Scammers/Safety of the trade section

mattflower · 14-02-11, 07:47 PM

Ok i've been a member of exceem for many years and I am certainly not trying to "rock the boat"

Recently I set up a trade on here, after trading successfully on other sites which I wont mention i felt that doing it here would be safer.

However as can be anticipated I got scammed, I am not annoyed by this, it's the way of the world bad things happen to good people etc.

What i don't understand though is what the advantage of using exceem is... I have reported this issue and it appears that nothing has actually happened.

So, this isn't a random bleat but, what would people like from a trade section?

It appears from the scammers sub category that this happens frequently, is there any intervention from the actual network owners or is it just a case of people get blacklisted then go on to do it to other people on other sites?

It just seems to me that it's not actually any better than setting up a trade yourself

officetally · 15-02-11, 06:18 AM

I agree.

Kfchris1 · 15-02-11, 07:48 AM

i agree with this, but with trades you have to put your trust in people and as with everything people will take advantage of that

5 meangful post i dont think really works, but what do i kno

**the_icks** · 15-02-11, 08:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mattflower

Ok i've been a member of exceem for many years and I am certainly not trying to "rock the boat"

Recently I set up a trade on here, after trading successfully on other sites which I wont mention i felt that doing it here would be safer.

However as can be anticipated I got scammed, I am not annoyed by this, it's the way of the world bad things happen to good people etc.

What i don't understand though is what the advantage of using exceem is... I have reported this issue and it appears that nothing has actually happened.

So, this isn't a random bleat but, what would people like from a trade section?

It appears from the scammers sub category that this happens frequently, is there any intervention from the actual network owners or is it just a case of people get blacklisted then go on to do it to other people on other sites?

It just seems to me that it's not actually any better than setting up a trade yourself

I agree, access to the trade area is far to easy - be interesting to hear an official comment on your situation.

Harvez · 15-02-11, 08:58 AM

Tbh if it cant be policed 100% then remove the option altogether, my understanding is if you report the scammer to FJ/Kudos that green will be discounted and if proved to be scamming people their account should be closed.

Emma · 15-02-11, 09:37 AM

In mattflower's case, apologies, yep more should have been done sorry!

When it's a site such as FJ/Kudos where the owners actually come on here we do report the scammer to that network. The person who's been scammed has their green removed from the scammers list of greens so that the person who scammed doesn't benefit.

We do ban the scammer from exceem although always try to contact them first to see if there was a genuine reason for not completing rather than just an outright ban and take it from there.

We can't do anything in relation to having accounts put on hold or closed/getting compensation from the networks for the person who lost out etc as that's down to the networks to decide if they want to do that!

I check each request personally, looking at number of posts, how long they've been a member for on here etc, and refuse access to anyone I've got doubts about. The problem is that with some people you just get an inkling there's going to be problems and just don't give them access, whereas other people are more clever about it and do 2-3 successful trades then start scamming people.

Do you think it would be better if we closed the trade section? Ran it differently? Different requirements before they could join etc?

Kfchris1 · 15-02-11, 10:41 AM

i think different requirements!! iv been thinking about joining for a little while now but hear all the horror stories and it puts me off which is a shame!!

I dont think closing the trade section is a good idea because there are many people who have benifited out of it (not just the scammers)

mattflower · 15-02-11, 05:56 PM

I'm not just basing this on my experience, i believe it should be harder to get into. Not sure how you'd police it, maybe VIP members only (I know I haven't renewed

but the ability to trade safely would bring me in!)

Either that or in order to maintain the integrity of exceem it should be closed.

Exceem is in my opinion one of the best ways of proving to people new to the referral systems that they are not a scam, if they get ripped off on their first trade then they are not going to believe that the system is not a scam.

My experience has been my only bad one in exceem in many years so i'm not going to get bent out of shape over it, however i have actually been thinking about it a lot, as without being cheesy it was hurtful to be upset by a community I trusted.

How does everyone feel about the VIP only idea?

Ilikefree · 15-02-11, 08:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mattflower

How does everyone feel about the VIP only idea?

£4 per year to have complete admin rights over the trade centre? Maybe not

iFreeZone · 15-02-11, 08:21 PM

complete admin rights?

Ilikefree · 15-02-11, 09:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by iFreeZone

complete admin rights?

meaning the ability to monitor and control trades and ban people depending on whether they scam or not.

mattflower · 15-02-11, 09:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ilikefree

meaning the ability to monitor and control trades and ban people depending on whether they scam or not.

Not what i meant, i meant trade is only open to VIP who have been on the site for longer than a set period

arcticfox · 15-02-11, 09:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ilikefree

meaning the ability to monitor and control trades and ban people depending on whether they scam or not.

One problem with that is that we sometimes get people reporting possible scammers only a day after a trade is made or they dont believe the other person has done an offer.

My personal opinion would be that everyone who wanted to use the trade section would have to pay a deposit of £20 which could be paid back at any time the person wished to not have trade access any more. This way, if someone did scam someone, they lose their £20 which would then be paid to the person scammed as compensation.

I know this wouldn't be a popular option but like I said, you wouldn't be paying for trade access as such as that money would still belong to you.

The downside is that I'm sure the Admins wouldnt want/need extra work and responsibility. It's just a pity the odd person thinks that they can cheat others while the majority use the section properly.

**ryan1087** · 15-02-11, 10:06 PM

Never used trade but mattflower, you said you used trades on other forums, how do they go about doing it??

arcticfox · 15-02-11, 10:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ryan1087

Never used trade but mattflower, you said you used trades on other forums, how do they go about doing it??

I've seen trades on other forums where the only requirement is 5 posts and no checks. They make 5 crappy bumped posts then post for trades.

**ryan1087** · 15-02-11, 10:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by arcticfox

I've seen trades on other forums where the only requirement is 5 posts and no checks. They make 5 crappy bumped posts then post for trades.

That may be so but eXceem has a similar scheme which doesn't seen to be working. Maybe research into other trustworthy trade forums and see how they operate.

goggz1888 · 16-02-11, 07:01 AM

i think if your active enough on the forum you would know who can be trusted. i mean if i were to trade with someone that had made 5 posts and been a member for a week i would be making sure he went green before i completed my sign up. bit common sense should be used also to keep yourself safe

**ryan1087** · 16-02-11, 08:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by goggz1888

i think if your active enough on the forum you would know who can be trusted. i mean if i were to trade with someone that had made 5 posts and been a member for a week i would be making sure he went green before i completed my sign up. bit common sense should be used also to keep yourself safe

Not if he is the only option there or it is the 5 post member being scammed by another new member..

williamblah · 16-02-11, 08:10 AM

Would there be any way of involving FJ or Kudos?

If so you could always have some scheme whereby the two users trading input their ref IDs into a form, with details that get sent to FJ/Kudos. There could be a special "trade pending" status, which means that you are only rewarded with your completed referral once you have completed your referral for your trade partner.

I understand this would be a lot more effort and involve the agreement and effort of the freebie networks, but it would help them to avoid the negative PR associated with trade scammers, and would also bump up their completed referrals - which obviously gives them profit - whilst reducing the time they need to spend on monitoring/sorting out/banning those who have been scamming.

goggz1888 · 16-02-11, 08:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ryan1087

Not if he is the only option there or it is the 5 post member being scammed by another new member..

like i says use some common sense if its a 5 post member dont touch them..... if they are the only one there wait till someone else comes along or they gain some credability

14-02-11, 07:47 PM	#1
mattflower iBook Join Date: May 2006 Location: Essex Posts: 2,233	Scammers/Safety of the trade section Ok i've been a member of exceem for many years and I am certainly not trying to "rock the boat" Recently I set up a trade on here, after trading successfully on other sites which I wont mention i felt that doing it here would be safer. However as can be anticipated I got scammed, I am not annoyed by this, it's the way of the world bad things happen to good people etc. What i don't understand though is what the advantage of using exceem is... I have reported this issue and it appears that nothing has actually happened. So, this isn't a random bleat but, what would people like from a trade section? It appears from the scammers sub category that this happens frequently, is there any intervention from the actual network owners or is it just a case of people get blacklisted then go on to do it to other people on other sites? It just seems to me that it's not actually any better than setting up a trade yourself

15-02-11, 07:48 AM	#3
Kfchris1 iPod 30gb Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: In a Box In The Desert Posts: 1,480	i agree with this, but with trades you have to put your trust in people and as with everything people will take advantage of that 5 meangful post i dont think really works, but what do i kno __________________ Dont Tell Me "Sky's The Limit" When There Are Footprints On The Moon!! Get TWO Greens On The Gadets Kudos Conga Now!! Free Gadgets \| Free iPod Touch

15-02-11, 08:58 AM	#5
Harvez Mini Mac Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: l33dz Posts: 9,488	Tbh if it cant be policed 100% then remove the option altogether, my understanding is if you report the scammer to FJ/Kudos that green will be discounted and if proved to be scamming people their account should be closed. __________________ Freebiejeebies \| Free iphone \| Free Blackberry \| Free Wii U \| Free laptop Someone once said "Life is what you make it", I disagree sometimes life makes you into what you are.

15-02-11, 09:37 AM	#6
Emma Mini Mac Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 5,450	In mattflower's case, apologies, yep more should have been done sorry! When it's a site such as FJ/Kudos where the owners actually come on here we do report the scammer to that network. The person who's been scammed has their green removed from the scammers list of greens so that the person who scammed doesn't benefit. We do ban the scammer from exceem although always try to contact them first to see if there was a genuine reason for not completing rather than just an outright ban and take it from there. We can't do anything in relation to having accounts put on hold or closed/getting compensation from the networks for the person who lost out etc as that's down to the networks to decide if they want to do that! I check each request personally, looking at number of posts, how long they've been a member for on here etc, and refuse access to anyone I've got doubts about. The problem is that with some people you just get an inkling there's going to be problems and just don't give them access, whereas other people are more clever about it and do 2-3 successful trades then start scamming people. Do you think it would be better if we closed the trade section? Ran it differently? Different requirements before they could join etc? __________________ Spoiler Received: Xbox360 - iPod 30gb Photo - GHD Straighteners- £45 Amazon Vouchers - £40 in vouchers - 19" Samsung Monitor - 4 chick lit books - Trainers - Towel set - More trainers - Chicklit books - Las Vegas flights consoles freebiejeebies \| Free Gifts \| Free DSi XL \| Free PSP Go \| Free DVD Player

15-02-11, 10:41 AM	#7
Kfchris1 iPod 30gb Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: In a Box In The Desert Posts: 1,480	i think different requirements!! iv been thinking about joining for a little while now but hear all the horror stories and it puts me off which is a shame!! I dont think closing the trade section is a good idea because there are many people who have benifited out of it (not just the scammers) __________________ Dont Tell Me "Sky's The Limit" When There Are Footprints On The Moon!! Get TWO Greens On The Gadets Kudos Conga Now!! Free Gadgets \| Free iPod Touch

15-02-11, 06:18 AM	#2
officetally iPod Shuffle Join Date: Feb 2011 Posts: 1	I agree.

15-02-11, 05:56 PM	#8
mattflower iBook Join Date: May 2006 Location: Essex Posts: 2,233	I'm not just basing this on my experience, i believe it should be harder to get into. Not sure how you'd police it, maybe VIP members only (I know I haven't renewed but the ability to trade safely would bring me in!) Either that or in order to maintain the integrity of exceem it should be closed. Exceem is in my opinion one of the best ways of proving to people new to the referral systems that they are not a scam, if they get ripped off on their first trade then they are not going to believe that the system is not a scam. My experience has been my only bad one in exceem in many years so i'm not going to get bent out of shape over it, however i have actually been thinking about it a lot, as without being cheesy it was hurtful to be upset by a community I trusted. How does everyone feel about the VIP only idea?

15-02-11, 08:21 PM	#10
iFreeZone Mini Mac Join Date: May 2009 Posts: 7,550	complete admin rights? __________________ Free iPod \| Facepalm

15-02-11, 10:06 PM	#14
ryan1087 What to put... Join Date: Mar 2010 Posts: 9,017	Never used trade but mattflower, you said you used trades on other forums, how do they go about doing it?? __________________ free ipad 3

16-02-11, 07:01 AM	#17
goggz1888 iPod 60gb Join Date: May 2008 Posts: 1,680	i think if your active enough on the forum you would know who can be trusted. i mean if i were to trade with someone that had made 5 posts and been a member for a week i would be making sure he went green before i completed my sign up. bit common sense should be used also to keep yourself safe

16-02-11, 08:10 AM	#19
williamblah iPod 60gb Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Colchester, Essex Posts: 1,895	Would there be any way of involving FJ or Kudos? If so you could always have some scheme whereby the two users trading input their ref IDs into a form, with details that get sent to FJ/Kudos. There could be a special "trade pending" status, which means that you are only rewarded with your completed referral once you have completed your referral for your trade partner. I understand this would be a lot more effort and involve the agreement and effort of the freebie networks, but it would help them to avoid the negative PR associated with trade scammers, and would also bump up their completed referrals - which obviously gives them profit - whilst reducing the time they need to spend on monitoring/sorting out/banning those who have been scamming.