A Guide to Safe Trading. - Printable Version

Introduction:
Hi, I'm testaccountplsignore.
There have been so many scams and disputes happening recently, some of which involving highly reputable members, so I decided to create this guide with the intention of helping both new and old users exchange safely and smoothly on HackForums. This is by no means a must do step by step walk-through on completing deals but it should hopefully give you some insight and help you see key warning signs whilst completing deals.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Legend:
Here you will find common abbreviations and slang terminology used throughout the guide and the Forums and what they mean:

'MM'
Middle-Man. A Middle-Man who is a trusted third party who is involved in a deal or exchange to ensure the safety of both parties items and/or funds. They are usually used in big deals or deals with untrusted users.

'CE'
Currency Exchange. A common term used when dealing with exchanges of currencies between two users. The most common methods of exchanging currency are PayPal and Bitcoin. However they may include a number of other methods of exchange such as Bank Transfers.

'BTC'
Bitcoin. This is the most common crypto-currency used on HackForums. It is safe and dangerous to exchange due to risks of double spending and its inability to be charge-backed. It is favoured by users also due to its potential to be extremely anonymous compared to other methods of payment.

'PP'
PayPal. I think this is fairly self explanatory. Arguably the most popular method of paying for things online.

'Rep'
Reputation Points. This is discussed further below in the 'Inspecting a User' portion of the thread.

'Exit Scam'
Exit Scamming is when a user tries to scam as much as they can before leaving the forums for good. This is usually accomplished by taking deals/currency from multiple people and promising to complete the deal at a later time. This gives them multiple days to acquire funds from as many people as they can before people catch on. This is usually why I like to complete my deals instantly and never leave any money out for more than a day.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Inspecting a User:
So how do you determine who is trustworthy and who is not? They have a big green reputation number...does that mean I can trust them?
There are many steps to determining a users trust and reputation is not the only one. Let's discuss:

1 - Reputation:
Reputation is usually your first, go-to indicator. 'Generally' speaking the higher a users reputation is the more trustworthy they are. This does not always apply however, and should not be used as your only reason for dealing with somebody. I personally would not deal with anybody who has 0 reputation or negative reputation, unless there were very safe circumstances such as them trading BTC first, which is unable to be charge-backed. The downside to only looking at a number is that you can not see any negative reputations and their reasons.

2 - Reputation - Details:
I always check this too before dealing with someone I haven't dealt with before. This can be found by visiting a users profile and by clicking the [Details] next to their Reputation number. This will show you detailed explanations of why a user received their reputation. Did they complete a deal smoothly and quickly? Did they mess around and take ages to do a simple deal? The only downside of this is that not all of the reasons for reputation are from deals, and could simply be for posting something funny or being High Quality.
Another big upside of the 'Details' of Reputation is that you can view any reason a user has been given Negative Reputation. Negative Reputation can be given for a plethora of reasons, including because people don't like something you said or how you acted. However the biggest thing you are looking for is Negative Reputation that has to do with exchanges or deals.

3 - Trust Scan: Requires 3p1c or Ub3r Upgrade
If you are still unsure about dealing with a User after checking their Reputation and their Details, you can complete a Trust Scan on a user. So what does a Trust Scan show? Let's take a look:
Spoiler (Click to View)
The main things you are looking for are Red and Yellow. For my personal Trust Scan above you can notice I have none of these.
Big things to watch out for are things such as the number of Deal Disputes they have. With mine you can see I have 2 as a Claimant (I was scammed) and 0 as the Defendant (Times I have scammed).

4 - Middle-Man:
So you have followed all the above steps and still feel uneasy. What can you do? Use a Middle-Man. If you are unsure what a Middle-Man is, read the Legend at the top of the thread.
Here I will list only a few MM's that I have either dealt with or trust highly. If you have any suggestions of people to add to this thread, please reply with the appropriate format listed below. I do not personally guarantee your safety when dealing with these people, that is your own risk.
• Minimalist - [Thread] - [Free!]
• Danny Khalifa - [Thread] - [Free!]
• testaccountplsignore - [Thread] - [Free!]
• Regulus - [Thread] - [Free!]

5 - Deal Dispute Database:
The deal dispute database is a great, simple tool to quickly scan the entire Forums for any Deal Disputes opened against a User or by a User. To utilize this tool navigate [Here] and enter the User's current display name or User ID (UID) in the boxes at the top. From here you will be displayed with results indicating if the User has been involved in any Deal Disputes. This is what is shown when my own name is searched:
Spoiler (Click to View)
As you can see I have two disputes opened. One has been resolved and the other one is still open by the respective defendant. These are always worth quickly reading over regardless if the User you are trading with is the defendant or claimant. They may give you some insight about the user you are dealing with and an indication on how the deal might go.

6 - Verify Secret:
This is a tool that I honestly don't know too much about so I don't want to provide any false information. From what I know this tool is used to generate a secret with a specific user. That user can then view the secret on HackForums and use it to verify themselves off-site. If the User you are talking with on Skype for example provides you with a secret that doesn't match - you might be talking to an impostor. This looks like a great tool but have not had the need to use it myself. A link to it can be found [Here]. A brief description on how to use the tool and what it does is listed there.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Questions & Answers:
This section is for any questions new or old users might have about dealing on HackForums. I will try my best to answer them as detailed and concise as possible. Feel free to either PM me or Reply below to have your question answered.

• In the event that a User does scam me, what can I do to ensure I have enough evidence for a valid Deal Dispute/Scam Report?
Dealing only on HackForums is one of the best ways to stay safe. The PM system provides you with a constant record of conversation between Users. Dealing off-site certainly does happen but can be a lot less safe. This is due to people using things like Skype accounts to impersonate other Users.
Another way is to record everything. Whenever you are making any sort of deal - take screenshots of every step you take. When you send them money? Screenshot it. Are they online and not replying to you? Screenshot it. Lots of people tend to think they don't need evidence and people will believe their word against the User that scammed them.
Remember: Innocent until proven Guilty.

• I have checked a Users Reputation and Trust Scan but am still not sure. Is there anything extra I can check?
The only thing I can advise at this time is their Awards and Account Status. If you are making a deal for $10 with an Ub3r User, chances are they will not scam you. Why? Their Ub3r is worth much more than a measly $10. This applies for Awards also. If someone like myself has around $500 donated, they are not going to scam for anything less than that. The prices of Donation Awards can be found [Here].
NOTE: This is not always true, sometimes people exit scamming will scam for much less than their account worth.

• I got scammed. Why don't the Staff do anything about this!?
This is because it is site policy that Staff will not get involved in anything Deal related. By dealing on the forums you agree to this and understand any and all risks involved with dealing with complete strangers over the internet. Spamming the Staff will only get you in trouble. Don't do it.___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Disclaimer:
I hold no responsibility over what happens after following this guide. This is merely an information thread aimed at giving you the best and safest possible trading experience while on HackForums. This guide does not guarantee you will never get scammed. Even after following all these steps it is still possible to be scammed.
Use common sense. If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Special Mentions:
The following is a list of members that contributed not only to this thread, but also to the idea of safe trading and exchanging on HackForums:

• Previously Known As... •
This user has helped me, among countless others, immensely with dealing with one of my disputes. I often see this user posting on Deal Disputes to try and resolve them for the claimants, even though it is not his responsibility to do so. This user also had the idea of including the Deal Dispute Database and Verify Secret features.
Thank you.

• The Middle-Men of HackForums. •
You know exactly who you are. I would list you all but there are so many I would feel bad if I was to miss someone. You are constantly providing safe trades on HackForums and enabling deals for people that otherwise wouldn't be happening. You are some of the most trusted and well respected Users on the Forums. Thank you.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Change Log:
Any future changes to this thread will be listed below. If you notice any incorrect information or just have a suggestion about something to be added - please either PM me or post below.

• 23rd November, 2016 - Removed VeloCityMods as a Middle-Man due to recent scamming.
• 23rd November, 2016 - Made slight changes in the format as suggested by TheChief.
• 26th November, 2016 - Added 'Danny Khalifa' as a Middle-Man.
• 26th November, 2016 - Added the group 'Eclipse' to the Middle-Man section.

• 10th October, 2017 - Entire overhaul of the thread. Cleaned up out of date information such as the Middle-Man section.
• 14th October, 2017 - Fixed a few grammatical errors and added a few words in.