Mass credit card fraud on the GTN

[Ferretstalker]

Honestly, they probably got the credit information from gold-buying customers, so they got what they deserve. I highly doubt there are any totally innocent victims here.

[loktarmar]

They should sticky this thread and put a message about frauders in the launcher if they can't do anything to stop it.

[sentientomega]

The fact is, OP, no-one but NO-one will buy anything for any more credits than they have to spend, asking people to buy a more expensive version of the exact same item is absurd, whatever the alleged reason for it.

 

Sounds like you're being undercut, it's time you undercut the undercutters.

[Kalfear]

LOL Im not going to adress the rest of it but saw someone in thread whining about players selling adaptive circ. on GTN

 

Its not a fraud or a scam

 

I been listing a ton of AC on GTN past few days because Im getting rid of Purple Jawa Junk stock piles in legacy vault!

 

So I list 300 (broken up into lots fo 5s and 10s) and when they all seel I relist another 300

 

And I will be doing this for the forseeable future because of stock pile of purple Jawa Junk

 

So explain how me doing this is a scam or fraud please

 

I list a block of 5 or 10 at a certain price

you pay the price

you get the black of 5 or 10

where exactly is the scam or fraud?

 

This is how economics works

the price is lowered as the supply grows

when the supply shrinks

the price will raise

right now there is 27 pages of ACs on GTN (Harbinger) so you have to undercut other prices to ensure sales of your own product.

Edited November 4, 2015 by Kalfear

[Infernixx]

I've seen a few threads about this in the past but this has really gotten ridiculous. The AH on Harbringer and I'm sure most likely other servers is filled with credit card fraud items. Credit sellers use this as a big source to get their credits to sell and it seems Bioware has no intentions on stopping it. This is ridiculous that if players actually support and spend money on cartel items they have to compete to sell it with credit card frauders. Not only is it a pain to sell because they log on either by hand or bot and constantly undercut. They also drive down the price so people will end up getting less out of their cartel purchases.

 

For anyone who wasn't aware of this or doesn't know what to look for. These frauders will have long gibberish name with accents. For example Hägerçiugÿo (this is not an actual name of one of them just an example so not naming and shaming). They make names like this to make it difficult to report them. Not like it matters if you report them because they will be right back at it with another account. The items I see the listing most recently are level 60 tokens, hypercrates, and gold packs but I'm sure they list other items as well. Level 60 tokens on Harbringer right now are almost all completely from 2 credit card frauders.

 

I hope this thread will at least spread some awareness. Tell your friends, guilds, other players in game not to buy from these scumbags. Buy from the next best seller who doesn't appear to be a frauder. Support your fellow players and not credit card fraud credit sellers.

 

EDIT: Of course the fanboy army comes running defending this credit card fraud because they think I'm saying something bad about the game. You want proof? Add them to your friends list if you can catch them online or type their name. They will be a low level character and they will log on/off every so often all day to undercut. After a while you will never see them again because Bioware eventually bans them. They then make new accounts with long accent gibberish names and repeat so they are always there. It is pretty much common sense. Also players that make names with accents look nothing at all with how the frauders do it. The fact that people who have no idea what is going on will come here and defend it is sickening.

 

How do you know it's credit card fraud?

[ShredderStatus]

haha mad bro is mad.

 

But seriously though, the economy is tanking.

The only people buying your overpriced **** are credit buyers.

[chiattle]

The credit card frauders flock to the most wanted/expensive items. That is why I don't bother with those and sell other items if I can. It is kinda irritating but I'm not going to get into an undercut battle with some frauder who is relisting 24/7. I'm curious to see how low the frauders can get the lvl 60 token down to.

[DarthMaulUK]

I don't think its fraud as much but probably Bioware getting their new Cartel Tat packs onto the GTN due to poor sales. Lets face it, over the past 12 months, even those 'whales' of customers have become bored with the reduced quality of items in each pack on sale and the endless reskins.

 

I've stopped wasting my CC on them and sometimes will purchase them from the GTN. The latest offering is nothing short of rubbish and for £24 (approx. $45) its a waste of money pure and simple.

[GalacticKegger]

For anyone who wasn't aware of this or doesn't know what to look for. These frauders will have long gibberish name with accents.

If you feel so compelled, don't buy from them and report them as a possible bad guy. It is impossible for "the all-seeing eye" GMs to be all-seeing. They need our help in identifying and reporting these perps. Do the deed and don't succumb to the incredulously low prices they are posting.

 

On a side note, it is possible they are simply guild bankers trying to clear space in their guild bank and foster no compunction about selling in mass quantities at deep discounts to make room in their gb's inventory. As a former guild banker, any return on 8 stacks of crap we don't need is a good return.

 

But yeah ... a seller whose name is Fkrblojengaw is probably a dead giveaway.

Edited November 4, 2015 by GalacticKegger

[Qui_Jon]

I've seen a few threads about this in the past but this has really gotten ridiculous. The AH on Harbringer and I'm sure most likely other servers is filled with credit card fraud items. Credit sellers use this as a big source to get their credits to sell and it seems Bioware has no intentions on stopping it. This is ridiculous that if players actually support and spend money on cartel items they have to compete to sell it with credit card frauders. Not only is it a pain to sell because they log on either by hand or bot and constantly undercut. They also drive down the price so people will end up getting less out of their cartel purchases.

 

For anyone who wasn't aware of this or doesn't know what to look for. These frauders will have long gibberish name with accents. For example Hägerçiugÿo (this is not an actual name of one of them just an example so not naming and shaming). They make names like this to make it difficult to report them. Not like it matters if you report them because they will be right back at it with another account. The items I see the listing most recently are level 60 tokens, hypercrates, and gold packs but I'm sure they list other items as well. Level 60 tokens on Harbringer right now are almost all completely from 2 credit card frauders.

 

I hope this thread will at least spread some awareness. Tell your friends, guilds, other players in game not to buy from these scumbags. Buy from the next best seller who doesn't appear to be a frauder. Support your fellow players and not credit card fraud credit sellers.

 

EDIT: Of course the fanboy army comes running defending this credit card fraud because they think I'm saying something bad about the game. You want proof? Add them to your friends list if you can catch them online or type their name. They will be a low level character and they will log on/off every so often all day to undercut. After a while you will never see them again because Bioware eventually bans them. They then make new accounts with long accent gibberish names and repeat so they are always there. It is pretty much common sense. Also players that make names with accents look nothing at all with how the frauders do it. The fact that people who have no idea what is going on will come here and defend it is sickening.

 

First off just because that character is never in game or of low level doesn't mean its a frauder. I know of many players that do a lot of selling of items on the market that do so through essentially a shell character on their account. Anything they craft or buy on the cartel market to sell is all done and listed with one character and they only have to log in that one character to conduct all their business.

 

However if you really wanted to stop this the only way it will get done is to get rid of the cash for gold market to begin with. And that only way to really do that is to allow players to actually buy credits for money. Atleast that way the game would be abie to actually assign what they consider to be the appropriate value of credits to real cash and can make it not worthwhile for the gold sellers to continue to do business.

 

However doing so also means essentially killing the market and value of most items that are crafted to resold because credits would be even easier to come by. so essentially killing the in game economy in the process.

 

Oh and BTW everything I sell, like when I buy a hypercrate, I set prices at -1 credit to whatever the lowest price in the market is, doesn't mean I am a fraud either. Just don't want to sit on my stuff to long.

[Theeko]

These weird names sell over 10 pages of hypercrates every week and they usually undercut the lowest price about 2-3m your telling me thats legit?

[pressoff]

My server Jung Ma is so dead that there isn't even a 60 token or hypercrate up for sale right now. I have seen a lot up before and the person had a long random name with many of those goofy letters. No doubt in my mind that they are frauders because it is clear fraudulent behavior.

 

I also believe that their name choice has nothing to do with preventing being reported. Most likely they have a bot that automates creating a character and leveling it. The bot is programmed to make a long random name with those goofy letters so that the name it randomly makes is never already taken.

[Hathur]

Wait.. maybe I'm stupid (entirely possible).. but how in the hell exactly is anyone stealing your credit card details via GTN? Your credit card has nothing to do with the GTN... your credit card is only used to pay subscription and buy cartel coins off swtor's website.

 

The entire post makes no sense.

 

I don't understand the OP at all... granted I'll concede that CREDIT fraud (as in game currency, not real life currency) might be occurring... but what in the fudge are you talking about in regards to credit cards? You're making zero sense.

[Theeko]

Wait.. maybe I'm stupid (entirely possible).. but how in the hell exactly is anyone stealing your credit card details via GTN? Your credit card has nothing to do with the GTN... your credit card is only used to pay subscription and buy cartel coins off swtor's website.

 

The entire post makes no sense.

 

I don't understand the OP at all... granted I'll concede that CREDIT fraud (as in game currency, not real life currency) might be occurring... but what in the fudge are you talking about in regards to credit cards? You're making zero sense.

 

People buy credits = using credit card = farmers take # use on CM

[Seireeni]

Wait.. maybe I'm stupid (entirely possible).. but how in the hell exactly is anyone stealing your credit card details via GTN? Your credit card has nothing to do with the GTN... your credit card is only used to pay subscription and buy cartel coins off swtor's website.

 

The entire post makes no sense.

 

I don't understand the OP at all... granted I'll concede that CREDIT fraud (as in game currency, not real life currency) might be occurring... but what in the fudge are you talking about in regards to credit cards? You're making zero sense.

 

Goldsellers steal someone's credit card info and buy loads of stuff from cartel market using the stolen card. They sell all that stuff at GTN with äspädöfspsdfûüâ-names to get in-game currency aka credits. Then they sell those credits for real money.

That's how it's supposed to work I guess. Not sure if it's truly going on, not without proof.

[DJZod]

I'm a little confused. Even if it is RMT sites buying items and selling them on the GTN, how is that credit card fraud? Credit Card Fraud is a very specific accusation involving the use of someone else's credit card information. Nothing you said here even remotely points to Credit Card Fraud.

[g_land]

Bioware has commented on this in the past, was an interview I believe with swtor economics but not going to try finding it on my phone. The interviewee does mention that buying items from sellers that could be fraudulent is something they would prefer players not do because it encourages continued fraud.

 

Maybe I just inferred it from this post that it is also important to not give them credits to sell and combined it with the fact that a bot clearly posts things on different servers guns in quick succession. Anyways! Larger yellow post from this summer

 

http://www.swtor.com/community/showpost.php?p=8229028&postcount=1

Edited November 4, 2015 by g_land

[Mahrdol]

These weird names sell over 10 pages of hypercrates every week and they usually undercut the lowest price about 2-3m your telling me thats legit?

 

Please ask some of these Fraudsters to start selling items on Jedi Covenant. The hyper-crates are way too expensive. I looked last night and cheapest was 7 mil.

Edited November 4, 2015 by Mahrdol

[SaerethDL]

Please ask some of these Fraudsters to start selling items on Jedi Covenant. The hyper-crates are way too expensive. I looked last night and cheapest was 7 mil.

 

a hypercrate cost 45 real dollars, and you want it for less than 7 mil? there is no value in that, why would i spend 45 bucks for a measly 7 mil or less?

[Mahrdol]

a hypercrate cost 45 real dollars, and you want it for less than 7 mil? there is no value in that, why would i spend 45 bucks for a measly 7 mil or less?

 

You spend $99 and get what is it 15500 cartel coin? I forget anyway. that around 3 Hyper-crates and then people take advantage of the 40% off so lets say that is 5 Hyper-crates=$20 each. So it seems to me they should be 3-4 Mil.

[CaptRogue]

Big quantities as in over 5,000 completed bounty contracts, 500 level 60 tokens, and 500 hypercrates?

 

And you play on the Harbinger you say? Where is this proof? I mean, I'm alt tabbed on the GTN right now & your numbers are a HIGH exaggeration!

 

Cheapest AC is 44,999.

6 pages of Level 60 Tokens, 50 tokens, cheapest is 3,750,500...By a real player at that. As I see that name selling stuff frequently & it's not a weird random string of characters.

Hypercrates Alliance cheapest 6,598,000; 10 pages of just hypercrates.

Supercrate; 5 only; cheapest at 1,250,000.

 

So far not seeing what you say you're seeing. Especially with all those Hypercrates, some of the most expensive ones are 88mil.

 

These weird names sell over 10 pages of hypercrates every week and they usually undercut the lowest price about 2-3m your telling me thats legit?

 

Again, NOT seeing that at all.

 

Not saying that some of these aren't Credit Farmer accounts. I've said so in the past, and when they did the big crackdown a few months ago, prices were higher for awhile. Less string of random letter names.

 

But right now, all that is not what I'm seeing. I'm seeing real names/people selling things.

[SaerethDL]

You spend $99 and get what is it 15500 cartel coin? I forget anyway. that around 3 Hyper-crates and then people take advantage of the 40% off so lets say that is 5 Hyper-crates=$20 each. So it seems to me they should be 3-4 Mil.

 

100 bucks to make 9 mil credits, get real. Cheapest hypercrate i see currently in 5400 CC

Edited November 4, 2015 by SaerethDL

[PulseRazor]

For anyone who wasn't aware of this or doesn't know what to look for. These frauders will have long gibberish name with accents. For example Hägerçiugÿo (this is not an actual name of one of them just an example so not naming and shaming).

 

Do you know how much of a pain it is use that many accents in a name? These are not the spam bots you are looking for. These are people with no creativity seeking to avoid the fact that their chosen name has already been taken.

 

The 'bots' are either legitimate names from stolen accounts, or most often strings of characters like" lksjflskfj which if you look close enough always alternate characters from opposite sides of the keyboard, indicating a thoughtless drumming of fingers to get past the naming process as quickly as possible.

 

These accusations make it seem like you are salty about the fact that some people are filthy rich in life and in game.

Edited November 4, 2015 by PulseRazor

[sackwil]

I got characters on 4 high pop servers and there is 2 people with long accent gibberish names putting lots of cartel items up on each of them. If this isn't a clear sign of credit card fraud by credit sellers then I don't know what is. People suggesting that this is normal players really need to get out of here with that nonsense. Do you people also support Bill Cosby? No proof he done anything even though its clear what went on.

[Deyjarl]

Maybe they buy 100s of crates when they are 50% off. I could also see people being paid to play in other countries that have very low wages and have someone selling the stuff making a tidy profit.

 

Which would be against the TOS also. Now that wouldn't necessarily mean fraud, but then most companies paying people to game to sell currency do get into a bit of stolen CCs, so it probably does mean fraud.

 

But there are also plenty of whales that do spend a ton of money to sell stuff in game for credits

Edited November 5, 2015 by Deyjarl