Second Life Forums Archive - Warning about new scam in SL

3Ring Binder

always smile

Join date: 8 Mar 2007

Posts: 15,028

11-28-2008 08:55

thanks Arch.

even though the invite said L$100 in the notecard or IM, when the blue box came up to join, it would have noted L$9,999 as the cost to join.

hopefully people read the blue boxes before okaying them.

_____________________

it was fun while it lasted.
http://2lf.informe.com/

ArchTx Edo

Mystic/Artist/Architect

Join date: 13 Feb 2005

Posts: 1,993

11-28-2008 09:00

From: 3Ring Binder

thanks Arch.

even though the invite said L$100 in the notecard or IM, when the blue box came up to join, it would have noted L$9,999 as the cost to join.

hopefully people read the blue boxes before okaying them.

No, all I received was the blue box, and the blue box clearly said L$100 to join.

_____________________

VRchitecture Model Homes at http://slurl.com/secondlife/Shona/60/220/30
http://www.slexchange.com/modules.php?name=Marketplace&MerchantID=2240
http://shop.onrez.com/Archtx_Edo

Viktoria Dovgal

…

Join date: 29 Jul 2007

Posts: 3,593

11-28-2008 09:02

Yep, people have been messing with do-nothing groups and outrageous fees for a long time.

There is a suggestion in JIRA to make group dialogs with fees attached orange, kind of like debit permission boxes now are. http://jira.secondlife.com/browse/VWR-8630 if you think it's enough of a problem to change.

Viktoria Dovgal

…

Join date: 29 Jul 2007

Posts: 3,593

11-28-2008 09:03

From: ArchTx Edo

No, all I received was the blue box, and the blue box clearly said L$100 to join.

The blue box you got, was it really a group invitation or another dialog?

Sioban McMahon

Registered User

Join date: 1 Mar 2007

Posts: 203

11-28-2008 09:23

From: Dilbert Dilweg

We all Know what happened to the boy who cried wolf

smirks

lol

He became a high ranking political appointee at the US Department of Homeland Security.

Argent Stonecutter

Emergency Mustelid

Join date: 20 Sep 2005

Posts: 20,263

11-28-2008 09:40

From: ArchTx Edo

No, all I received was the blue box, and the blue box clearly said L$100 to join.

Possibly they included a bunch of extra stuff in the group name to push the real "amount" off the dialog?

_____________________

Argent Stonecutter - http://globalcausalityviolation.blogspot.com/

"And now I'm going to show you something really cool."

Skyhook Station - http://xrl.us/skyhook23
Coonspiracy Store - http://xrl.us/coonstore

Atashi Toshihiko

Frequently Befuddled

Join date: 7 Dec 2006

Posts: 1,423

11-28-2008 10:06

Possibly a bot programmed to change the admission price to L$100, fire off a bunch of invites, then crank the admission price up to maximum before anyone might click 'join'?

-Atashi

_____________________

Visit Atashi's Art and Oddities Store and the Waikiti Motor Works at beautiful Waikiti.

LittleMe Jewell

...........

Join date: 8 Oct 2007

Posts: 11,319

11-28-2008 10:08

From: ArchTx Edo

No, all I received was the blue box, and the blue box clearly said L$100 to join.

I am thinking that that blue box what the message being sent to you (it would have been in the upper right corner of your screen) and if you click Join and the group has a charge, you then get a box in the middle of your screen that tells you the cost and asks for confirmation. That one is the system message that gives you the full true cost and must also click on it.

_____________________

♥♥♥
-Lil

Why do you sit there looking like an envelope without any address on it?
~Mark Twain~

Optimism is denial, so face the facts and move on.
♥♥♥
Lil's Yard Sale / Inventory Cleanout: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Triggerfish/52/27/22
.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/littleme_jewell

LittleMe Jewell

...........

Join date: 8 Oct 2007

Posts: 11,319

11-28-2008 10:30

I actually cannot duplicate the issue at all. I used my land group and some alts to play with this. I set join fee at L$100, invitied an alt to the group, then changed the fee to L$200.

When the alt logged in, there was a blue box in the upper right corner telling me about the invite and listing the fee as L$100. When I clicked Join, I then got the system confirmation message in a blue box in the middle of the screen and it also said L$100. When I clicked Join again, my L$ balance reduced by only the L$100 and the message said that I had paid the group L$100.

I also could not find any way to change the message that comes in that blue box -- other than the very bottom part that shows the group Charter message. The top part of the message is unchangable with the regular client and that is where the join fee is showing.

_____________________

♥♥♥
-Lil

Why do you sit there looking like an envelope without any address on it?
~Mark Twain~

Optimism is denial, so face the facts and move on.
♥♥♥
Lil's Yard Sale / Inventory Cleanout: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Triggerfish/52/27/22
.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/littleme_jewell

ArchTx Edo

Mystic/Artist/Architect

Join date: 13 Feb 2005

Posts: 1,993

11-28-2008 12:05

From: LittleMe Jewell

I actually cannot duplicate the issue at all. I used my land group and some alts to play with this. I set join fee at L$100, invitied an alt to the group, then changed the fee to L$200.

When the alt logged in, there was a blue box in the upper right corner telling me about the invite and listing the fee as L$100. When I clicked Join, I then got the system confirmation message in a blue box in the middle of the screen and it also said L$100. When I clicked Join again, my L$ balance reduced by only the L$100 and the message said that I had paid the group L$100.

I also could not find any way to change the message that comes in that blue box -- other than the very bottom part that shows the group Charter message. The top part of the message is unchangable with the regular client and that is where the join fee is showing.

I just tested this in a similar manner and could not duplicate it either. I never accepted the invite to join the group, wasn't about to pay a spammer money, so perhaps they were trying to scam people into joining the group at the higher amount and it failed. I'm glad to learn its not that easy to reproduce.

_____________________

VRchitecture Model Homes at http://slurl.com/secondlife/Shona/60/220/30
http://www.slexchange.com/modules.php?name=Marketplace&MerchantID=2240
http://shop.onrez.com/Archtx_Edo

ArchTx Edo

Mystic/Artist/Architect

Join date: 13 Feb 2005

Posts: 1,993

11-28-2008 12:17

The "Bugs and Public Jira" Knowledge Base page helped me understand the difference between an Exploit (that should not be discussed in a public forum) and a Scam that is OK to discuss in public. Which sort of addresses my OP. I know that people have been banned from SL in the past for discussing exploits, which was what made me hesitant to discuss this in my previous post.

From: someone

* Safe for Public bugs are any non-exploit** issue that either hinders use of Second Life, results in unexpected behavior, or otherwise negatively impacts Resident experiences inworld. Safe for Public bugs are reproducible by Residents. An example of a bug we would not list would be a bug in simulator code that negatively impacts the Resident experience, but isn't Resident-reproducible.

** Exploits are bugs that could be used to get an advantage over others, unauthorized access to scripts, unauthorized copying, transferring or modifying of objects that you didn't create (also called 'permissions' bugs) and other bugs that could potentially cause a comprimise of the grid or a Resident's privacy. We take exploits very seriously, but we don't list them in the Known Issues page. If you have an exploit bug, please report it and contact a liaison or an officer of the Bug Hunters group with the RT# you're given by the auto-response email. (see also: How to Report a Bug)

_____________________

VRchitecture Model Homes at http://slurl.com/secondlife/Shona/60/220/30
http://www.slexchange.com/modules.php?name=Marketplace&MerchantID=2240
http://shop.onrez.com/Archtx_Edo

ArchTx Edo

Mystic/Artist/Architect

Join date: 13 Feb 2005

Posts: 1,993

11-28-2008 12:31

From: Argent Stonecutter

Possibly they included a bunch of extra stuff in the group name to push the real "amount" off the dialog?

That is possible Argent. I wish I had saved a screenshot of it. I sent one in with the AR but it doesn't appear to have saved in my inventory. Odd that LL would set it up that way.

From: LittleMe

When the alt logged in, there was a blue box in the upper right corner telling me about the invite and listing the fee as L$100. When I clicked Join, I then got the system confirmation message in a blue box in the middle of the screen and it also said L$100. When I clicked Join again, my L$ balance reduced by only the L$100 and the message said that I had paid the group L$100

LittleMe is correct, when I tried to reproduce this I got a second system confirmation message with the original L$ amount. I guess I will never know if it was a successful exploit since I was not willing to gamble the L$9,999.

_____________________

VRchitecture Model Homes at http://slurl.com/secondlife/Shona/60/220/30
http://www.slexchange.com/modules.php?name=Marketplace&MerchantID=2240
http://shop.onrez.com/Archtx_Edo

Warning about new scam in SL
3Ring Binder always smile Join date: 8 Mar 2007 Posts: 15,028	11-28-2008 08:55 thanks Arch. even though the invite said L$100 in the notecard or IM, when the blue box came up to join, it would have noted L$9,999 as the cost to join. hopefully people read the blue boxes before okaying them. _____________________ it was fun while it lasted. http://2lf.informe.com/
ArchTx Edo Mystic/Artist/Architect Join date: 13 Feb 2005 Posts: 1,993	11-28-2008 09:00 From: 3Ring Binder thanks Arch. even though the invite said L$100 in the notecard or IM, when the blue box came up to join, it would have noted L$9,999 as the cost to join. hopefully people read the blue boxes before okaying them. No, all I received was the blue box, and the blue box clearly said L$100 to join. _____________________ VRchitecture Model Homes at http://slurl.com/secondlife/Shona/60/220/30 http://www.slexchange.com/modules.php?name=Marketplace&MerchantID=2240 http://shop.onrez.com/Archtx_Edo
Viktoria Dovgal … Join date: 29 Jul 2007 Posts: 3,593	11-28-2008 09:02 Yep, people have been messing with do-nothing groups and outrageous fees for a long time. There is a suggestion in JIRA to make group dialogs with fees attached orange, kind of like debit permission boxes now are. http://jira.secondlife.com/browse/VWR-8630 if you think it's enough of a problem to change.
Viktoria Dovgal … Join date: 29 Jul 2007 Posts: 3,593	11-28-2008 09:03 From: ArchTx Edo No, all I received was the blue box, and the blue box clearly said L$100 to join. The blue box you got, was it really a group invitation or another dialog?
Sioban McMahon Registered User Join date: 1 Mar 2007 Posts: 203	11-28-2008 09:23 From: Dilbert Dilweg We all Know what happened to the boy who cried wolf smirks lol He became a high ranking political appointee at the US Department of Homeland Security.
Argent Stonecutter Emergency Mustelid Join date: 20 Sep 2005 Posts: 20,263	11-28-2008 09:40 From: ArchTx Edo No, all I received was the blue box, and the blue box clearly said L$100 to join. Possibly they included a bunch of extra stuff in the group name to push the real "amount" off the dialog? _____________________ Argent Stonecutter - http://globalcausalityviolation.blogspot.com/ "And now I'm going to show you something really cool." Skyhook Station - http://xrl.us/skyhook23 Coonspiracy Store - http://xrl.us/coonstore
Atashi Toshihiko Frequently Befuddled Join date: 7 Dec 2006 Posts: 1,423	11-28-2008 10:06 Possibly a bot programmed to change the admission price to L$100, fire off a bunch of invites, then crank the admission price up to maximum before anyone might click 'join'? -Atashi _____________________ Visit Atashi's Art and Oddities Store and the Waikiti Motor Works at beautiful Waikiti.
LittleMe Jewell ........... Join date: 8 Oct 2007 Posts: 11,319	11-28-2008 10:08 From: ArchTx Edo No, all I received was the blue box, and the blue box clearly said L$100 to join. I am thinking that that blue box what the message being sent to you (it would have been in the upper right corner of your screen) and if you click Join and the group has a charge, you then get a box in the middle of your screen that tells you the cost and asks for confirmation. That one is the system message that gives you the full true cost and must also click on it. _____________________ ♥♥♥ -Lil Why do you sit there looking like an envelope without any address on it? ~Mark Twain~ Optimism is denial, so face the facts and move on. ♥♥♥ Lil's Yard Sale / Inventory Cleanout: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Triggerfish/52/27/22 . http://www.flickr.com/photos/littleme_jewell
LittleMe Jewell ........... Join date: 8 Oct 2007 Posts: 11,319	11-28-2008 10:30 I actually cannot duplicate the issue at all. I used my land group and some alts to play with this. I set join fee at L$100, invitied an alt to the group, then changed the fee to L$200. When the alt logged in, there was a blue box in the upper right corner telling me about the invite and listing the fee as L$100. When I clicked Join, I then got the system confirmation message in a blue box in the middle of the screen and it also said L$100. When I clicked Join again, my L$ balance reduced by only the L$100 and the message said that I had paid the group L$100. I also could not find any way to change the message that comes in that blue box -- other than the very bottom part that shows the group Charter message. The top part of the message is unchangable with the regular client and that is where the join fee is showing. _____________________ ♥♥♥ -Lil Why do you sit there looking like an envelope without any address on it? ~Mark Twain~ Optimism is denial, so face the facts and move on. ♥♥♥ Lil's Yard Sale / Inventory Cleanout: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Triggerfish/52/27/22 . http://www.flickr.com/photos/littleme_jewell
ArchTx Edo Mystic/Artist/Architect Join date: 13 Feb 2005 Posts: 1,993	11-28-2008 12:05 From: LittleMe Jewell I actually cannot duplicate the issue at all. I used my land group and some alts to play with this. I set join fee at L$100, invitied an alt to the group, then changed the fee to L$200. When the alt logged in, there was a blue box in the upper right corner telling me about the invite and listing the fee as L$100. When I clicked Join, I then got the system confirmation message in a blue box in the middle of the screen and it also said L$100. When I clicked Join again, my L$ balance reduced by only the L$100 and the message said that I had paid the group L$100. I also could not find any way to change the message that comes in that blue box -- other than the very bottom part that shows the group Charter message. The top part of the message is unchangable with the regular client and that is where the join fee is showing. I just tested this in a similar manner and could not duplicate it either. I never accepted the invite to join the group, wasn't about to pay a spammer money, so perhaps they were trying to scam people into joining the group at the higher amount and it failed. I'm glad to learn its not that easy to reproduce. _____________________ VRchitecture Model Homes at http://slurl.com/secondlife/Shona/60/220/30 http://www.slexchange.com/modules.php?name=Marketplace&MerchantID=2240 http://shop.onrez.com/Archtx_Edo
ArchTx Edo Mystic/Artist/Architect Join date: 13 Feb 2005 Posts: 1,993	11-28-2008 12:17 The "Bugs and Public Jira" Knowledge Base page helped me understand the difference between an Exploit (that should not be discussed in a public forum) and a Scam that is OK to discuss in public. Which sort of addresses my OP. I know that people have been banned from SL in the past for discussing exploits, which was what made me hesitant to discuss this in my previous post. From: someone * Safe for Public bugs are any non-exploit issue that either hinders use of Second Life, results in unexpected behavior, or otherwise negatively impacts Resident experiences inworld. Safe for Public bugs are reproducible by Residents. An example of a bug we would not list would be a bug in simulator code that negatively impacts the Resident experience, but isn't Resident-reproducible. Exploits are bugs that could be used to get an advantage over others, unauthorized access to scripts, unauthorized copying, transferring or modifying of objects that you didn't create (also called 'permissions' bugs) and other bugs that could potentially cause a comprimise of the grid or a Resident's privacy. We take exploits very seriously, but we don't list them in the Known Issues page. If you have an exploit bug, please report it and contact a liaison or an officer of the Bug Hunters group with the RT# you're given by the auto-response email. (see also: How to Report a Bug) _____________________ VRchitecture Model Homes at http://slurl.com/secondlife/Shona/60/220/30 http://www.slexchange.com/modules.php?name=Marketplace&MerchantID=2240 http://shop.onrez.com/Archtx_Edo
ArchTx Edo Mystic/Artist/Architect Join date: 13 Feb 2005 Posts: 1,993	11-28-2008 12:31 From: Argent Stonecutter Possibly they included a bunch of extra stuff in the group name to push the real "amount" off the dialog? That is possible Argent. I wish I had saved a screenshot of it. I sent one in with the AR but it doesn't appear to have saved in my inventory. Odd that LL would set it up that way. From: LittleMe When the alt logged in, there was a blue box in the upper right corner telling me about the invite and listing the fee as L$100. When I clicked Join, I then got the system confirmation message in a blue box in the middle of the screen and it also said L$100. When I clicked Join again, my L$ balance reduced by only the L$100 and the message said that I had paid the group L$100 LittleMe is correct, when I tried to reproduce this I got a second system confirmation message with the original L$ amount. I guess I will never know if it was a successful exploit since I was not willing to gamble the L$9,999. _____________________ VRchitecture Model Homes at http://slurl.com/secondlife/Shona/60/220/30 http://www.slexchange.com/modules.php?name=Marketplace&MerchantID=2240 http://shop.onrez.com/Archtx_Edo

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