Hey, do you have a credit card?

That was the question someone asked me. I knew the guy about 2 days and we were taking some business. Then out of the blue he says "Do you have a credit card?" Well, I lied and said "no, I have a free account".

Then next day he IM'd tell me what a lier I was (and I was) that he noticed I have a preimium account and therefore should have a credit card. Well, no love lost, I really didn't know the guy anyways and as you can imagine, he was very mad. I'm curious has to how he found out I had a preimum account? Can anyone tell me how he did that?

Singh

Your profile saying "Payment Info used", maybe?

Just mute the guy and forget it, I would say.

Anyone with "Payment info on file" (or payment used or whatever it says) in their profile will have a credit card or paypal on file with Linden Lab. That does not, though, tell anyone that you are a premium member. As far as I can tell, the only way he could have found out, legally, is if he noticed land on the mainland that listed you as the owner. You can rent on the mainland without being premium, but you can't own. Maybe he saw "Payment info on file" and just assumed that meant premium, or maybe he saw land on the mainland with your name listed as owner. Or maybe he was just guessing.

I'd have been curious to know why he wanted to know, then I would have given them Chris' number.

Drop him instantly. No one, not even a longtime trusted friend, has any business asking you about your credit cards.

Of all the nerve!

People get "premium account" and "payment info used" mixed up all the time, in world and all over these forums. I wouldn't assume he really meant premium account just because he said it.

Although it's a little presumptuous of a question and probably has some motivation based on some scheme you don't want to be a party to, I personally wouldn't have any reason to lie about it. There is zero risk in someone knowing that you have a credit card. In fact I broach this topic every time someone asks me how to get money in SL, and I answer, "The easiest way is to use your credit card and purchase some Linden dollars."

It's also very possible that his folllowup question was going to be, "How the hell did you get Linden labs to accept your payment?"

Won't do him any good. I maxed it out buying the $L I give you when we snuggle.

Well, it may have been an innocent question.

'Do you have a credit card?..... I have three but SL won't acccept them...
or.... I have never had one before, are they secure on line?....

or something else - he wasn't asking for the number of it, hehe,just whether you had one, which seems a harmless question.

And you are admitting you lied to him.

I would have just said 'yes', and waited to see what he said next before assuming it was a biggie.

Payment info on file or used (in your profile) doesn't necessarily indicate that you have a credit card. Paypal is also a valid payment method and that can be funded by a bank account.

Maybe, Elgyfu. But the way the OP tells us he worded the question makes it sound extremely nosy...and suspicious...to me.

Agreed, although alternative answers could be "that's not really an appropriate question to ask" or "I never answer questions about RL".

Indeed. My response would have been something like "none of your business". Perhaps with a smiley and a giggle, if it's somebody I don't really want to upset.

Dear Kind and Generous Honored Resident:

Greetings from the glorious People's Republic of San Francisco! I am the most trusted representative of the Minister of Linden Finance and I am in need of your assistance. Our Accounting and Bookaltering Ministry of Very Legal and Not At All Shady Affairs (the ABMVLNAASA) recently discovered an error of approximately 50,000,000 Lindens in our national bookeeping ledger, which we have carefully and fully documented on the back of a cocktail napkin in crayon. Maybe it's lipstick. We were pretty drunk when we cooked this up...I mean when we performed our full and complete audit in compliance with customary practices in our nation.

At any rate, we heard from a trusted associate of yours who requested complete anonimity that you are a gentle person of the highest repute in your dealings with others and that you would be able to help us out of our quandary. We need an account to house this money until we can use it for the most humanitarian of causes in our country, such as supplementing the income of campbots and grants to makers of giant newbie genitalia. I'm sure you can agree that these are worthy issues which need addressing.

If you would be so kind as to assist us by allowing us to house this money in your account, we would gladly pay you a fee of 10% of the total amount. I am sure that a person like you undertands that in business such as this most delicate of affairs, there is a necessity for total discretion, so please to be not sending any of these correspondences to any of your associates, especially your friends and lawyers. I am sure you also understand the great expense of such an undertaking. we do not have this money available to effectuate the transfer of funds, yet. If you would be so willing as to deposit a small amount of money with us in the amount of $1,200 USD, we would gladly credit this back to you once our business is complete and you would be justly compensated.

I know you are am honest and forthright person and I am very much looking forward to conducting our business together for the glory of the Republic and the advancement of her people.

Sincerely and in complete confidence and nothing to be alarmed or suspicious about,

GetFreeViagraNow Linden

I'd have responded with, "Why? Having credit card problems? Better off dealing with Billings for those..."

I've learned to redirect what I deem to be too personal back at the person. And it does sound more helpful, not like I'd be assuming the person is 'bad' for asking

Note: Your letter was too well written. I have fixed it for you.

Better rjsident honoured pleasant and generous:

The greetings glorious volksrepubliek As Francisco! I am familier in the representative of minister of economic linden and am with the need of your help. Our accountancy and the ministry Bookaltering and by no means a lot of legal Shady enterprises (ABMVLNAASA) have not recently discovered defective the roughly 50.000.000 Lindens in to us bookeeping deliver the national that we have assiduously also argued from entire in the back of towel of cocktail in in the pencil of colour. He is perhaps red in lip. I'maste enough we have pjej in the cover in that moment we have boiled this... I want from entire to say in that moment ours and us I have in realised the complete control according to usual practical in our nation.

In opojosdi'poa taxation, we have heard speak to this your partner for anonimity complete familier we have asked that you are a sweet person of jlevje fame in in your transactions with neighbour and that you could help us our dilemma. We have the need a tariff to accomodate this money up to us for ancrwpjstjko'ton the causes in in our country we can him we use, as it supplements the income campbots and the sponsorings of directors reuzenewbiegenitaliln. I am of course you can him is a time that this the worthy interpellations he is this it addresses they require.

If i'saste if pleasant in order to us you help us allowing we accomodate this money in in your tariff, you would pay eyxarj'stws a price of the 10% of total sum. I am somebody that a person if you this there in undertands this in in the enterprises as this eyaj'scitoto the enterprises, a need for the discretie total, anyone of this correspondence to anyone of partners your your, specifically friends ayto'es you want also the lawyers so much they send. I am not of course you the big publication of similar enterprise I include also I still realise the transport of chalk-lines, us it has this available money. If you they are prepared so much you are in order to it in deposits a small quantity of money with us in the sum $1.200 USDS, this us would credit eyxarj'stws to you as soon as our enterprises are complete and you were compensated precisely.

With weet you ams honest and honest person is also in the total the direction of our enterprises for glorie the democracy and the credit of his worlds me thanks in the highest point.

Ejljkrjna' and in in the complete confidence and nothing this should not anisyhime'nos or has ypobjastej' in the subject,

GetFreeViagraNow linden

Priceless. You're right, of course. I used mostly complete sentences, and I only messed up the diction a little. A real Nigerian fraud scam would look much more like yours. Mine was impressionist - yours is realist. Both are art, but yours cracked me up.

"He is perhaps red in lip." should become a new forum catch phrase for every time someone complains about a scam in SL.

I used Babel Fish to translate what you wrote into Dutch, into French, into Greek and then back into English. I think "he is perhaps red in lip" was supposed to be "maybe it's lipstick."

i could swear I've heard George Bush say this.

Using Babel Fish to translate things is a very fun way to pass the time.

I had to use it when Babbler sucked and was talking to my French friend.. I learned more french this way than in french class lol...

Q: do you have a credit card?
A: uh, why?

the whole payment info thing is confused, "payment info on file" is a credit card OR paypal info, and "payment info used" just means you've bought something from LL in the past...

could be old premium account (doesn't mean it still is), REALLY old basic membership (9.95 US, like mine was), "offical" alt acount (did you know you're suposed to report and pay for those?), (previous or current), or just a lindex purchase.

about the only way to KNOW someone has a CC is if they own an island, as I don't think LL will take checks, bank ACH, or paypal (over limits) payments for those

do not have to pay for them now, odd as that might seem.

Lexxi & Okiphia, a year ago i picked up a freebie babel*something* translator inworld, and never hooked it up, 'cause it looked complicated. Do you know, what's the best, most usable one out there? S'ok if it costs money

Oh, when I mentioned Babel Fish, I meant the website. I have no idea how to set the one up in world
http://babelfish.altavista.com/

I use the babbler myself, but others need it too for it to work right unfortunately.. I've seen some standalone ones that just translate everything the wearer says (and vice versa if Im thinking right since he understood me too), Ill ask my neighbour when I get home if you still don't have one...

Main problem with all of them is its not going to translate syntax, so it will still need to be deciphered once in english

And if you want the babbler, find someone who has it and ask them to gift it.. on the hud is a gift button you can select anyone nearby to give to... simple setup too ^^