Opinion: The acquisition of virtual items can take time. Robbery of these items, against a game's 'terms of service,' could be held as being robbery of time investment.
Discuss.
[edit]No, I don't think anybody here is actually suggesting sending the cops to someone's house to question them about stealing a mega sword of holy pwnage [/edit]
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Discuss.
[edit]No, I don't think anybody here is actually suggesting sending the cops to someone's house to question them about stealing a mega sword of holy pwnage [/edit]
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Storytime!
Game: Diablo II: Lord of Destruction
Realm: USWest Ladder
Scammer Acct: imjoemama
Scammer Character: GPK_HURRICANE
Scam Type: Trade Window Switcheroo
I'm one of those people who continue to use Diablo II long after its release, but in my case, I recently started playing again. As a newbie, I am naturally trying to build up a character with the best equipment possible. So when I see a game offering to trade an 'Annihilus' (Fig 1.0), depicted below, I naturally want to check it out. The trader was willing to give it to me for a 'Fortitude' (Fig 1.1), which can be built from four runes and socketed armor, and for two other runes of intrinsically high demand (an Ist and a Lo). The 'Lo' I received for the armor was free (the others are easy to acquire), as were the other two runes lost, but I couldn't help but feel mildly naive at having fallen for this disingenuous plot.
During the process of trading, two windows are open: yours, and the other player's above it. There is one other item that looks exactly like the 'Annihilus' in Fig 1.0, and that is a quest item that is useless once that particular quest is finished. The trader let me get a good look at the 'Annihilus,' then feinted at being in a hurry and having to go. So he was pulling it in and out of the window, urging me on. So, foolishly, I keep my cursor over the accept button and happily go to look at this shiny new charm in my inventory. Instead, there was that a quest item. As it turns out, he was pulling the charm in and out of the trade window, then when he was ready for me to accept, he pulled a 'switcheroo' and dropped that quest item instead.
Fig 1.0
Fig 1.1
After five futile minutes of trying to get at least some of my stuff back and warning off other 'buyers,' as well as warding off more attempts by the trader to run an identical scam on me 'out of sympathy,' he finally leaves. Afterwards, I report him to Blizzard's scam address for violating the EULA (something I've never done with any game).
Last edited by unnamednewbie13 (2006-12-08 00:29:29)