[Lookin]

---

---

Confirmation of the Deal
You have been proposed with a deal, or you notice an open sales thread that is offering something you are interested in. Before pursuing a deal with this specific user, make sure you confirm the deal beforehand. You should always take a screenshot of the thread including the URL (Thread ID). If you were proposed with an idea through private messages, then make sure to keep and periodically screenshot the messages, so if something goes belly-up, you have evidence to back up your claim. I personally save all the deal(s) I have done in a folder set up by username, date and what deal was taking place. Do also ask the seller/buyer for evidence if applicable, such as proof of item. And for the love of God, use the Contracts system. ALWAYS.
An example of this could be: A screenshot of the buyer having funds in his PayPal account, or his Bitcoin address and also verification of his ownership of the Bitcoin address.

What are Contracts?
The Marketplace suite and Contracts system are plugins custom designed and unique to Hack Forums. It was created in an effort to give more details and data in deals done between members within our Marketplace. Contracts will assist members to settle disputes, alert others of high-risk members, and allow Admins to ban members from Contracts.

Contracts refers to a member-to-member Contract that can be created. This system allows members to start a Contract with another user, add ratings (B-Ratings) to completed Contracts, and open a dispute against a specific Contract they have already created.
>> Source: How to Use Contracts || Minimizing Risk in the Marketplace – Vitani

Ensure a Safe Deal
When communicating with the seller/buyer, make sure to check their reputation along with their vouches for finding any defamatory feedback. After having done a reputation check-up on the user, search for the users UID and username on the search page. The reason for doing this is to make sure the person you are proposing a deal with has no previous scam reports and/or community alerts. If you do find any, then, depending on what product/service you are selling/buying, then take severe caution when dealing with the user.

If you are feeling uncomfortable proceeding with this user in a solo-deal, then choose a middle-man or call off the deal. A scammer will most likely instantly show symptoms of anger/frustration/desperation while most legitimate dealers would respect your judgment call.

If you decided to proceed with a middle-man, then make sure to contact the middle-man directly on Hack Forums to confirm their identity. Also, pick the middle-man with caution, and make sure it is a deemed trustworthy user or a staff member.

Choosing the Right Middle-man
Being honest, then nobody can be trusted, nobody. However, there are some elements that should be considered when choosing a middle-man:

• Reputation
  
• History
  
• Status on Hack Forums
  
• No Scam Reports
  
• Why should you trust this individual?
  

A true middle-man cares about their reputation as well as their effort on the forum, thus, will do their very best at looking respected and also acting of the highest quality at all times. Make sure to properly identify the middle-man, have a look at their trust scan and also ensure they are who they are pretending to be.

Known Middle-men

• Zexi – Thread
  Lavish Living – Thread

Common Scamming Technique(s)
Hacked PayPals:
You may encounter an individual who is trying to purchase an item or a service from you using a hacked or stolen PayPal account. This is hard to distinguish, as they may use verified PayPal accounts, though, you will at one point receive a charge-back claim, as the real owner will quickly realize this.

Invalid Codes / Invalid Information:
When dealing with products that include a claim code the seller/buyer might claim the code was incorrect or already used.

Going First:
I recommend that absolutely NOBODY goes first and they always use a middle-man.

Physical Items:
When you are dealing with physical items always use an escrow service or a middle-man, use tracking and also have the receiver be forced to sign off to receive their product by the postal office.

[Lookin]

Community Alert | Deal Dispute
When filing a community alert or a deal dispute, be sure to include as much evidence as possible. Treat a community alert like a deal dispute and include as much information, evidence, and reasoning behind the alert. Keep it organized and allow the readers to have a simple understanding as to why you are alerting them. Only create a community alert thread if you have evidence that someone is being a harm to the community, attempting to pull off a scam and to protect the community.

Make sure to include:

• Conversation
  Why are they a scammer
  Evidence (Pictures | Videos)
  Sales thread
  Reported users' UID
  If off-site: proof of their account you communicated

To start a Deal Dispute based on a Contract, go to the specific Contract, and by the bottom of the Contract tap: "Open Dispute". A thread will automatically be made, make sure to add all viable information, so you can ensure the safety of future deals between users and the reported user.

---

PayPal
PayPal Holdings, Inc. is an American company operating a worldwide online payments system that supports online money transfers and serves as an electronic alternative to traditional paper methods like checks and money orders. PayPal is a reversible currency, thus meaning ALL payments can be charged back by the buyer. If you're dealing with PayPal, I recommend ALWAYS asking for identification. This will help prevent fraud and save your account from being charged back on.

Crypto Currencies
Cryptocurrencies are tricky to deal with to ensure your safety. Cryptocurrencies are completely irreversible, so once the payment has been sent it is completely impossible to take that money back unless you are trying to fool the system by using a near-to-none existent fee, a 51% attack or a third thing. Background-checking someone based on their crypto address is near to impossible as almost every wallet ensures the anonymity of the user and creates a new receive address every transaction. If you are dealing with cryptocurrencies I recommend you to ALWAYS use a middle-man to either hold the product or the funds, as it is a very risky payment method to deal with.

A few precautions to take when dealing with cryptocurrencies:

• Once you send a payment it can not be recovered, unless the other party refunds it. Always verify the address multiple times with the receiver. If you are buying cryptocurrency make sure to ask for ownership proof (receive a cent, middle-man)

[Lookin]

Hacked PayPal Account
A lot of people think that once they have received their funds they are safe. Absolutely not, if the funds are sent from a hacked or stolen credit card, sent through PayPal, then what are you going to do once the original owner disputes this payment? A chargeback will be initiated and you will lose the case. A solution to this is confirming the ownership of the PayPal account, having the middle-man ask for identification, making sure there are not being used any proxies by the payment sender.

Chargebacks
Anyone has the accessibility to chargeback a PayPal transaction. Never EVER have the sender mention any cryptocurrency if you are dealing as that instantly makes you lose the case – as soon as a representative reads the dispute is regarding cryptocurrencies he will automatically be in the favor of the buyer. Make sure the PayPal transaction note does not have anything including forums, intangible or cryptocurrencies. There is absolutely no sellers protection offered on intangible items and especially not cryptocurrencies. I recommend you use Cryptic's Bulletproof METHOD on how to WIN any FUTURE PAYPAL DISPUTE to ensure your safety for future PayPal transactions.

Safe Transactions
Even if you use a middle-man you can still be met with trouble. You can still end up with a chargeback on PayPal as the sender has 180 days to chargeback a transaction, so you should always be prepared for a potential chargeback occurring. One thing you could do to ensure your safety is to have the buyer buy an Amazon Gift Card on https://www.gyft.com/ and then you can exchange this Amazon Gift Card into Bitcoin on https://localbitcoins.com/.

Impersonation
Impersonation of another user/middle-man is a very frequent reason for someone getting scammed. In order to ensure your safety and the identity of the middle-man or the user you are dealing with, then ALWAYS have them confirm their identity on Hack Forums through a private message. If you are dealing on Skype, have the user send you a private message including THEIR Skype name and also that you are currently having a deal, same goes for the middle-man. Have both parties, both the middle-man and the person you are dealing with confirm their identity with you on Hack Forums. That way, if in the future the person you dealt with chargebacks, you also have proof to backup their Skype identity on Hack Forums.

---

Q. How long should I wait before making a deal dispute on a non-responsive party?
A. Give the other party at least 24 hours before making a deal dispute. If you still do not get a response after having made a deal dispute, then proceed with a chargeback if possible.

Q. I don't know what to type in my PayPal dispute.
A. Create a thread on Hack Forums asking for help. Many people would more than happily volunteer to offer you help or give you advice on how to get your money back.

Q. How do I tell if the party I am dealing with is a scammer?
A. Determining whether or not you are dealing with a scammer is difficult. Always take precaution before dealing, such as checking their background, reputation, trust scan and also search their UID. If they are rushing you into a deal, the deal is too good to be true, then it most likely IS too good to be true. Always use a middle-man.

---

• How to Use Contracts || Minimizing Risk in the Marketplace – Vitani
  Business, Marketing, Advertisement, and Everything Inbetween – Nex+
  Hack Forums Dispute Database Legacy
  New Marketplace Contract Policy – Omniscient

[Lookin]

Post holding in case of future additions/changes. Thank you to Sir for helping out with this.

[fidusobe]

Seems like a nice thread thanks for the information.

[vyactor]

It's absolutely awesome.
Thank you for your hard work.

[TCP]

I will suggest this guide to other users, great thread OP

[SIM-4086413]

wow very nice thread, great job OP!

[Lookin]

Let's just bring this back up a little.

[opxsys]

wow its very nice , wow its very nice , wow its very nice ,