player may report him/her for item scamming in the honour section of the rules.

Ice Plateau Scam
Ever since the old style Wilderness returned on 1 February 2011, this scam has become quite common. A high leveled player (120+) advertises a drop party often on a crowded world at the Grand Exchange. Many people bring their most valuable items with them and follow the scammer who will lead them to a random location. The scammer will then use Tele Group Ice Plateau to teleport everyone to Ice Plateau and then kill the unprepared players, thus looting everyone's valuable items. It is common practice to invite players onto a different server, normally a German or French server and attempt to teleport them, as the teleport screens are shown in different languages, it can be quite easy to accept the teleport without much thought.

Suggested action: It is rather difficult to tell if the player in question is legitimate or not until he/she teleports others. To avoid this scam, always check twice before hitting the "Confirm button" so you know where you are being teleported to. You can also just bring nothing and accept the teleport to see whether it is actually a scam or not. If you suspect a scam, you can also warn other players not to accept any teleport offers. Also, you could turn off Accept Aid, so the teleport won't show up on your screen.

Rounding money scam
This scam is similar to doubling your money. It seems more legitimate as the scam takes place over one trade instead of two. The scammer will claim to round your money up to say the nearest million coins and ask you to place your money in the trade window so they know how much to give you. They will then put up the required money and click accept. The scam only works if the target forgets that they have offered money. A scenario where this scam is used is where a target has 3.1 mill and places all of it up in a trade. The scammer then offers 900k and clicks accept. The target player forgets that they have the 3.1m in the trade and accept it they will find themselves 2.2m down.

Item trading scam
A player is advertising an item he/she is willing to trade. Another player (the scammer) trades him or her, but offers money or an item that's lots more worth than item the player is willing to sell. The seller is about to click accept as the scammer removes his/her money/item. And after removing, the scammer also accepts. The seller can't believe he/she gets so much profit from a trade that he/she would forget to take time for checking the second and directly clicks accept without looking. And when he/she looks in their empty inventory, he/she would realize that he/she just got scammed.

Suggested Action: Really check the second trade window. Also report the player for item scamming. This is very difficult to pull off as there are many warning messages.

Bait-and-switch scam
This scam is related to item trading scams. The scammer offers to trade a valuable item for an amount of gold well below the item's value. Before the trade is completed, the scammer declines the trade, possibly claiming that some error occurred. Upon repeating the trade, he offers an item that looks similar but is worth far less than the amount of gold he originally asked, hoping that the victim does not notice the switch.

Suggested Action: Really check the second trade window, every time. Check the net value transfer of a trade. Also report the player for item scamming.

Money For Information Scam
Player 1 sees a cool item/weapon, wants it, but doesn't know how to get it. Player 2 states he will inform Player 1 on how to obtain the item but logs off upon payment. The scam is most often performed with uncommon or unusual items like a Rune defender or Barrelchest anchor rather than common ones such as a Steel longsword.

Suggested Action: Report the player for item scamming. Ask a more honest player about the item or look it up on a fan site. (Note: If the player actually tells you what the item does after being paid, you CANNOT report him/her. This is much more likely, as they obviously know how to get the weapon as they own one).

Claiming an item is rare when it isn't
A scammer may claim an item is very rare, when it is actually very easy to obtain. He or she may offer to sell it for ridiculously large amounts of money, and log out or teleport before the player realizes that he/she has been scammed (Example: Rare black lobster = Burnt lobster).

Suggested Actions: Report the offending player for item scamming. This scam is relatively easy to avoid if you double check the guide price on the trade screen. However, if a player were to offer an item for a ridiculous price, it is NOT considered scamming unless the player explicitly states such an item is rare and/or unobtainable, But if they say rare drop, it is also not reportable. Little words are key.

Wilderness Luring
Wilderness Lure would be when a player would announce that they were doing a Player Killing video or a rich person video and encouraged the victim to bring anywhere between 1 to 3 of their most valuable items, telling them that they would never skull. The victim would be led into 23 or so wilderness where they could not teleport with the scammer and a friend of his to help. The scammer would then trade the victim a chinchompa (item), telling them to wield it and put on auto-retaliate and it would make a "cool explosion." Since chinchompas have an area effect, the explosion would hit the nearby friend and the victim would be skulled. At this point the scammers would team the victim, killing them, and causing them to lose their items. Other scams involve giving players 3 or 4 inexpensive items with a high Alchemy value, so that they will be kept on death above the player's other items. The same thing happens with players luring each other into the unsafe clan wars portal.

Suggested actions: Although widely debated, luring IS considered scamming so report the scammer. Don't believe someone making a PKing video unless you have known the player in question for a while.

Show Inventory for Amount Scam
Some players will say that they are filling other people's inventories with a certain item, such as Amulets of glory or Sharks. They ask people to show what they have in their inventory so that the scammer knows how many items to give. Actually, the scammer ends up trading the item they are giving away for something much more valuable. In excitement of getting something for free the targeted player often forgets to take their items out of the trade and quickly clicks accept.

Suggested action: Pay attention to what you are trading before you hit the accept button. As the number of free inventory spaces is displayed on the trade screen, careful players can easily avoid this scam. The wealth transfer is also displayed. If the questioned player doesn't return his/her victim's items, report him/her for item scamming.

Trade password for item scam
Some players will claim to give away the password to one of their accounts (including possibly the one they are scamming with) for a certain item they want. Due to an update from jagex, you can no-longer say your account's password, but there are many ways to evade this censor.

Suggested actions: Simply ignore them and report the player item scamming. Even though they are mentioning their password, they can't be reported for password scamming because they are not scamming for someone's password, only their items. Also, since they are offering their account (even though they would probably lie about or not even say their password), they can be reported for Account sharing/trading.

Surrogate Trader Scam
This scam involves a team of scammers, at least two, one of which is on the victims "Friend List". The friend will PM the player, asking them to see if they can find a supposedly rare item at the GE, offering to reimburse their victim after obtaining it. The seller who the player finds with the requested item offers it for sale at a very high price, either in cash or expensive items. As soon as the trade is made, the remote friend ignore lists the player and the trader logs out.

Suggested action: The best way of avoiding this scam is to avoid making the trade. However, the trader might be reportable for item scamming if he/she claimed the item was rare. If you have undeniable evidence that the remote friend was attempting to get you into the scam, the remote friend may also be reported.

Player House Scam
Some players will try to give you a rare or expensive item for something you might have. In the case of the Player House Scam, the scammer may ask that the player drop his or her items or put them on a table, claiming that they will also put something valuable on the table as well. As soon as the scammer sees their desired item(s), they will kick the victim from the house.

Suggested action: Make sure you report the player. Don't drop anything.

Trade Fast Scam
One player will be offering something good for a significantly lower price than normal. You will go through the first trade window but at the second window they decline and claims that "you must be faster" after doing this 2 or 3 times they will say: last chance. At that trade the scammer offers something that is similar but since the player is so fixed to do the trade quickly he/she may not notice.

Suggested action: Always check the second trade window carefully. Report the scammer for scamming.

Hacking Software Scam
The scammer will tell the victim that he/she has downloaded a hacking program that can legitimately double any amount of cash or any item in your inventory at no loss to the scammer. This makes players think that the scammer is legitimate because he isn't giving any of his own money away. The victim will usually trade the scammer a small amount of gp first and he will double it to make himself seem even more legitimate. Eventually, the victim will offer a large amount of cash or a valuable item and the scammer will log off with the profits.

Suggested action: Report the scammer for scamming, NOT hacking, since he wasn't actually using a hacking program.

Items sold at higher prices by players
Note: This is not actually a scam, but it may seem like one, so this is just a tip to help players.

A player may be selling something for a certain price. Often, the price is high, ranging depending on the item's regular price. The seller may consider this as the normal price due to it's rarity or other circumstances such as the location of the trade. Overpricing is not uncommon amongst very wealthy players.

Suggested action: Check the price in the trade screen, if the trade is unbalanced in the other person's favour the difference will be listed in red. If the player's price is higher, use the Grand Exchange. If the price is lower, trade with the seller. You cannot report the seller no matter how high his prices are. It is unknown if there is an exception for very high prices, but since every trade has to be agreed upon and prices are listed clearly this is unlikely.

Possibly Illegitimate Player-made Games
Although the player hosting these games may be genuine, they may not be, so think twice before playing these games.

Flower Game
The Flower Game is a player-made game on Runescape which involves gambling. The player hosting the game will determine how much a winning bet will be multiplied. In the flower game, a player bets an amount of money, usually over 10k, and calls a color of a flower (Yellow, Red, Blue, Orange, Purple, Rainbow, Purple-Multi, White, or Black). If the player's guess is correct, he or she wins a prize. If it is incorrect, the host keeps the bet.

There is an obvious, red-alert danger of scamming in the flower game. A player trusts a host to hold his or her bet, and to give them their winnings should their guess be correct. To avoid this, ask the host if you may pay them after should you lose; this way, nobody's holding anyone's money and there is no danger of a scam. If you do lose, be fair and give the host their bet. They trusted you; it is only fair to keep your end of the bargain and pay your bet.

Dice Game
The so-called Dice Game can become another form of scamming along the same lines as the "Flower Game".

In the Dice Game, a Dice Bag is purchased and dice are rolled. If the number is over a set number, the gamer wins. If it's below, the host wins. The player is generally rewarded with 2x or 3x their money. Another version of this game is guessing a dice roll, usually with HUNDRED-SIDED dice. So, it's a 1/100 chance of winning...

Dice hosts are in a position to take high bets, and thus may be scammers. Once again, ask the host if you may pay after, and if you are refused, well, you're risking your money and it is your decision whether or not to bet.

If someone is offering a dice game, they shouldn't be reported until it becomes evident that this is a scam.

Seal Game
The seal game is when the host will announce how much a player's bet is being multiplied, then the player will bet and guess a number.

How they play the game:
The player will accept the bet and guess a number between 1 - 6. The host will then perform the 'Seal Emote' from the 2010 Heimland Games Winter Event. The number on the seal's 'backpack' will determine whether the player gets the prize money or not, depending on if their number guessed right.

Seal Game 2
This is a spin-off of the Seal Game. This is a slight variant the Seal Game, but the host is still most likely lying and trying to scam.

How they play the game:
It's almost exactly like the seal game, but, The player will place the bet, the trade will commence and the host will do the 2010 Heimland Games Winter Event 'Seal emote'. The number on the seal's 'backpack' will be how much the bet will be multiplied by. Remember that the multiplier can go through 1 - 6, so it could end up either a sunny day or a disaster to the host.

Password Scams
Password scamming is a more serious kind of scamming where a player steals another's password.

Miscellaneous
The following are not actually scams and are not reportable, but they are still considered against the spirit of the game.

Fake Skillcapes
Fake Skillcapes are non-existent items which some users use to scam others. For example, the cow skillcape was allegedly given to a player that killed 10,000 cows (some players additionally lied that the skillcape would come with a cow costume and an emote). This was actually a scam, to waste a player's time. Some scammers would also secretly record gullible players killing cows for upload to YouTube.

False Begging
A player may claim that he or she was hacked and wants free items. There is no way of knowing for sure if the player in question actually did get hacked, so it is not advised to give anything, as that will only encourage other beggars. Even if the player was not hacked, this is not reportable as it is not considered scamming.

Occasionally, a player may change their name to be similar to that of the friend of another and private message them. This is very ineffective and only inattentive people would fall for this one.

Item Lending Trick
Some players who want an item for a long period of time and not paying the correct amount of coins may try to offer the incorrect amount of coins.

For example, a player may ask if they can borrow an item for a few hours. After the victim puts up their item, the player will then put up the correct amount of money for that time, make a few quick switches, and then end with the correct amount of money for one hour.

Jagex doesn't regard this as a scam because you are not losing any items.

Antiquated Scams
Many other scams existed other than these, but a lot of them have been rendered obsolete or are very rare.