Hi, I'm just taking this opportunity to warn all new pets and their owners about the scammers of Neopets. l really hate the way scammers work on neopets and try to cheat others out of their fun so I thought I'd create a basic list for all of you so you know what to watch out for and how to avoid the scammers. Please make sure to sign my guestbook and let me know your thoughts on this site. Thanks and hope this site helps you.

Remember to report all scammers to abuse@neopets.com and if you need to change your password, you go to help on the left hand side, then to account details.

There are two main types of scams on neopets:

There are many variations on these main types, so l'll go over the main ones to give you an idea of what to look out for. If there is a **** beside them, that shows they are new scams.

Stealing account scams to watch out for (in more detail):

1. Neositters - This is one of the most common and susceptible scams about.  What they'll do is advertise either on the neopet chat boards or else in their wishlist for the trading post.  They'll normally ask if you can sit for their pets, but just for safety precautions, they'll need your password too. 1 2 3 and you've just lost your account as you've given them your password and complete access to change it, therefore locking you out of your own account. 

*Neopets will now freeze anyone that is advertising neositting, so make sure to report them. Also if you're going away yourself, then use the neolodge or if going away for a long time, then put your pets up for adoption and advertise asking someone to adopt them or approach an adoption guild.

2. Fake Login Pages - These are often found in shops, you'll see faeries or something that's normally alot for a way below cost price. That's because they are fake. You can run your mouse over the item and look at the address that shows up below. If it doesn't have something like this "http://www.neopets.com/buyitem.phtml?owner....." Then it's going to lead to a fake login page or a page outside of neopets. Never enter your details unless the login page starts with www.neopets.com/.... If you do by accident, then change your password immediately.  Also make sure to report the shop to neopets.

3. Neopoint Makers - These are often advertised as cheats or saying that you'll make 10,000 or higher nps in a matter of minutes. Normally they'll advertise a site address for you to go to and enter. These sites then ask for your username and password. That information is then sent back to the scammer so that they can then STEAL YOUR ACCOUNT. Never enter your details into something like this, they work the same way as fake login pages. If it is like a wishing board and only asks for your username, then they are safe. But never enter your password into something that isn't neopets.

4. Change Emails - Never change your email to one that isn't your own. If someone ever asks you to change it to something different, then report it immediately. Changing emails means that the scammer can then enter your username into the "forgotten password" box and have your password sent to them. That allows them into your account and they can do with it what they like, including changing the password and locking you out.

5. Neopet Staff Impersonators - You'll receive a neomail from someone claiming to be neopets, they'll either say you've won a prize, database crash, etc... Then they'll say that they need to verify their records and ask you to neomail them back with your username and password. This is just another attempt to steal your account. Just remember that Neopets will never ask for your password!! There is only one official neopets account, that is "TheNeopetsTeam" and they would not ask for your password in a neomail. If they need to contact you regarding something, they will email you. Also if you check the account of theneopetsteam, you'll see that it shows in there that they are staff, that goes for any official neopets staff member.

6. I'll do html for your shop - This one is only a scam if they say they need your password to get into your account to do the html. If someone wants to do your html, they don't need to actually go into your account to do it. They can do it in notepad and then email you the html for you to put into your shop. One thing though, is check the code carefully first as you don't want anything they might have put in there that could get you frozen.

7. Sharing Accounts - What this one normally involves is someone offering to share an account with you, which includes sharing the password to that account. It also involves it being their email that any passwords get sent to by neopets. Basically they'll wait for you to build up the account a bit, act like they are helping. Then go in changing the password and stealing all the items, as well as nepoints to their general account.

Stealing Items & NPs from your account scams:

1. Fake Account Sales - Watch out for this very common scam to steal your items. They'll also advertise on the chat or have a cheap item in the trading post, stating in their wishlist that "highest bidder will get this account" etc..  NEVER BID on these types of things or buy over priced items. They are worthless accounts anyway. If they were really leaving neopets or giving their account away, then why would they need any items at all? Of they'll say they have so many neopoints, yet asking for rare items, if they have so many neopoints then they can buy the items themselves. Don't fall for this common scam. If someone really is leaving neopets, they'll generally just give their account away or else they'll ask you to neomail them the reason as to why you deserve their account.

2. Fake Contests - Sometimes these contests are *legitimate but more often than not they are scams, any contest that involves you buying items which normally sell for 10nps and are marked up to 500nps plus are normally scams.  They'll offer high rewards but whether they pay out of not is another  story, some will even tell you to neomail previous winners which are more often than not, just another of the scammers accounts themselves.  There are alot of shops out there that have great   contests, like mystery item or just draw out of the hat type contests. Just watch out for those ones that say whoever buys the most tickets, tickets that cost more than the item is worth.  Always check the lowest wizard value of the item and if it's marked up more than 50% of that, then avoid that shop and contest.

*You can normally tell between legitimate and fake contests by how long the person has been playing with neopets, check the shopkeepers user info and if they've been playing more than 3mths, have high stat pets and a big neohome, then chances are the contest is legitimate as they don't want to risk that much. BUT remember it is a CONTEST so you could still spend thousands of neopoints on worthless items to come out with nothing at the end for it.

3. Fake Trades - Refer to the fake account sales or below at fake cheats.   Never trade outside of the trading post!!

4. Selling Cheats or Secrets - This involves them asking you to once again bid on cheap items or to send them rare items and they'll supposedly send you a great cheat for neopets.  If they do send you anything in return, watch out it's not one of the account stealing websites mentioned above. Most of the time they offer nothing and you've just lost your valuable items. If you're looking for some of the solutions, alot of people have them on they're pets pages for free.

5. Pet for Sale - Never try to buy a pet. The only way someone can give someone else a pet is via the adoption agency and YOU ARE NOT GUARANTEED OF GETTING IT THEN, as someone else could grab that pet before you do. So never try to buy or trade items for a pet.  If you're looking for another pet, just continue to browse through the adoption agency.

6. Job coupons on the Auctions or Trades - This is a new scam that's just come out. What happens is people will put like a silver job coupon up for auction, so you believe you're making a bid of a silver job coupon,  UNFORTUNATELY, there is a glitch with the neopets system and these people can still use those job coupons or nerkmids, so in other words you're paying for a silver one, the owner is using it still, so by the time you get it, it's been downgraded to a green job coupon and you'd paid more as you thought you'd be getting a silver one. My advice in this situation is to avoid buying job coupons on the auctions and trades, if seeing one in the trades, then just neomail the owner and arrange for them to put it in they're shop for a set price or only buy them from shops.

* Neopets have now fixed the glitch with the nerkmids so they are able to be brought safely from Auctions & trades, they've still yet to fix the glitch with the job coupons though so still be weary of those.

7. Auction Scammers - There's another new scam about involving the auctions. What happens is they'll find a codestone, faerie or other expensive item with a low starting price, they'll then make a bid with they're general account, then continue the bidding with two false accounts that don't have the neopoints in them to be able to complete the auction, but they can raise the bids for them so that no one else will make one. An example of this.. lady(general account) Minimum bid is 900.. Lady bids 900, man(account with no neopoints) bids 5000.. therefore because man was the highest bidder..but didn't have enough nps in the account to complete the auction, it'll go to the second highest bidder which is Lady who get's a codestone or faerie for  a cheap 900nps.. ALWAYS MAKE SURE TO SET YOUR RESERVE (starting bid) AT THE LOWEST PRICE YOU WISH TO RECEIVE FOR THAT ITEM!!

8. Join now and receive.. - These are from people advertising their guild and saying that if you join you will receive rare items, etc.  These are normally just scams to get you to join. Good guilds don't need to bribe members to join by giving out free items. It's okay for small welcome packs of food items, but don't believe those saying they'll give you free faeries or codestones when you join as most of the time you'll never receive the items. Also be careful if donating neopoints or expensive items to a new guild with less than 20 members, just wait till the guild is more established first.

9. Job Advertisements - This is when people offer to pay you to advertise for them or they are advertising their services, whether being banner makers..etc.. This isn't always a scam, but more of a bad deal as you're always the one who loses out in the end. Neopets will now freeze peoples accounts for trying to exchange nps or items for banners. Advertising involves spamming the boards which could lead to you be frozen, so just be very weary of these types  of ads.

10. Guild Member Scams (mainly for guild councils to read) - Some people just join guilds to scam fellow members and they swap from guild to guild doing this. They normally have multiple accounts with different guilds, or have most of they're accounts with one particular guild, but have another one that they use to hop with. Please be careful of these type of members, the way they take advantage is either always saying they're on a quest and asking for items. Advertising it's they're birthday and saying they're 16..when they're info shows 14.. and basically just always seeming to ask for things but never giving back to the guild. Just be careful of members that you notice are doing this sort of thing so that honest and caring guild members are not taken advantage of.

* Also, don't offer free items for joining your guild unless you expect them to be taken advantage of. You shouldn't need to bribe people to join your guild, if you have enough to offer within the guild itself, then people will join eventually. It just takes time though.

11. Fake Items - So far l have only found this to be with battle slices, but there are other items it can be done with so please be careful. What they are doing is changing the html so that normal DELI TURKEY SLICES are what you're actually buying, but they have replaced the name to show them as BATTLE SLICES and selling them for alot more due to it. You could be very dissapointed to discover you've spent  99,000nps on an item that normally sells for about 15nps. ALWAYS CHECK THAT THE POPUP BOX IS WHAT YOU'RE WISHING TO BUY AND FOR THE PRICE THAT IS ADVERTISED FOR IT!!!! If you find anymore shops like this, then REPORT THEM IMMEDIATELY .  They also are now doing it with ENCHANTED KIKO SQUEEZE TOY and also alot of the rarer ARROWS too, so just be careful.

11. RIGHT CLICK - If someone says right click on item, then open link in new window, to go to the hints page, DON'T DO IT!!!! It's just another SCAM and YOU END UP PURCHASING AN OVERLY PRICED ITEM!! If you see a shop with these directions in the shop, then REPORT THEM IMMEDIATELY.

 

Please remember the basic rules and then you will have loads of fun and enjoy neopets without worry. :)

Basic Rules to Follow:

Don't give your password out to ANYONE!!!

Never change your email to something you don't have access to!!!

Don't bid high on cheap items!!!
(check the shop wizard for market value)

Change your password regularly!!!
(to something completely different each time)

Have numbers, capitals or symbols in your password!!!
(example: #4372@fuNNy%$)

Always check the purchase popup box is what you're wanting to buy and for the price advertised!!!

Never login to a non-www.neopets.com/... website!!!

Don't be Greedy!!! & Use your common sense!!!

REMEMBER:
If it sounds too good to be true,
It usually is!!!!!!

Remember to report all scammers to abuse@neopets.com and if you need to change your password, you go to help on the left hand side, then to account details.

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