http://classic.magictraders.com/ubb/Forum1/HTML/021766.html

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There's no need to fear, UNDERDOG is here!

All your Gruul Nodorogs are belong to me. Trade them to me, please!

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Originally posted by nderdog:
Here is a handy guide to minimizing risk.

http://classic.magictraders.com/ubb/Forum1/HTML/021766.html

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Originally posted by baldr7:
like everyone else said, when you deal with people with a good number of refs, they rarely will rip you off

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Originally posted by AGO:
Send with DC# and they can't rip you off.

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They can still do it. It just makes it easier to prove that they did. No guarantee of getting your stuff back or any retribution. Enjoy filing for mail fraud; hopefully it's in your country.

I agree with the above posters, and I'm sorry to hear that you got taken advantage of so badly. But honestly, I've pretty much stopped trading here. If the deal isn't with:

A) A high-ref member who has made recent refs/posts or is well-known in a positive manner
B) The deal is worth me sending registered mail ($17 to start)
C) I'm getting a Pile of stuff I need (not want) for current decks I am building

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Originally posted by AGO:
Send with DC# and they can't rip you off.

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Sorry that you had this happen that often.

__________________
"He fights you not because you have wronged him, but because you are there."

[16:17] <@BrassMan> what do you need new tech for?
[16:18] <@BrassMan> gush is unrestricted

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mdgLn5BFRQ

--Evil

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Originally posted by Wackyjacks:
Cephalid_Man was banned shortly after I sent my cards to him. So no reason to make a Bad Trader alert there. I created one for SyrMtg he was also banned shortly after. I just traded with a guy called mpgriffin, he was banned right after I sent the cards to him

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What's another thing that Cephalid_Man, SyrMtg, and mpgriffin all have in common?

None of those users regularly post on forums outside of the trade forum. Other than checking refs (make sure they have traded recently also, if refs are only from 2002 or beyond, that's sketchy), you can check their activity on the forums. Many rippers or hacked accounts don't engage in anything else.

For the MOTL'ers who post on forums regularly, they have a lot more at stake than those who just trade every now and then. For MOTL'ers who post a lot, this is a community. If you're new, check out the forums often and get a feel for what MOTL is about. New MOTL'ers should learn more about MOTL before diving in and making trades. Try to stick with making trades only with people with solid refs and who post a lot. It really would minimize your risk, but you can't eliminate it completely.

If you've been ripped, LET PEOPLE KNOW ABOUT IT! WE GOT TO GET RID OF THOSE PEOPLE and that's the only way.

If this has made you uncomfortable with trading, don't trade. Hang out on MOTL a bit until you find out who are some of the people you can trust and then trade.

I'm currently in a trade that's worth around $5 with someone that has only 15 refs, but that's still a lot more than what I have, so I offered to send first. If I get scammed, then I will take it as a $5 lesson, which is certainly better than a $100+ lesson.

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Originally posted by Wackyjacks:
mpgriffin had 80 refs or so.

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Yes, but he was a hacked account. The main advice for your particular situation is the first item on the list that I linked to, as it would have caught all 3 of them:

1. Always search the Bad Trader Alert and Confirmed Bad Traders lists, using http://forums.magictraders.com/search.cgi?action=intro&default=3 Don't just search for a name or email address as both are easily changed. Always begin your search with the last name, street name, city and zip code, then see if the address of the person you are trading with is in one of the search results. One reason for this is that a ripper may intentionally misspell a city and/or street name or swap a couple digits in the zip code, relying on the postal service to catch the mistake and deliver it while not getting caught on a BTA/CBT search. When searching, do NOT use the "Search by User Name" option. This will only find posts that the specified username has posted on. Many rippers never respond to their own BTA threads, so this option isn't very effective. Use the "Search Words:" box, and type their username in there for more complete results.

__________________
There's no need to fear, UNDERDOG is here!

All your Gruul Nodorogs are belong to me. Trade them to me, please!

Report rules violations.

If a trader has high refs but has no recent activity be very wary. Ask for third party, see how they react.

Trust your instincts - if a deal is in your favor but you must send first, be very, very careful.

This is probably inflammatory but I suggest taking extra precautions with traders from areas where there are known rippers: Puerto Rico, Florida, Russia, Canada, Philippines, or Greece

If someone is brute forcing the passwords, then someone should be able to see the hundreds of failed login attempts...

Are they guessing their secret answer (does MOTL even have one)?

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Originally posted by airwalk:
How are the accounts being hacked?

If someone is brute forcing the passwords, then someone should be able to see the hundreds of failed login attempts...

Are they guessing their secret answer (does MOTL even have one)?

There must be some way to catch hacked accounts before they do much damage...

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We know how it's happening, we won't be divulging that information, and we're hoping to have it addressed on the new site as it's going to require some extra measures to deal with.

__________________
There's no need to fear, UNDERDOG is here!

All your Gruul Nodorogs are belong to me. Trade them to me, please!

Report rules violations.

quote:

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Originally posted by AGO:
Send with DC# and they can't rip you off.

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Hard when he's in Denmark.

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Originally posted by Mr.C:
Hard when he's in Denmark.

If I were the OP, I'd trade exclusively with people with good refs in Europe, where tracking is cheap.

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I should of been more clear.