Becoming a scammer is effortless. Unlike running missions or mining expensive ores, basic scams require no skill points on the character itself. To successfully scam, you have to understand a few things about the process.
Every potential victim has a few things in common:
1. Laziness
The best victim is a lazy victim. A player who won't do their own research. Someone who wants a quick deal. Maybe their laziness is a result of lack of time or patience. The bottom line is, this player is not going to take the time to perform the task on their own.
2. Greed
If a player thinks they're getting something really cheap, it has the potential of inhibiting their normal reasoning. They might overlook certain specific details. If you offer high interest on a bond, a player might be more willing to take a very large risk because of the potential returns you're promising them.
3. Trust
Most people are naturally trusting. If you find a player who is clearly very opposed to the idea of trusting you, then it might be a waste of time to pursue this person. Remember that many scams have a high failure rate, and you'll be able to know very early on if a player is going to buy into what you're telling them.
If you spend the majority of your time trying to sell mislabeled ships in Jita, you will definitely have a lot more failures than success. It's important to not allow failed scams to be discouraging. You lose very little time in the event of a scam failing, and it should serve as a learning experience.
Scamming takes a lot of research. Say for example you want to sell a wormhole to a gullible player. It will benefit you to understand what exactly is in wormholes, what class your wormhole is, what assets are available, where the entrance is. Even being able to probe out a fake wormhole entrance to show to your prospective client can help build the reality of the sale. The more research you do, the more likely you are to succeed.
Execution is key to everything. Since players will always have some level of hesitation, you have to be ready with all of your resources, links, and information. Timing is crucial. If it takes you 15 minutes to reply to what is considered a basic question, it can create suspicion. If your information is not consistent, it might become very apparent.
Say you have the idea to scam a corporation who is looking to rent space of a massive alliance. It's crucial to know where the alliance lives, what space is for rent, who their pets are, their rates, and all different factors. The more you know, the better you can sell it.
Do not get upset with your potential victims. If they are questioning you heavily, maintain your posture. Stay rational, do not take offense. If you are legitimately selling something, you're more than happy to answer a barrage of questions. You should always make a very strong effort to emotionally detach yourself from the conversation. Be as accommodating as possible.
Say your scam is a trading bond. Players invest their ISK in you, and you use it to trade on the market. You advertise it, and you receive a conversation from someone who is interested. It's almost guaranteed that some time during the conversation, they're going to ask you why you're trustworthy. This is important to plan for. A few possible ways to work around this:
1. References
Using a combination of alts and friends, you can create a false sense of security for your victim by piling on positive reviews of yourself. This will create the impression that you are in fact genuine. You can do it using a couple of alts, or have friends play along.
2. Diversion
When asked why you should be trustworthy, you can attempt to make a connection with the person. For example, let's you've been asked this question:
"How do I know you won't scam me?"
Your response:
"I play EVE to get away from the responsibilities of day to day life. Running my trading bond is something that brings me a lot of joy in the game. If I were to simply walk with investors money, I'd ruin the credibility I've built up over time, and take away something very important to me. I'd rather earn an honest buck through my trade than scam my investors."
As you can see, this will hopefully lower their guard. They will potentially make a connection with you, and it creates a false sense of security. Always try to play off of their emotions. Statements like this will make everything seem that much more legitimate. It is not going to guarantee success, but it is one of many examples to avoid a very crucial question.
These are just a few examples on how to handle common situations. Just always remember that every potential victim has the same weaknesses. The important thing is to always maintain your demeanor, appeal to their emotions, and take advantage of their weaknesses. All of the instances listed here can be approached thousands of different ways. Like anything, practice makes perfect.
This page last updated: 2010.02.25
Every potential victim has a few things in common:
1. Laziness
The best victim is a lazy victim. A player who won't do their own research. Someone who wants a quick deal. Maybe their laziness is a result of lack of time or patience. The bottom line is, this player is not going to take the time to perform the task on their own.
2. Greed
If a player thinks they're getting something really cheap, it has the potential of inhibiting their normal reasoning. They might overlook certain specific details. If you offer high interest on a bond, a player might be more willing to take a very large risk because of the potential returns you're promising them.
3. Trust
Most people are naturally trusting. If you find a player who is clearly very opposed to the idea of trusting you, then it might be a waste of time to pursue this person. Remember that many scams have a high failure rate, and you'll be able to know very early on if a player is going to buy into what you're telling them.
If you spend the majority of your time trying to sell mislabeled ships in Jita, you will definitely have a lot more failures than success. It's important to not allow failed scams to be discouraging. You lose very little time in the event of a scam failing, and it should serve as a learning experience.
Scamming takes a lot of research. Say for example you want to sell a wormhole to a gullible player. It will benefit you to understand what exactly is in wormholes, what class your wormhole is, what assets are available, where the entrance is. Even being able to probe out a fake wormhole entrance to show to your prospective client can help build the reality of the sale. The more research you do, the more likely you are to succeed.
Execution is key to everything. Since players will always have some level of hesitation, you have to be ready with all of your resources, links, and information. Timing is crucial. If it takes you 15 minutes to reply to what is considered a basic question, it can create suspicion. If your information is not consistent, it might become very apparent.
Say you have the idea to scam a corporation who is looking to rent space of a massive alliance. It's crucial to know where the alliance lives, what space is for rent, who their pets are, their rates, and all different factors. The more you know, the better you can sell it.
Do not get upset with your potential victims. If they are questioning you heavily, maintain your posture. Stay rational, do not take offense. If you are legitimately selling something, you're more than happy to answer a barrage of questions. You should always make a very strong effort to emotionally detach yourself from the conversation. Be as accommodating as possible.
Say your scam is a trading bond. Players invest their ISK in you, and you use it to trade on the market. You advertise it, and you receive a conversation from someone who is interested. It's almost guaranteed that some time during the conversation, they're going to ask you why you're trustworthy. This is important to plan for. A few possible ways to work around this:
1. References
Using a combination of alts and friends, you can create a false sense of security for your victim by piling on positive reviews of yourself. This will create the impression that you are in fact genuine. You can do it using a couple of alts, or have friends play along.
2. Diversion
When asked why you should be trustworthy, you can attempt to make a connection with the person. For example, let's you've been asked this question:
"How do I know you won't scam me?"
Your response:
"I play EVE to get away from the responsibilities of day to day life. Running my trading bond is something that brings me a lot of joy in the game. If I were to simply walk with investors money, I'd ruin the credibility I've built up over time, and take away something very important to me. I'd rather earn an honest buck through my trade than scam my investors."
As you can see, this will hopefully lower their guard. They will potentially make a connection with you, and it creates a false sense of security. Always try to play off of their emotions. Statements like this will make everything seem that much more legitimate. It is not going to guarantee success, but it is one of many examples to avoid a very crucial question.
These are just a few examples on how to handle common situations. Just always remember that every potential victim has the same weaknesses. The important thing is to always maintain your demeanor, appeal to their emotions, and take advantage of their weaknesses. All of the instances listed here can be approached thousands of different ways. Like anything, practice makes perfect.
This page last updated: 2010.02.25