"Never try to scam Crazy Joe! (or someone he knows)"


I have been playing Ultima Online for over a year now. I've seen and heard it all when it comes to scams.  I never tried to scam in Ultima Online -- I really do enjoy my account and wouldn't ever put it in jeopardy, however I like to be well educated on the latest scams and avoid them. 

Imagine my surprise when Pelle of Stratics ICQ's me:

 "some dude just icqed me...someone i don't know about selling a cigar box

wtf?

that's a scam, right?"

I'm ashamed of Pelle! I mean, everyone's heard of the Cigar Box Scam! Pelle turns down the scammers offer, however I get the ICQ from Pelle and decide to do away with him for trying such an old trick on someone I know.


I decide to bait him with my great spelling skills of using numbers for words.

Please note, read the ICQ Logs from BOTTOM to top!!!!

First off, Pelle is on Napa Valley. This scammer was trying to scam on Napa Valley, and yet
he's got a cigar box on Atlantic as well? Plus, the "Current Bid" is 3 million, but a Leather dye tub and
clothing bless deed on Altantic currently go for 1.5 million to 2 million. If I wasn't so sure a cigar box
is fake, I would already be pretty darn suspicious. 

I log in my thief, change his name with a disguise kit, and page a GM to come and join in the fun.
Since I put the keywords "Scam, cigar box" together, I get a GM relatively quickly!

  
I recall to the Magincia Bank, and it seems not all of me made it here! 
GM Beetle shows up promptly, however I haven't lured the Scammer here just yet.
I get Beetle up to date on what's going on, and she said she can stay for a short time in hopes to catch him.

   
Beetle puts on a disguise as well and we sit and wait. However, the Scammer is quite slow getting here,
perhaps it took him awhile to transfer the cigar box from Napa Valley to Atlantic?

 
10 minutes pass and the Scammer is taking his sweet time. He said his name is
"Snafu", however Beetle doesn't see a "Snafu" online. She tells me she must leave and to
repage as soon as he comes and they will come right back.


I am not joking, but that gate portal opened just as Beetle was leaving,
It's not Snafu, but Snarfblat, which is the scammer!


I quickly repage, and I need to stall him long enough for them to arrive.
The best way to stall someone is to claim Lag, which worked great with this guy!


WhErE iS tHaT gM?


GM Lady Halona makes it just in time!
"You have chosen to allow your party to loot your corpse"
I wonder if she is Lady Halona, GM Looter?


There's the infamous Cigar Box!
But what's this? It looks like a book that's been renamed 'a cigar box'!


All of a sudden Snarfblat and Halona are gone!

Well, as Paul Harvey would say, "Now for the rest of the story"
Read the ICQ Logs from Bottom to Top folks, and enjoy!

I pretend I don't know he went to Jail, I just wanted to see what type of response I would get.
I wait 15 minutes and he FINALLY responds!

No Scammer is complete without the, "I am a GM" or "I'm friends with a GM" Defense!

^^