How to (hopefully) Not Be Scammed

Hello everyone! Today I am bringing you a PSA about scams, because as unfortunate as it sounds, scams are situations that happen every now and then in this fandom. In the following post, I'll explain a few preemptive measures on how to avoid being scammed here in Furry Amino.

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First up, it's worth noting that scams come in all shapes or forms. People can be scammed through commissions, trades, adopts and others, with a variety of ways for each one, all very well presented and explained in this handy Bottle episode by Pocari Roo. Go check it out, it's very detailed and thorough.

Also worth noting is that we do not take scamming lightly here in Furry Amino. Any form of scamming will be punished with a direct ban once the proper evidence is presented.

That said, here are some general rules of thumb for avoiding scams in the community:

Be careful with newer s

It's something that's been spiking in occurence recently, so it's very important to keep it in mind.

Sometimes scammers just Furry Amino to see if they can get some quick money, since banning them wouldn't have much of an effect on their attempts at scamming other people. If you encounter a chat or post of an that is less than 2-3 months old and is trying to sell something, specially of higher quality, that should raise a lot red flags.

Given that the is new, there's a fair chance that what they're trying to sell is stolen. If this new is trying to sell an adopt, always ask for proof of ownership. In the case of it being art commissions or fursuits, ask if they have any other social media that you can check up on. If you believe the person might be impersonating someone else, send them a message on another platform to see if it's actually them or not. staff if you encounter scams like these right away.

With Paypal, never pay a service through the "Friends and Family" option

Commissions, as well as purchasing goods, all count as services and should be always paid as "Goods and Services" in Paypal. If you pay through "Friends and Family", it means that you won't be able to get your money back in case a scam occurs, so never use that option when an artists asks you to pay that way, even if they seem trustworthy. Also worth noting is that paying for services through "Friends and Family" is considered tax evasion, which is illegal.

Do your research

If you want to be extra careful, you can check out an artist's past work, their other pages or even maybe past customers of theirs, specially if you're asking for a pricy commission from them.

In case you get scammed:

First of all, you should gather all proper evidence and tell any of the staff here in Furry Amino so we may remove the from the platform to prevent further scams from this person. It's important to note that we do not stand for callout culture, as problems like these are solved by notifying staff, not gathering negative attention towards someone, so callout posts remain against the rules.

Secondly, you should always try and file a dispute on Paypal to hopefully get your money back.

Commission artists/makers being scammed

In some situations, it's not the person who gives the money the one who gets scammed, but the other way around. People will pay an artist or a fursuit maker, and after being given what they paid for, they request their money back on Paypal, essentially stealing the artist's money. If you offer commissions and a has done this to you, it's perfectly reportable and will get that person banned.

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Thank you everybody for reading this PSA! We feel it's important for people to be careful around these things, specially if money is involved, so we hope these tips spread awareness about scams, as well as make this community a safer place for both commissioners and content makers. See you around!

Post originally created on 11|08|17 by Valentine

#Scams