Video Tutorial: How to identify Impersonators Scammers (Thanks to GameOverGR for this video)


(06 May 2013) LAST WELL-KNOW IMPERSONATOR SCAMMER BEWARE NOW!!!

Those Scammers are usually called Impersonators. This scam mode is more and more frequent in steamtrades. Although the user has been banned of the web, it can keep on doing it equally. They use profiles with great reputation (as mine for example), they put themselves on the same image and the same name and the profile is private, they use our url of steamtrades.

Please Check Steam ID of the user before trade keys.

Use SteamRep to check the real Steam ID of the user that added u to trade and compare with ID of user linked in steamtrades.

I Make this Post to alert all community of traders about this. We can use this post to identify scammers and paste here his steam IDs and more info. If u has been scammed from a user that have a lot of rep, before give him -rep in steamtrades, check the ID, maybe u has beed scammed with a False Identity scammer.


IMPERSONATORS SCAMMERS PROFILES (Last time they were active):

.

May 06, 2013

May 04, 2013

April 27, 2013

April 21, 2013

April 17-18, 2013

April 13, 2013

April 6, 2013

Unfortunately, scammers list is getting big, so I will keep updated with the latest 20 scammers identified.


COMPILATION OF IDEAS TO FIGHT VS THE IMPERSONATORS (If u have a idea, post here):

  • I think that report or ban this scammers in steamtrades or in steamrep does not solve anything because this scammers use secondary accounts to scam. So my first idea is make an alert really visible in top of Web to alert all users about this mode of scam.
  • Another idea is that only registered and login users can see the forum. I think this is the best to fight vs the impersonators and all the scammers in general, because normally scammers use secundary accounts without games / money to scam.
1 decade ago*

15 min ago a user added me to tell me that 1 user now have my image and name and is trying to scam him now.
This is the Scammer:
http://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561198067616242
Steam Rep URL
Steam Url Profile
PasteBin Text of chat that user give me about the scammer.

1 decade ago
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1.- Nobody will offer you games like dead island for darksiders
2.- Nobody accept a trade without check the trader's profile first, dont matter if he give you a link of whatever
3.- 2 disconnects in row = suspicious.
4.- Private profile = suspicious.

its logic.

1 decade ago
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This. Exactly this.

1 decade ago
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actally i have gotten plenty of dead island offers for my more expensive games,lol.. i think you mean nobody will accept that trade nor will offer a darksiders 2 game for a cheaper/sale spammed game..
well i heard there was high pay pal scam activity lately. people revoking payment after getting the game is one thing people need to consider and sometimes it is made right if providing proof but it can be a pain in the behind and a waiting game so that should be considered when doing paypal w/ people who you dont know much about and then ask self if its worth the risk..

1 decade ago
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Well... to be fair, I would.... lol. Depends on when I got it and for how much. I'm offering a $40 game right now in my own thread for a quarter of the pricetag because I bought it when it was $10 during a Christmas sale, then just decided I didn't want to play it.

I don't know why a private profile is suspicious but then again I'm new here. Care to detail? My lack of reputation is going to make it difficult for me to get started, unfortunately.

1 decade ago
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With a private profile there's no way to be sure someone matches, how long they've been on steam, if they have any sort of rep on their profile already ...

Also if you chat with someone and "view profile," then go to their steamtrades profile and view steam profile, they should match - no way to check that if it's private, either.

As far as getting started goes, try to deal with people with a lot of rep. :3 You'll have to go first on deals but if you check them out entirely (matching profiles like I said, etc) you should be able to get started with them and start building your own rep.

1 decade ago
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When I sign up for this site it links to my Steam profile. If someone is still listed as private after I add them you mean? It's not like I'm accepting adds out of the blue. For example, if I wanted to trade with you, I'd send you a friend request myself.

If someone possibly pretending to be you sent me a friend request and they were on a private profile, then I'd be like, "Wait this seems shady."

Or is there more to it that I don't understand?

1 decade ago
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For example, I add someone for a trade, right? I go to their profile - from here - and I can see their number of games, friends, information about them, etc, right?

If someone messages me and has the same display name + image, I can click "view profile" ... now, if that's set to private - when I was just able to check someone's profile HERE - then I know it's not the same person. If the profile is always set to private, there's no way to check / verify who they are.

In addition, some people leave rep on steam profiles as well as here - if it's set to private, I can't see any of that. NOTHING is verifiable so there's no real way for me to know that two people are the same exactly - or at least it's much harder to tell.

Having a public profile indicates to me that you have nothing to hide and you are who you say you are.

1 decade ago
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1 user is scamming with my name and image now, 1 user give me a negative vote now, i try explain him that he was scammed with other user, but he not understand nothing.

1 decade ago
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thnx for heads up..

1 decade ago
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1 decade ago
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Looks like this scammer http://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561198067616242
is now using my steam trades name and avatar))

1 decade ago
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We cant do nothing :S. Is really hard fight with this type of scammers.

1 decade ago
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You should put on first message that always someone link to steamgift profile use it to click and go to the linked profile to check if it's the same user.

This should be sticky or linked on a sticky.

1 decade ago
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The managers should put an alert in red in the part of above of the web so that everybody reads it, especially the new users.

1 decade ago
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we need to make a positive rep to each other
with warning about this scammer

1 decade ago
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Thx you for alert the community.

1 decade ago
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Yeah, I got some more (one of them even impersonates you)
first one
second one

1 decade ago
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I'm going to guess that this is how I got my negative.

1 decade ago
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bump

1 decade ago
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If you are going to bump this thread can you bump at a different time than your other 2 so you arent pushing people off the front page, thanks. 2 threads maximum bumped at same time.

1 decade ago
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lol? you a ST cop now?

1 decade ago
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He's a pirate, he takes the situation into his own hands ;)

1 decade ago
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lol i think that is Zorro, not a pirate xD

1 decade ago
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So combine the two and get something inbetween :)

1 decade ago
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OMG :S this thread is only a warning / advice to people, is not for trade nothing... Steamtrades Admins should make an alert in web about this, then all people know this method of scam, and users not need make this post (same than me). I only want help the community, so no waste your time in threatening me about the number of post.

1 decade ago
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BUMP

1 decade ago
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steamID64: http://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561198055146209 ...... also u can add this guy here

already posted for him u can see that at that topic ...

http://www.steamtrades.com/trade/Oj7YD/guys-really-important-read-this

1 decade ago
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Thx for info. I go to add him. The problem is that scammers can make all new accounts that they need.

1 decade ago
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yes but we can do our best :) ok if u add here i will close my topic thank u :)

1 decade ago
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No problem. Added ;)

1 decade ago
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Bump! ;)

1 decade ago
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I Got Scammed with the one who stole your account

He took my L.A. Noire and gave me fake CS GO Key . :(((

1 decade ago
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Man check my profile. No have la noire installed, and not have la noire in inventory. U got scammed by a impostator.

1 decade ago
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Got scammed. Contacted the original trader.
Here is all:
http://www.mediafire.com/?k23ra3ks8vx6s20

EDIT: Added steam ID

1 decade ago
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Another impersonator: http://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561198053193608/

Trying to pass himself as TANK4LIFE1 / TANK4LIFEstudios

That one managed to scam me in the past.

1 decade ago
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Thx for info. Added to the list.

1 decade ago
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Bump

1 decade ago
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There is a guy named mortal, tries to trade faked torchlight 2 keys.

1 decade ago
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Pls paste here the steam ID of the user to identify and can add him to the list of Impersonators.

1 decade ago
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http://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561198012500838

Checked and Added, he have a lot of different names and have VAC banned.

1 decade ago
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http://steamcommunity.com/id/wachocareta
man, looks like i´m really outta luck.

1 decade ago
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http://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561198052857082

Just got scammed out of a Borderlands 2 key by this guy.

1 decade ago
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:S this guy have the trade status banned in his profile and is marked as a scammer in steamrep, so is a well-know scammer.
http://steamrep.com/profiles/76561198052857082

1 decade ago
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Added

1 decade ago
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u missunderstood dud! he banned by VALVE ..his ID already on ur list :) thx

1 decade ago
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that guy added me 2 days ago but when i saw his profile in steamrep delete him immediately. i think he was looking for his last victim :S

1 decade ago
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It is possible that he is not the last victim, even being banned, impostators still can scam keys from users. almost nobody looks Steamrep.

1 decade ago
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WARNING NOW
TODAY a new Scammer Impersonator me and others users: http://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561198072378577

1 decade ago
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http://steamcommunity.com/id/_Kalil/ WARNING
here is one impersonator of me and others

1 decade ago
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http://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561198073633831

Added to list. Updated info. And bumped.

1 decade ago
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Another one trying to impersonate me:
http://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561198069531303
A kind user who almost got scammed notified me of this.

1 decade ago
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Added. Updated and Bumped to help u and community.

1 decade ago
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Bump

1 decade ago
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Bump!

1 decade ago
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http://steamcommunity.com/id/DarkMageTm_

http://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561198052684359

first one has a fake steamrep link on it

i'm scammed, so be careful about this person

1 decade ago
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added to the list, but he can change the name, need the ID

Edit: This is the real Id of the scammer:

http://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561197995890815

1 decade ago
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This guy scammed me 30 minutes ago, be careful when YOU encounter him:

|steamID: Dark Mage™

|steamID32: STEAM_0:1:46209315

|steamID64: http://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561198052684359

|customURL: http://steamcommunity.com/id/DarkMageTm

|steamrepURL: http://steamrep.com/profiles/76561198052684359

Proof

Edit: I see other people got scammed by that jerk....

1 decade ago
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Added

1 decade ago
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Unfortunately there will always be cases like these because of all the noobs and illiterate idiots.

1 decade ago
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True. Is really hard stop this, but is the unike thing that i can do to try help the community. I have some ideas to help new user (An alert in web for example, that explain this method of scam), but admins of the web not do nothing. I talked with one admin about this some months ago but nothing...

1 decade ago
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This scammer stole an alan wake franchise from me today. TAKE CARE

http://steamcommunity.com/id/Melone233/

1 decade ago
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Like vagen said, this guy impersonates me:

http://steamcommunity.com/id/Melone233/

http://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561198077997006

Changed the profile pic, maybe that helps some ppl

1 decade ago
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Added to the list.

1 decade ago
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Added to the list

1 decade ago
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Here´s another NOOB impersonator : http://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561197979031870/

1 decade ago
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Added to the list

1 decade ago
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Thanks for letting me know

1 decade ago
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Imporsonator use my name and image now WARNING!!!!

1 decade ago
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How can this site have official support from steam when we have no admins to run it or they don't give a damn about it and focus on bs like suspending ppl for bumping topics to much?

1 decade ago
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Im not an admin, and i dont have idea about if this web have official support or no. This topics is only to try help new users. If u read my post i have 2 good ideas (Easy to implement) to help more all the comunity, but admins not doing nothing.

1 decade ago
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Another Scammer Added. Impersonator me some hours Ago.
http://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561198011734274

Thx to Yutty for send report in SteamRp

1 decade ago
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Another scammer (impersonator): http://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561198043830384

See my thread on Steamrep for full information:

http://forums.steamrep.com/threads/76561198043830384-kubqo.18022/

1 decade ago
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Just got scammed by: http://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561198073816523 , he responded to my post here, and offered Hotline Miami for 4$, went offline few minutes after getting the cash on paypal, without saying anything. Unfortunately, I checked him in Google, AFTER sending the money, luckily it was not sent as a gift, so I can, and WILL get it back. Logs here: http://img59.imageshack.us/img59/7689/logzesteama.jpg (in polish unfortunately).

1 decade ago
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bump

1 decade ago
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Screenshot
After that user decline trade window, went offline, removed me his friends list and sets profile to private.
http://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561198034228475

1 decade ago
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Good tread, Bump

1 decade ago
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bump

1 decade ago
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Thanks for keeping this updated. A good move is for us to add these folks to our own block lists.

1 decade ago
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The problem is that many people are bound to fall for the impersonation scam, no matter how much advice we give. I think there should be a big ass warning on every profile page talking about that.

1 decade ago
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That would require Valve to care :) Sad to see that only a few of the proven scammers on the op have trade bans or probations. At least they are marked on Steamrep.

Still, it is obviously an easy "business" given how many impersonators there are. All they have to do is create burner alt accounts for the trades and even if they get banned, they don't have anything there of much value. Sad.

1 decade ago
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i was scammed by impersonator of kpaxxx... i think Steam can make a little thing to stop\limit this plague :

Simply don't allow Steam user to change their Name!!! it's quite simple.
In 9 years of Steam (i am 1 of the first i guess...i preordered half Life 2 ) i never changed my name ....so if no one have nothing to hide, no reason to change name. right?
sry bad english

1 decade ago
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This impersonator scam a lot of people and much people was open "warning posts" abouth this, but is eaqual, always new trade users was scammed. Your solution is good, but i think is not a real solution for valve/steam. The real solution is really simple, just check real profile before trade... The probem is on steamtrades, not in Steam, because impersonators link to real steamtrades profile and people never check nothing, because steamtrades is linked with re real user.

1 decade ago
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Closed 1 decade ago.