Help me get my friends spaceship back.

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Hello I'm New here! Joined: 20 Apr 2014 Posts: 4

Hi, I am having issues on a Science Fiction gaming trading reddit, where scammers are targeting people selling precious digital spaceships. Very Happy

Basically, I get involved when a member is scammed and do what I can to pursuade them it is a good idea to give back what was taken. I'm now trying to help out a friend in talking the scammer into returning what was stolen (Valued at about $350). He was an idiot, and basically agreed to send first before the guy paid (yeah, I know..)

I have done this 2 times before (successfully), so I'm okay at getting a result, but I'm stuck.

I have his real name, his email is online, and I have a verified paypal address, he is in Palestine. I just need some assistance in how to use that properly /leverage that into convincing a return is a wise choice. I've had him responding to my email, but that has stopped for a day, so I need to learn - if not for this time, for when it happens again.

I remembered this website, and figured you guys might have some ideas on how to get my friends space ship back?

Posted: Sun Apr 20, 2014 1:34 pm

I would say that it is going to be virtually impossible to get back.

Best thing for him to do is to start building another one.

Perhaps we can all help him. Here's my contribution

10100011100111100000000000

Not quite a Newb Joined: 14 Jul 2005 Posts: 41

Moved here as this wouldn't be advanced fee fraud.

Posted: Sun Apr 20, 2014 2:11 pm

Quote:

where scammers are targeting people selling precious digital spaceships

Always worth reporting it to PayPal. Although it is unlikely to take any action since the payment was for non-physical goods, an accumulation of reports against an account (and from different individuals) should lead to it being flagged.

Baiting Guru Joined: 31 Jan 2007 Posts: 12237

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fryGyqTJPU

Sorry.

Hello I'm New here! Joined: 20 Apr 2014 Posts: 4

The Monsignor wrote:

Quote:

where scammers are targeting people selling precious digital spaceships

Always worth reporting it to PayPal. Although it is unlikely to take any action since the payment was for non-physical goods, an accumulation of reports against an account (and from different individuals) should lead to it being flagged.

Good to know.

Posted: Mon Apr 21, 2014 3:15 am

I lurve you PF. ♥

Sorry, Happyaslarry. I bought the last one. You're not getting it back. I'm your captain now.
jump_4_joy

Trophy Videos · Posted: Tue Apr 22, 2014 12:59 pm

Sorry about your friends loss. If he is really really mad about it, he can get a loan for a DeathStar, and blow away the entire planet.
http://forum.419eater.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=228130

Hello I'm New here! Joined: 20 Apr 2014 Posts: 4

Thanks, recovered the item, which I persuaded the guy to return.
Sarcastic posts aside Rolling Eyes

(which are fair enough by the way - we all need to be amused and some humor was obviously intended), the loss would have been quite real, while this transaction was just $300, some of these digital items can go for thousands.

Thanks to the Monsignor for an actual on topic post. Laughing

Baiting Guru Joined: 31 Jan 2007 Posts: 12237

Congrats, glad it worked out for you and your friend.

Quote:

Thanks to the Monsignor for an actual on topic post.

You are the only one that read it, nobody here likes him. You came to a scambaiting site and posted a question that was totally out of our sphere of experience. We tend to lash out sarcastically in such circumstances, mainly because we would love to help you, but can't. Sorry about that.

Edit: Damn, after reading my post that apology almost had a Canadian tint to it.

Posted: Tue Apr 22, 2014 3:35 pm

^^^It creeps up on you like that - before you know it you'll be wearing lumberjack shirts and buying a snowmobile.

Posted: Tue Apr 22, 2014 3:43 pm

PF's theme song

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mL7n5mEmXJo

someone was going to post this anyway

Posted: Tue Apr 22, 2014 5:13 pm

That's right Ay? Laughing

Not quite a Newb Joined: 14 Jul 2005 Posts: 41

Glad you were able to help your friend get his item back.

As for the sarcasm, well, it is a forum full of very smart, clever folks who spend their time screwing with criminals. Wink

I do hope you stick around; I suspect you'll fit right in.

Posted: Wed Apr 23, 2014 1:26 am

Tsnerd wrote:

Quote:

it is a forum full of very smart, clever folks

But forgot to include:

Quote:

And Pastor Frank

Stick around you got the Spaceship back so the rest should be easy and a Heckuva lot of fun! There are some fine folk around here who are always willing to help (24/7) so enjoy the ride!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSyYqD9v_wo

Not quite a Newb Joined: 14 Jul 2005 Posts: 41

Oscar wrote:

But forgot to include:

Quote:

And Pastor Frank

Nah, that was just too easy. Anyway, I'm rather fond of PF and his denial of his Canadianishness.

Posted: Wed Apr 23, 2014 1:56 am

^His oots and aboots have come a long way lately too. Once we can get him to Embrace his inner Celine things will change....

Laughing

- TS

Hello I'm New here! Joined: 20 Apr 2014 Posts: 4

Cool!

Thanks guys. Smile

I feel a lot more welcome now, and realise that your sarcasm & sharp wit was just a clumsy way to ingratiate yourselves, which of course, I totally welcome! Very Happy

Yeah, pretty happy, we work on the fraud cases from opposite ends, you guys have them come to you / seek them out & drive them crazy, I need to deal with them after a fraud and convince them to return what they have stolen. I am tracking an active scammer though, I have not caught up with yet, so I will look through here for some ideas on how to keep him busy and away from real victims.

I'm going to be keenly watching and learning what I can from here.

Here's the ship I got back by the way. Very Happy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g0gZES2pTWk

Posted: Wed Apr 23, 2014 9:38 am

Dr Who, Zaphod Beeblebrox and the runaway replicants in Blade Runner all fly stolen spaceships, so there must either be security issues with them or people leave the keys in.

I've never seen one dumped on waste ground and burned out yet, though.

Posted: Wed Apr 23, 2014 8:43 pm

IN the future, if your friend would prefer an AT-ST, perhaps this lad could make one: http://forum.419eater.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=245638&start=0

Posted: Thu Apr 24, 2014 12:12 am

Happyaslarry, just an Eater maxim-bait from a brand shiny new gmail if you want to distract the scammer while you're working. "Bait safe" applies. Just ask Yoda.

Posted: Thu Apr 24, 2014 8:23 pm

I'm utterly imnpressed, Happyaslarry, that you actually get these guys to give back stolen anything. The class of scammer we deal with here has us so jaded to such a notion that it simply boggles my tiny little mind.

How do you do it? Virtual goods theives must be of a very different mindset.

Posted: Thu Apr 24, 2014 10:32 pm

I was wondering how it could be stolen in the first place. is it possible to build in a backdoor or a time-expiry sytem so that it becomes unusable after a while or just blows up? And what's to stop you simply making as many as you need? copy spaceship, paste spaceship? It sounds like a good application for some sort of hard DRM system if there is a genuine monetary value to these items.

Posted: Thu Apr 24, 2014 11:43 pm

^^ As per Nailgunner

I'm curious about digital spaceships. Just another thing I find I know nothing about, (which is probably 99.99% of everything anyway)

How? What? How do you sell them? Trade them? How do you build them?

Master Baiter Joined: 03 May 2011 Posts: 237

I, too, would be interested to learn how you convince people to give digital spaceships back. Also, is the game you're referring to, Eve Online, by any chance? Your efforts are commendable, in that you can actually talk thieves into giving spaceships back. Well done.

As Lehigh Guy mentioned previously, it's simply not a concept we deal in here. 419 scammers are ruthless, without sympathy or remorse for anybody they steal from. The more you read on the forum, the more you'll realise just how vile these scum are.

Anyway, welcome to 419Eater!

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