Scammer Label

[bbit]

when someone gets labeled like this on the forum is it for real or what is this?

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[SgtSpike]

when someone gets labeled like this on the forum is it for real or what is this?

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It's when someone is proven to be a scammer.

[bbit]

when someone gets labeled like this on the forum is it for real or what is this?

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It's when someone is proven to be a scammer.

wow! that is pretty intense thanks!  

edit: who determines this?

[Sannyasi]

edit: who determines this?

people who got scammed mostly......

[bbit]

edit: who determines this?

people who got scammed mostly......

so a group of people called the scammer out and the mod's change their status?

[FAtlas]

edit: who determines this?

people who got scammed mostly......

so a group of people called the scammer out and the mod's change their status?

And then the scammer sets up a new username and the cycle begins anew.  I think Elton John wrote a song about it.

[Maged]

edit: who determines this?

people who got scammed mostly......

so a group of people called the scammer out and the mod's change their status?

We only mark them as scammers when the evidence is clear, so don't depend on it. What we're essentially doing is banning them, but in a way that doesn't prevent them from still talking here.

[FreeMoney]

It would be awesome to make the scammer mark invisible to the scammer so they keep on longer than optimal with the same account.

[bitstarter]

It would be awesome to make the scammer mark invisible to the scammer so they keep on longer than optimal with the same account.

+1

[theymos]

edit: who determines this?

Administrators.

It would be awesome to make the scammer mark invisible to the scammer so they keep on longer than optimal with the same account.

The idea is to give them an opportunity to defend themselves or make things right. I have removed the status a couple of times after the users paid back their victims.

I instituted this system because people were pressuring me a lot to ban scammers, which I was unwilling to do. I do not want to be the final arbiter in these matters. So I created this status to warn potential victims without preventing the scammer from defending himself.

People marked as scammers are also unable to delete/edit any of their posts or modify their profiles, and their IP addresses are banned from creating new accounts.

[max in montreal]

I have removed the status a couple of times after the users paid back their victims.

If I am dealing with someone I would like to know their history if possible If someone tried to scam someone they are a scammer, regardless if they got caught or not. Just because they paid back what they stole does not make them an angel.

[SgtSpike]

I have removed the status a couple of times after the users paid back their victims.

If I am dealing with someone I would like to know their history if possible If someone tried to scam someone they are a scammer, regardless if they got caught or not. Just because they paid back what they stole does not make them an angel.

Sometimes though, it's just a misunderstanding or non-preventable circumstance (like a family emergency).  If the person gets back on, and says "sorry, my wife died 2 days ago so I put shipping out your item on the back burner," then I'd hate to see them have a scammer "history" because of it.

[makomk]

When I see people with a scammer tag, I'm inclined to ask them how they got it and give benefit of the doubt. I'm sure theymos and the mods are much better these days at getting to the bottom of things and dealing with issues of reported scams on the forum, but a little reminder that even I was once a 'proven scammer'. Look how accurate that turned out to be  

You agreed a contract with someone to do some work in exchange for a bitcoin, didn't pay once they did the work for you, and then publicly stated you weren't going to pay. In fact, that seems to be one of the usual ways of getting a scammer tag around here...

Edit: Oh, and you've since changed your name in order to disassociate yourself from that.

[Gabi]

and their IP addresses are banned from creating new accounts.

Incoming epic fail then.

Do you know "dynamic IP"? The thing that everytime you connect to the internet you get a NEW ip? Now, how the "ip address ban" can work with this? The only result you achieve is that some unlucky guy eventually use a banned ip and wonder why he cannot register here. While the scammer of course has another ip and create a new account without problems.

Ah, americans think everyone has fixed IPs... 

[Gabi]

Now, that makes sense

[theymos]

Do you know "dynamic IP"? The thing that everytime you connect to the internet you get a NEW ip? Now, how the "ip address ban" can work with this? The only result you achieve is that some unlucky guy eventually use a banned ip and wonder why he cannot register here. While the scammer of course has another ip and create a new account without problems.

Dynamic IPs are not totally random. I often block the entire range.

[Gabi]

Then you end blocking a lot of people. Others can end up having my ip one day and i can end up having their one day...

[Yuusha]

Then you end blocking a lot of people. Others can end up having my ip one day and i can end up having their one day...

Thats unlikely for a small block range unless you're connecting in from a cyber cafe, school or library.

No, it's not. Unless your ISP uses sticky dynamic IP, you're assigned a new IP-address every time your modem is restarted, or when the IP expires.

Here are some IPs I've recorded lately that my network has been assigned:

188.126.89.200
109.58.31.237
188.126.85.54

Do you see a pattern? Sure, you could ban the whole 188.126.X.X range, but you'd end up banning a lot of innocent people, and there's also that 109.58.31.237 IP address... so I'd still be able to access the site without even having to use any form of proxy. And hey, if that one gets banned too, I could just restart my router!

Going around banning IP-addresses is no longer effective. It may have been 10+ years ago, but not now.

[Gabi]

I had dynamic IP 10 years ago too