How does one get scammed?

I'm new to this, and just wondering, how is it possible to get scammed if you pay someone for refs, and you just wait till it's green

Because scammers will typically defraud offers & sites by signing up multiple times and with fake info. Most of the time they will go green before going red, so they collect on the greens then bolt before going red. Some actually have the nerve to hang around and make excuses for going red, and continue to try to trade.

Not saying everyone who has gone red is a scammer, sometimes mistakes happen and it's unintentional or a site misjudged circumstances. The difference between that and a scammer is that a reputable trader will make things right without a lot of hassle.

So how do you prevent/catch this? Is there a certain amount of time before he/she goes red?

[quote1dcd7383df="Quintox"]So how do you prevent/catch this? Is there a certain amount of time before he/she goes red?[/quote1dcd7383df]
There is no reliable way to "catch" it before it happens. You attempt to protect yourself by trading with established traders who are active on the forums and committed to the industry. Even that doesn't always work, because we've had several long-term and/or high-TR people decide to retire from the scene and take as much money or greens with them as they can get.

Sometimes when dealing with people who have scammed in the past but come back apologetic and promising to change their ways, you can work out a deal where you wait until your account is approved and their green stands, before reciprocating on your end of the trade.

Trading always involves risk. You can never eliminate it, but you can take steps to reduce the likelyhood.

li High TR with little to no postcount is a warning sign. These people are here just for the greens and do not participate in the scene/forums. Not all are scammers but such a lack of commitment to the scene is risk sign.

li High postcount, low TR isn't necessarily a bad sign. I was a member here long before I started trading, for example. Some other long-time members have never traded, but may decide to start one day.

li Low postcount, low TR newbies are always a risk. They have to establish themselves to get started, but sometimes that's tricky. It's like getting credit in the real world -- it's very difficult to get credit until you have established some credit. The old Catch-22.

li As a newbie with 0 TR, you have to go first anyway, so starting out you are always assuming the greater risk. If you can't afford the possibility of getting scammed, don't do it. Seek out your refs the hard way.

I'm almost to the point I put more stock in high postcount than high TR, for the reasons mentioned above. If you can get both, then you're much less likely to get ripped off. Of course people who have been around and active for awhile are less likely to be able to trade for older sites, unless they have a large stable of friends & family to broker refs for (another risk in itself).

That hepled, thanks

And I don't like having low post count and no TR, b/c even though you probably don't really believe me (which I don't blame you at all), I am an honest person and don't want to be viewed as a shady trader

[quote8ccd97750b="Quintox"]That hepled, thanks

And I don't like having low post count and no TR, b/c even though you probably don't really believe me (which I don't blame you at all), I am an honest person and don't want to be viewed as a shady trader[/quote8ccd97750b]
Don't sweat it -- everybody starts at zero, and most of us aren't shady. It's just the nature of the game, with all the scammers running around, that newbies bear more scrutiny since they have no reputation to be be judged against. Stick around, contribute where you can on the forums, and start trading with established members. Odds are, if you are an active trader at all, you will be scammed at some point -- we probably all have been -- but in the long run you should come out ahead if you stay careful. Getting scammed hurts worse when you're just starting out. After you've been through a number of good trades, gotten a few freebies, the scammers piss you off but it isn't a major setback.

We're working on ways behind the scenes to make life harder for scammers, but it's a challenge that will take some time and coordination to be effective.

+karma dmorris68.

This should be stickied or added to a forum that only consists of stickies with people asking questions and having them answered.