Greetings, guest! I am CarpeDeum.

I will be your helpful guide for everything to do with...

Scammers, Hackers and other naughty people on Neopets.

Currently we have information on 43 scams!
(If you know of any more, please Neomail Onugu_ /a> Thanks!)

For help with other things, check out my siblings, or Onugu's Neopets Help Guide

Also, be sure to check out Neopets Help, Golden Rules, Account Security, Terms & Conditions & Wall of Shame

The Golden Rule is...

~NEVER TELL ANYONE YOUR PA$$WORD~

(not even if they ask really, really nicely!)

If someone asks for your pa$$word - or does other naughty stuff, report them to

Abuse@Neopets.com

Join the Fight Against Scammers!

Wanna put this logo in your shop? Copy the HTML in the box below!

Big Thanks!

Thank you to everyone who has sent Onugu loads of info for this site! There's too many of you to list you all, but Thank You! Together we can make it tougher for the scammers!

Introduction

It is a very sad thing that not everyone in Neopets is happy and fluffy like me! :(

Anyone who tries to scam you, is looking to disrupt your enjoyment of Neopets, to better their own Neopet account (e.g. by getting all your items), and possibly to prove how "clever" they are.

But don't let that put you off, there are some 18 million people playing Neopets and only the smallest amount of them are the scammers. Providing you use some common sense, and stick to the advice I have gathered through experience, you will never be at the mercy of an Evil Scammer!

My Owner, onugu, thinks that naughty people like Scammers, Hackers and Suchlike should have their accounts frozen and be forced to eat dung!
Personally, I would rather prod them with my pitchfork! heh heh heh!

Although onugu, my siblings, and I haven't been on Neopets for as long as some people, we have amassed quite a knowledge of horrible tricks that people try to play on you!

The Two Most Important Rules

1. OK, one of the most important rules to avoid being scammed, is NEVER tell anyone your pa$$word. Not even if they ask nicely, or offer you items. Even if the person seems to be nice, and does give you items, once they have your pa$$word you will have lost your account - they will take all your items (including any they may have given you), clear out your Shop, your Bank Account and your Safety Deposit Box. They will use your NP to buy items in their own shop (then transfer those items back to themselves) thereby taking all your NP, they may even abandon your pets! :( Also, make sure you NEVER ask anyone for their pa$$word as this may result in your account being frozen!

2. Another important thing to remember is that Neopets Staff use ONE account only for anything they have to do (for example - sending you a Neomail to advise that you have won Better Than You). This account is called theneopetsteam, if you get a Neomail from anyone claiming to be Staff but they are not using this account DO NOT BELIEVE THEM - even if the user lookup says they are Staff in the description (as you can edit this yourself - don't get this confused with Neopet Monitors)

Neopets Staff will NEVER ask for your pa$$word, or tell you to send them or anyone else an item, neither will they tell you to forward on a chain letter in order to get an item.

The following is a list of things that we have encountered...

If you have heard of any other scams & tricks, please Neomail Onugu_ /a>, so we can keep this page up to date! (Please don't neomail me the names of scammers - send them to Abuse@neopets.com!)

Also be sure to check out the Neopets Wall of Shame - for details from Neopets themselves!

Abuse and Harassment

You should not have to listen to (or read) anything that is sexual, racist, sexist or ageist, or anything that is just rude or deliberately upsetting.

If someone says something in passing that upsets you, tell them calmly that you don't think it was a very nice thing to say - sometimes people don't realise that something they see as harmless can upset other people!

Also there is no reason why you should be receiving hundreds of Neomails or Guild invitations (or anything similar) from one person. If you do, ask the person nicely to stop, it may have been a genuine mistake. If they don't stop after you have asked them to at least twice, then block them. If they manage to carry on, either through another account of theirs, or by asking someone else to do it for them, then you should report them to Neopets.

Also - make sure you don't accidentally upset someone.
If its not appropriate for a child, then its not appropriate for Neopets!

If anyone deliberately tries to upset you or insult you report them to Abuse@Neopets.com

Blackmail

Blackmail is when someone tries to make you do something you don't want to do by threatening you with bad things happening if you don't.

For example, someone might try and blackmail you into giving them items or your pa$$word by threatening to get your account frozen. Normally they will claim they either work for Neopets, or know someone that does. This is a lie! No member of Neopets will ever freeze your account for no reason.

Or maybe the person will tell you to give them items so that they don't hack your account - don't give them anything - they can't hack your account. The only way someone can get into your account is if you accidentally give them your pa$$word.

If someone tries to blackmail you, report them to Abuse@Neopets.com

Buying Accounts

Some people will ask in the Chatrooms to buy accounts from other people, they may offer rare items.

DO NOTsell" your account to these people - the only reason they are asking is they are planning a scam, but they don't want to use their main account (in case it gets frozen).

Once they have bought your account, they may attempt to scam other people - anyone doing a user lookup will see that the account is a well established one, and may be more likely to trust that player! (If you saw a Wand of Supernova or hundreds of Codestones and Faeries in a shop when the account is less then 1 week old you'd be a little suspicious wouldn't you!).

Also the account you sell them contains your details - the buyer is very unlikely to change these. If they get caught, you may find all your accounts frozen!

If you no longer want an account, donate all your items to the money tree, and send an e-mail to Neopets asking them to delete it ~ unsubscribe@Neopets.com.
Or you can go to http://www.neopets.com/remacct.phtml

Buying and Selling accounts is illegal in Neopets!

If someone offers to buy your account - report them to Abuse@Neopets.com

Chain Letters

You will receive a Neomail, possibly claiming to be from a Neopets Staff member. The message will tell you to forward it to all your Neofriends and you might get an item or lots of Neopoints. Or it might say that Neopets is getting crowded, and if you forward the message on to loads of people, they will know you are using your account, and wont delete it.

If you receive a message like this, delete it, don't even bother replying.

Neopets will never send you a chain letter, nor will they send you any message asking you to forward it on so they can check that you play (they have a database which can very easily tell when you were on)! Think about it, chain letters seriously slow down the Neopets site as the databases try to send on all the letters, why would Neopets Staff want to do that?

Any time Neopets may need to send a Neomail to you (e.g. when you beat theBetter Than You score), it will be sent from one account, and one account onlytheneopetsteam.

Also, if you do add your name to a list, and forward it to lots of people, at some point it is quite likely that a potential scammer will receive the message - they will look at the list of people and think "Here is a list of people who fell for this silly trick, maybe I can scam them too!

If you receive a message like this, delete it, don't even bother replying.

Chat Room Scams

The Chatrooms are one of the main places that people will attempt to scam.

Neopets monitors the chatrooms continually, but sometimes when it gets very busy, the odd scam will slip through.

You will see several types of scams there, including The Secret, Buying & Selling Accounts, Neositting, various Pa$$word scams, theHelp Me scam, Item scams and, sadly, loads more!

There are a couple of scams that are only really found in the chatrooms though,

The Spamming Scam

Someone will post a message saying "50th person to post on this board will win a prize", there is a mad rush to post as many times on the board as you can in the hope that you might be number 50, and win a prize! Instead you get a neomail from theneopetsteam telling you to stop spamming or your account will be frozen!

The best thing to do is to simply ignore these messages!

Dating / Cybering

A lot of people will post messages saying they need a girlfriend or boyfriend, and sometimes they might get quite graphic in their description, or use various letters & numbers to make inappropriate symbols.
Or they may be advertising for a girlfriend/boyfriend for their pets.
Cybering is talking dirty to each other over the Internet. It is most definitely not appropriate on Neopets. You will be frozen instantly if you're caught cybering.

Remember Neopets is not a dating agency, and your pets are too young to date or mate.

If you see these conversations, ignore them, or report them to Abuse@Neopets.com

Help I was hacked" / "I'm dying

People will post all sorts of messages to get your attention, and make you feel sorry for them.

The best thing to do is just ignore them.

If you see any messages on the Chat boards that you think may be scams, report them to Abuse@Neopets.com.

E-mail Scams

Someone will offer to give your pets abilities, generate you loads of Neopoints, get you rare items, or any thing that sounds good. All you have to do is change your e-mail address in your profile.

DO NOT change your e-mail address - the scammer will probably tell you what address to change it to, once you have done this, they will try to log on to your account. As they don't know the pa$$word they will ask to have it sent to the e-mail address given to Neopets - the one that you just changed! The scammer will then look at the e-mail, get your pa$$word and take your account! They will steal all your items and Neopoints and probably abandon your pets!

If anyone asks you to change your e-mail address ignore them, if they keep asking report them to Abuse@Neopets.com

Fake Staff

Some people pretend they are Neopets Staff in order to scam you, or trick you into doing something silly - like giving away your pa$$word.

Remember Neopets Staff use one account and one account only to contact youtheneopetsteam. If you receive a message from anyone claiming to be Neopets Staff and they are not using this account, ignore them, even if the user lookup says they are Staff - don't forget you can edit your profile, and scammers may put that they are staff in their profile in order to trick you.

Remember Neopets Staff will NEVER ask for your pa$$word. Nor will they ask you to do anything like change your e-mail address or forward on a Chain Letter. The main reason you might receive a message from Neopets Staff are if you win the lottery or beat theBetter Than You score.

Also, Neopets already has your pa$$word on their database, so they don't need to ask for it!

Some players may be Neopets Monitors - people that help look after the site.
If so, they will have a special message attached to the bottom of their Neopets Profile, it will say...

Donna Williams is a Neopets Monitor - This means that they are entrusted with looking after the site, and given the power to delete messageboards and noticeboards.
and it looks like this.

If someone tries to trick you by claiming they are Neopets Staff report them to Abuse@Neopets.com

Hacking

Ok, firstly lets get this straight...

No-one has ever hacked into the Neopets database and stolen accounts or pa$$words.

Anyone who tells you they have is lying. Also, hacking is actually very difficult to do, it requires an awful lot of knowledge about servers, security, and things like PGP and 128 bit encryption.
Neopets is a site for kids - do you really think your average 11 year old is going to have the years of technical knowledge required to hack into anything!

Some people may claim they are hackers, because they think it makes them sound big and clever, erm, think again!

Also, a lot of people will claim that they have been hacked. Hacking makes it sound like it was out of your control, and you were an innocent victim, but scamming makes you feel silly, cos someone has fooled you! Sorry, but you haven't been hacked! You have been scammed.

(please don't send me neomails about how you were hacked, I'll just delete it, cos it simply ain't true!)

Help me!

Quite often on the Neopets Message Boards, and occasionally by Neomail someone will ask for your help or charity, following a terrible event they've just made up.

The most common thing is they will claim they have just been hacked, and would really appreciate it your could help them get back on their feet, maybe by sending them an item, or buying something ridiculously overpriced from their shop. They may even promise to pay you back several times over once they've got themselves back together!

I've also seen stories about how their "son" is dying, and only a Faerie Paint Brush will give him the will to live. Be careful what you believe, these people have very active imaginations!

Once person even posted a message on the Noticeboards, about how he was just hacked, and had nothing, and would some kind person help him out...
It cost him 500,000 neopoints to post that message! So its unlikely he had any shortage of funds!

The chances are that this is a scam, they have not been hacked at all, and are just being too lazy to play games and earn neopoints like the rest of us.

If you're feeling generous, donate to the Money Tree, neofriends, or guilds that help out newbies.

If you donate something to these people, its highly likely that you will never hear from them again, and they will ignore you - so you wont get the item or anything else back when they get rich. And there will be nothing you can do about it.

Item Quests

When you get given a random Faerie Quest, you are unable to use the Shop Wizard to search for the item. Most people ask for help locating the item on the Neopets Message Boards.

Some people will offer to buy the item for you, and place it in their shops so you can buy it.

They normally price the item at much more then it is worth, but you wont know this as you are unable to use the shop wizard to check the prices. And you end up buying an item for several times its normal price.

If you get given a Faerie Quest, the best thing to do is ask people to check the Shop Wizard for you, and post the results on the message boards.

If you do get tricked by someone using this scam, there isn't really much you can do about it, as you cannot prove they were trying to scam you. This is just one to be aware of!

As a general rule - never buy anything from a players shop without first checking the price on the Shop Wizard.

Item Scams

Most of the scams involving items are found in Shops, the Trading Post, or in the Chat rooms, but there are a couple of others to look out for!

The Magic Item

People may post a message saying that if you buy a certain item, it will change into something else, or give you better luck at games or random events. This is a lie! No items will give you "extra luck", and the only way to change items into other ones is to use them on your pet, or put them in the Cooking Pot.

Wellington Boots", "Lucky Dice", "Faerie Totems", or anything with "lucky" in the description will not make you win on the Wheel of Excitement, or Dice-a-roo.

Fish Eggs" do not change into "Fish Neggs", the "Pillowcase" will not fill up with goodies, the "Magic Fish" does not lay "Fish Neggs" No items will change from one thing to another overnight (unless Neopets replaces the item).

If someone tries to sell you a item claiming that it will change into something else, or bring you luck, don't believe them - if it really is lucky, or it changes into a super rare item, why are they selling it and not keeping it for themselves!

Similar Items

Someone will claim they are selling a very valuable item for a low price, either in their shop, or on the trading post, everyone will rush to buy it quickly, and not notice that it isn't the right item.

Examples of this are the "Expert Bow" being sold as "Dual Expert Bow" or "Krawk Plushies" being sold as "Krawk PetPets" - also, any item with the same picture as another item could potentially be used in this scam.

Make sure you check the name and price of every item on the pop-up confirmation before you buy it!

Rare Item Codes

Rare Item Codes are given out to people who buy actual real life Neopet items, like a Chia plushie from Limited 2 or another shop. These item codes can then be keyed into the Grundo's Warehouse, and you'll receive a rare Neopets item.

Some people may try to sell you a rare item code in exchange for neopoints or items.

Don't do it! These codes only work once - and if they have a code, why aren't they using it themselves!

If an item or price sounds too good to be true, it probably isn't!

NeoDrive

Someone will ask you for your Neodrive URL in order to be able to give you rare items or Neopoints.

Not everyone has a Neodrive as Neopets are not currently giving them out, it is basically a small space on the Internet where you can store files (a bit like a web site). Your pa$$word details are also kept on your Neodrive, so whatever you do, don't tell anyone!

If someone asks for you Neodrive URL ignore then, if they persist report them to Abuse@Neopets.com

Neomail Scams

Most people who try to scam you via neomail will normally create an account to do it, with a name like "neopetstaff" to fool you into thinking they work for Neopets.

These are some of the more common neomail scams. Other scams normally done via Neomail include Chain Letters, and theHelp me! Scam.

Neopets have blocked you from being able to send your pa$$word directly in a neomail - but that doesn't stop people asking you to "disguise" your pa$$word and send it to them.

Also, Neopets already has your pa$$word on their database, so they don't need to ask for it!

Neopets is going to Crash

On no - the Neopets is going to crash, quick tell me your pa$$word, so I can save your account
This is quite a common message - often the scammer will follow it up with other neomails asking you to hurry, or they wont be able to save your account. Sometimes they might say they need to know your pa$$word in the next five minutes or everything will be lost! This is intended to make you panic, and give up your pa$$word before thinking it through.

Neopets is backed up frequently, if the servers did crash (and they do sometimes when the site gets busy), your account, pets, neopoints and items would be safe.

If anyone asks for your pa$$word - even to "save your account" report them to Abuse@Neopets.com

Neopets Lost Pa$$words

Similar to the scam above - this one advises you that due to some error, the Neopets database has lost your pa$$word, and can you please fill in the "form" so they can update the database.

If anyone asks for your pa$$word report them to Abuse@Neopets.com

Item Testers & Fake Prizes

Sometimes the scammer will approach you saying that you have been randomly selected to try out a new item, or you've won a competition that you didn't know about.
They will tell you that in order to test the items, or claim your prize you need to send them your pa$$word details, or sometimes they will tell you to go to a certain website, and enter your details in there (similar to the Neopoint/Item Generator).

Neopets test items themselves, and they certainly don't need your pa$$word details to give items to you - you don't need to know someone's pa$$word to give an item to a neofriend!

If anyone asks for your pa$$word - even to "give you items" report them to Abuse@Neopets.com

The Code

You might get an neomail from someone claiming they have a secret code that will get you loads of neopoints or items. All you have to do is reply to the neomail and enter some special "code", something like "neomail/ip.12.42.26/run*#0526#/exe.(p a $ $ w o r d)". All this will do, is send your pa$$word to the scammer, and you've lost your account! There are no secret codes to get neopoints or items.
(There are however item codes - you get these when you buy an Neopets item in real life - for example a Chia plushie from Limited 2)

If someone tries to get you to neomail them a "code" containing your pa$$word - report them to Abuse@Neopets.com

You / Your Shop Has Been Reported

All of a sudden, you receive a neomail saying that you've been reported to Neopets for a scam in your shop! (Even though there isn't one). The only way you can stop your account form being frozen is to quickly lower all the prices of the items in your shop!

If someone sends you a neomail like this, report them to Abuse@Neopets.com

If anyone sends you a neomail that sounds suspicious to you, report them to Abuse@Neopets.com, if possible try to send a copy of the neomail.

NeoSitting

Some people may offer to look after your account for you while you are on holiday. They will promise to feed your pets so they don't starve and play games with them so they don't get bored.

DO NOT allow anyone to NeoSit your account - they will ask for your pa$$word, if you give it to them they will steal your account, your items and probably abandon your pets.

If you go on holiday, send your pets to the Neolodge in Neopia Central - they will be looked after, fed and played with although it will cost you.

If you cant afford to send them to the Neolodge, you can just leave them, they will not starve or run away, and Neopets cannot die. When you get back to them they will be very sad and very hungry, so make sure you buy them lots of food and toys to cheer them up again!

NeoSitting is illegal in Neopets

If anyone asks to NeoSit your account report them to Abuse@Neopets.com

Neopoint/Item Generator

Someone may offer you a program that will generate Neopoints or rare items for you.

Sometimes they will ask for you to send them an item. DON'T - Think about it, if they can generate unlimited amounts of Neopoints why do they need your items?

Sometimes they will give you a link to a Web Site. Normally on the Web site, you will have three boxes that ask for User Name, pa$$word and Amount of Neopoints or Item Requested .

DO NOT fill these boxes in! They will then have your username and pa$$word - they will straight away log on to your account and change the pa$$word so you can access it anymore, then they will steal all your items and Neopoints, and quite often abandon your pets!

Sometimes they will try to send you a file via e-mail or Instant Messenger. This file will contain a program which is supposed to generate Neopoints for you, instead it may send your username and pa$$word back to the scammer, or it may be a virus that will do a lot of damage to your computer. REMEMBER - never accept files from people unless you know them well and trust them!

There is NO program that can generate Neopoints for you - if anyone tries to trick you in any of the above ways report them to Abuse@Neopets.com

Pa$$word Scams

Here are a few of the more common scams involving pa$$words.

To make it harder for scammers to guess your pa$$word - make sure you choose a complicated one (not so hard that you can't remember it though!)
Stay away for things like your date of birth, or easy to guess words like "happy" or "secret".

Also, Neopets already has your pa$$word on their database, so they don't need to ask for it!

See Neopets Help with pa$$words.

Asking for your pa$$word

This one is pretty simple - someone will ask for your pa$$word and then steal your account. They may claim that they can get you rare items or Neopoints in order to make you reveal your pa$$word.

Asking for peoples pa$$words is illegal in Neopets.

If anyone asks you for your pa$$word report them to Abuse@Neopets.com

Asking for their pa$$word

Or they may tell you they will give you their account to make you ask for their pa$$word. If you do they will report you and your account will be frozen! If you do accidentally tell someone your Pa$$word - go toUser Info and change it immediately!

Asking for peoples pa$$words is illegal in Neopets. Don't get tricked into doing it!

Pa$$word Stars

This one is used in the Neopets Message Boards.
Someone will post "look if you type your pa$$word, it comes out as *******

Quite often the will have an "accomplice" who will type "yeah, it really works, look *****

DO NOT type your pa$$word, it will show up! Then they will steal your account!

If you see someone posting these sorts of messages report them to Abuse@Neopets.com

Pet Scams

Some scams work around your actual Neopet!

My Pet is Ill

Some people my post a message claiming that their pet is ill, and they desperately need the cure, but they can't afford it. This is a sympathy bid to try and get you to donate the cure, or other items. If several people do this, the scammer can heal their pet (if it was ever ill) and sell the rest of the cures to make a profit!

If someone needs help because of an ill Pet, direct them to the Healing Springs in Faerieland where there pet can be healed for free!

I'll Heal your Pet / Raise it's Stats, Paint it, etc

Someone will claim to be able to help your pet by either healing it from a disease it may have, raising its stats, or maybe painting it a cool colour for you. But in order to be able to so it, they need your pa$$word.

If anyone asks for your pa$$word, even to help your pet, report them to Abuse@Neopets.com

Buying / Selling Pets

Someone will claim they want to buy your Pet, and will give you a load of items or neopoints for it. They say they'll transfer the items once they have your Pet. So you abandon your Pet, but never seen any items.

Sometimes in this scam, the scammer will actually adopt your pet, but make you pay loads of items to get it back! Other times, some other person may adopt your pet - and sometimes you wont ever get it back! :(

Never put your pet up for adoption, unless you actually want to get rid of it. Do not believe people who say they will transfer items after they have your pet. Even if you're giving your pet to a friend of yours, don't forget that someone else could always adopt the pet first!

Buying and Selling Pets is illegal on Neopets! Do not respond to any offers to buy your Pet.

Programs

A "Third Party" program is any program that wasn't created by Neopets.

These programs are used to cheat at games, to automatically buy items from shops, and to scam other players. The are similar to the Neopoint/Item Generator

Someone may offer you a program which automatically plays kiko-match for you, and will get you outrageously high scores. Or maybe a program that will automatically add 50,000np to your account every half hour until you tell it to stop.

Even if these programs are real, and can get you high scores, Neopets have their own programs which check to see if people are cheating. If you get caught cheating, you will be frozen.

Recently Neopets have cleared the highscores for a lot of games because of cheating.

Most of the time these programs are fake. The scammer will ask for your pa$$word in order to be able to run the program. Then you've lost your account! Or maybe, the scammer will actually email you a program - but the chances are its going to be a virus, which will damage your computer.
Always remember - never accept files from anyone you don't know!

Invariably the scammer will ask you to donate items or np in exchange for the program. Hold-on, if they had a program which gave them unlimited items or np, why do they need stuff from you?

If someone tries to sell you or send you a third party program, tempting as it is, don't use it. Report the scammer to Abuse@Neopets.com

Report Your Shop

Some people are advising that if you click the "report shop" link in your own shop, it will delete your account.

Clicking the "report shop" link will not delete the shop owners account, even if its yours. All it does is alert Neopets Staff to the fact there may be something illegal in that shop. Neopets will then review the shop, and take any action needed.

DO NOT do something illegal in your shop to get your account deleted, you may find that all your other accounts get deleted too!

DO NOT click the "report shop" link in ANY shop, unless there is something inappropriate in that shop.

If you no longer want a particular account, send an email to Unsubscribe@Neopets.com or go to http://www.neopets.com/remacct.phtml

Selling Accounts

Some people will advertise in the Chatrooms that they are selling their account. They will normally ask for people to send items to them, and whoever sends the best item can have the account.

DO NOT send an item - Think about this - if they were really selling their account, why would they want your items? They would just stop playing - or maybe give the account to a friend.

Sometimes they will say they are selling their"other account" and tell you the name so you can look it up - The name they give you will be for someone completely different who probably has no idea that their account is being offered for sale. Normally old or expensive accounts are picked on (e.g. an account with lots of rares displayed in the shop). Why would they be willing to sell you an account with millions of Neopoints worth of items in exchange for something like a codestone?

Once you send an item to these people, you will never see the item again, or the account you are supposed to have bought!

Buying and Selling accounts is illegal in Neopets!

If someone offers to sell you an account - report them to Abuse@Neopets.com

Sharing Accounts

Sometimes, you may want to share an account with someone, for example, if you run a guild, you may want other people to have access to the guild account.

Sharing an account means telling someone else the pa$$word. BIG NO NO!

Sharing accounts is a bad idea - what if you have an argument with the person who shares it with you - they might change the pa$$word, and block you out, keeping all the neopoints and items for themselves.

Even if you know the person really well, I would not recommend sharing an account with them, just in case. And if you don't know the person at all, then it's definitely a bad idea!

The Secret

Someone will offer to give you the secret to making loads of Neopoints if you send them an item like a Codestone or Faerie.

DO NOT send an item. The secret they give you is to tell other people to send you items in exchange for the secret!! Or they may tell you that the secret to making Neopoints is to play games and run a shop - which you already know! Or they may just take your item and completely ignore you!

If you send an item, you may never see it again!

If someone offers to give you the secret in exchange for items, ignore them. If they keep on then report them to Abuse@Neopets.com

Shop Scams

Click here to see the Guidelines for reporting shops.

There are several different types of scams that you will see in shops, one is The Secret scam.

See also information on item scams.

Background Scam

This scam involves having a very dark background set-up in the shop, and black text so that the prices of items cannot be read properly. The shop owner then sets-up a group of similar items priced the same, for example omelettes, or codestones.

Normally these items will all be priced very reasonably, all except for one, which will be priced much higher. As you can't read the prices text, you assume that all the similar items will have the same prices, and you end up getting tricked into buy the expensive one!

A good thing to remember is that you can hold down the left mouse button, and drag your mouse over the text to highlight it, this will make it more readable. Try it here! :)

If you get caught out be this one, there's not a lot you can do. As a general rule, make sure you double check the price of the item when the confirmation box pops up!

Competitions

Other scams can include having a competition - whoever sends the most items, or buys the most items at a high price will win a Codestone or Paintbrush.

DO NOT send items, and ONLY buy items if they are reasonably priced (use the Shop Wizard to check). You will never see your items or prize.

Even if the competition is genuine, it will be stacked in the shop owners favour. So I would recommend not getting involved at all.

Neopets have recently decided that ANY form of competition in a shop is not allowed.

If you see a shop with a competition in it, ignore it.

False Items and Fake Log on Screens

Sometimes you may click on an item that seems to be a bargain (for example, a Faerie for 100 Neopoints), then you get an error message appear saying you cannot buy the item because you are not logged in. You will be presented with the Neopets log in screen - but if you look closely at the address bar in your browser, you will see it it not the real Neopets log in screen. If the address is not http://www.Neopets.com/loginpage.phtml then DO NOT enter your username and pa$$word. If you do the scammer will steal your account, your items and Neopoints, and probably abandon your pets!

False Log on Screens are illegal in Neopets. If you click on an item and get redirected to a False log on screen, go back and report the shop by clicking the "report shop" link. I would also recommend changing your pa$$word as soon as possible in your user info.

Overlapping or Masking Images

Sometimes you might go to a shop, and see an amazing item, like a Rod of Supernova for just a few thousand np! Wow! you quickly buy it, and then go to your inventory to equip your pet with it. But all you have in your inventory is a pile of sludge, or a bottle of sand!
This is because the scammer has cleverly taken a picture of a Rob of Supernova and placed it over the picture of the pile of sludge or other worthless item, you then get fooled into buying something rubbish for a huge amount of neopoints!

Neopets have now made it harder to overlap or mask images, by adding a horizontal line across the page, just above where all the real items for sale are.

To avoid this scam, make sure you always check the name and price of the item you are trying to buy in the pop-up confirmation box!

If you notice someone trying to overlap item images and fool people into buying the wrong item, hit the "report shop" link at the top of the screen.

Fake Random Events

Sometimes in Neopets you will go to a new page, and all of a sudden a box will appear at the top of the page saying "Something Has Happened" - this could be anything from encountering the Ghost Lion, to finding a Codestone on the floor.

Some naughty people have copied this message into their shops, but it will normally say - "Buy an item from this shop and you will win 10 million Neopoints

DON'T Fall for this! You can check to see if it was a genuine Random Event, by hitting the Refresh button on your browser, if the message has disappeared then it was real, but if its still there its a fake!

Some shops might have a fake random event like "Hi - I hope you're having a nice day" - these are harmless, but I still wouldn't recommend putting one in your shop!

If you see a fake random event in a shop, ignore what it says, but hit the report shop link to alert Neopets Staff.

Repricing Items

This involves placing a stock of some desirable items, like codestones or faeries into the shop, and pricing them at a very low price, then changing it for a much higher one moments later.

As these items are so popular, there is always someone searching for them on the Shop Wizard. People will quickly go to the shop to buy them at the amazing low price. But buy the time they get to the shop, the owner has added an extra digit to the price - for example, starting off at 999 for a codestone, then adding a sneaky extra 9, to make it 9999 neopoints.

Most people in their rush to buy this amazingly priced item just click on it as soon as they get to the shop - and may end up paying several times the normal price.

One way to catch the scammer out, is to "camp out" in the shop, and keep refreshing the page - then snapping up the items as soon as the scammer lowers the price again. I would only do this is you have a very fast connection, and make sure you're still checking the price on the confirmation box!

If you get caught out be this one, there's not a lot you can do. As a general rule, make sure you double check the price of the item when the confirmation box pops up!

Right Click Scam

Some shops may have a notice saying "Right click on an item to see it's properties" or maybe "Right click on an item to go to a hidden location

However, right-clicking means you will automatically buy that item, for a ridiculous amount!

If you want to see the properties of an item - type its name into the search bar in the yellow navigation menu on the left. This will find the item (unless it is very rare) and show you details about it.

Neopets have now disabled the "right-click" scam, however I've left this up for reference.

Your Shop Has Been Reported

All of a sudden, you receive a neomail saying that you've been reported to Neopets for a scam in your shop! (Even though there isn't one). The only way you can stop your account form being frozen is to quickly lower all the prices of the items in your shop!

If someone sends you a neomail like this, report them to Abuse@Neopets.com

If you see a shop with a scam in it (e.g.the Secret) or if the shop leads you to a false log on screen report it to Abuse@Neopets.com - or at the top of the shop, there will be a link to report the shop automatically.

Note - if you report a shop, it is completely anonymous - the shop owner will never know who it was!

Trading Scams

See also item scams.

Overpriced Items

Someone will put an "unbuyable" item up on the Trading Post (unbuyable means it costs over 100,000 neopoints, so it can't be bought from a players shop). They will post a message like "This item is worth 2 million neopoints, but I'll give it to the first person to bid 500,000
As the item is unbuyable, you can't use the shop wizard to check the price, and thinking its a really good deal you buy it, only to find you've paid far too much for it!

If you see an offer like this, try searching the trading post for other offers on the same item, if the other people are selling the item for much less, then you know its a scam. Or try asking on the Message boards to see if anyone there knows the approximate price of the item.

Remember - if it looks too good to be true, it probably is!

Wish List Scams

Sometimes someone will put an item up for trade, and they will enter something strange in the "Wish List" section. Quite often they will post a link to a website that supposedly generates items or neopoints. See the Neopoint/Item Generator Scam. Or they might post that the item has some sort of magical properties, see Item Scams

The problem with posting these scams on the trading post, is that people cannot post warnings that they are scams, so more people may fall for them.

A good rule is, ignore any links, and if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is!

The Trading Post doesn't work for me

Someone will want to trade an item with you, but will claim they cannot use the Trading Post because their computer has an error, or that they have a problem with the Neopets site which wont allow them to use or see the Trading Post.

Sometimes they will tell you that they have been scammed in the past, so they know how it feels, and they certainly wont do that to you. Don't believe them, they are trying to trick you.

If you trust them and transfer your item to them, there is a very high chance you will never see your item again or the item you were swapping for!

If you ever want to swap or exchange an item with another player, make sure you always use the Trading Post on Mystery Island.

Neopets advises everyone to use the Trading Post, so if you don't, it is at your own risk, and if you loose the item Neopets will not replace it! - You have been warned! :)

If someone cant or wont use the Trading Post, don't trade with them.

Well, that just about concludes our little discourse on naughty people!

If you do know of any other scams, or tricks, please Neomail Onugu_
(please don't send me actual scammers names - report them to Abuse@Neopets.com)

Thank you!<