WARNING: Estate Owners, Scamers are targeting land on estates to get money

[Ethen Pow]

Well this is stated as its more common then I thought, it seems Scammers are targeting land thats sold to everyone for 1L for transfer reasons to scam. I talked to a few other Estate Owners and I was informed how common this is.

It seems that Scammers or a group of Scammers are aiming to use 1L transfer(or very cheap) for parcels on estate land to use a way to break SL ToS, so it seems that some action needs to be done so residents that visit your sim are not scammed.

1) Remove or increase the transfer fee(1L-50L is common), and make it so its a bad idea to use your land to scam

2) Clearly State all your Estate Rental Agents and Staff on your Covenant.

3) Let fellow Estate Owners about this, so they got get caught in problems.

4) Make sure any visitor on your sim gets the info needed if they are looking for rent.

[Amethyst Jetaime]

Scams like this have been around as long as SL has existed. Its always been buyer beware. It is not a scam to buy land cheap and sell it for more than you paid for it unless the covenant is not followed.

Your warning should be addressed to buyers not estate owners,  While it is nice if estate owners take steps to minimize the possibility, there is no obligation to do so.  If someone else scams a resident, the estate owner is not liable in any way and can in fact repossess the land without refund if the covenant provisions are not followed exactly. The scammer is the person who is held responsible and the person scammed has no recourse against the estate owner.

The best way buyers can protect themselves is to always check with the estate owner to be sure the resident selling them the land has a legitimate right to and find out what the covenant requires in regard to land transfers.

[hotdawg101]

I've seen this as well.  They often buy land set for sale by the Estate at 1L or whatever, setup and resell hte parcel for the costs per week tmies 4 for a discounted rate.  Sent a few IM's to Estate owners over people playing this game with others land or in making sure if htey were on staff or on the level.

Best to watch and be wary of any deal that looks to good to be true. Make sure that if they are in the land group land is in but also check to make sure they are the owners, managers etc. and not just joining an open Estate group to make it look like they are representing them.

Check the covenant to find the actual Estate owner.

Check the land  before buying or paying a rent box or object on it. Edit them to see if they match the Estate owners name, not just someone in that land group.

Check the land group for the names and see what positions the ones selling the land or that have rent boxes or payable objects on the parcel.

Check the Covenant about who you should deal with for buying land parcels on the Estates as well.

 

   

[Ethen Pow]

This is the first time over all my years of owning a sim so I like to make sure, its a good idea to keep everyone aware, not just buyers and not just sim owners. I can see how this been going on, I expected this years ago but never got a problem like it happen to me or any renter that comes online until now.

So my Alert isn't misguided atleast wisdom can be gain form this for any estate owner.

 

[Lisa006 Baxton]

Thanks Ethan!!!!! I was hit with this yesterday!!!

[Rosemaery Lorefield]

This may or may not be a violation, depending on the land covenant.

What people really need to be aware of is that they should NEVER pay tier directly to any avie who is not listed as the estate owner or manager. 

There are scammers waiting around on cheap lands waiting for someone to buy and then claiming that they are the manager and to pay them the tier. I know several people who have fallen for this and were out 8k and up.

Just be really careful who you are paying. Request a tier box, check names. If someone claims to be a manager, check it out before handing them all your L$.

[Lizard Howl]

This is nothing new, and it is the price you pay for listing land at 1L.

As far as letting other Estate Owners know what is going on, we have a group dedicated for that!

It is called Inworld MeGaBaN.

Any time your land is griefed let us know.

Don't ban them from just one Estate - ban them from 100s of Estates and 1000s of sims!

IM Lizard Howl for a group invite

 

[Phil Deakins]

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Ethen Pow wrote:

Well this is stated as its more common then I thought, it seems Scammers are targeting land thats sold to everyone for 1L for transfer reasons to scam. I talked to a few other Estate Owners and I was informed how common this is.

It seems that Scammers or a group of Scammers are aiming to use 1L transfer(or very cheap) for parcels on estate land to use a way to break SL ToS

, so it seems that some action needs to be done so residents that visit your sim are not scammed.

1) Remove or increase the transfer fee(1L-50L is common), and make it so its a bad idea to use your land to scam

2) Clearly State all your Estate Rental Agents and Staff on your Covenant.

3) Let fellow Estate Owners about this, so they got get caught in problems.

4) Make sure any visitor on your sim gets the info needed if they are looking for rent.

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You said it is being done to "break SL ToS" but your second post indicates that it's just putting the price up and selling it on. Can you be clear about it? Is it just selling it on for a profit, or does the land get used to break the SL ToS?

Selling at a profit is good business, incidentally, and in no way breaks any SL ToS. If you don't want the buyers to sell at a profit, then isn't there a setting that will prevent people from selling the land?

[Lizard Howl]

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Phil Deakins wrote:

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You said it is being done to "break SL ToS" but your second post indicates that it's just putting the price up and selling it on. Can you be clear about it? Is it just selling it on for a profit, or does the land get used to break the SL ToS?

Selling at a profit is good business, incidentally, and in no way breaks any SL ToS. If you don't want the buyers to sell at a profit, then isn't there a setting that will prevent people from selling the land?

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Phil -

You are missing the point entirely.

None of us thinks that selling land for a profit is a bad idea.

What these people are doing is buying land for 1L, then attempting to resell the land WITHOUT PAYING TIER.

In effect, not only are they scamming the Estate Owner, they are also trying to scam whoever re-buys the land.

Lizard

[Griffin Ceawlin]

All of this could be avoided if:

1. Estate owners didn't set parcels for sale for L$1, or... if they do, set it for sale for L$1 to specific persons (legitimate renters).

2. Not allow estate parcels to be re-sold.

[Phil Deakins]

I still don't see it as anything but good business. If the estate owner allows it, it's an excellent way of making some money. If an estate owner can set things so that nobody can sell except him/herself, but hasn't done so, then the estate allows allows it, whether intentionally or not. That way of making some quick money has been done for many years - buying for tiny amount and selling it on very quickly for a greater amount without paying the estate owner anything.

But my main purpose in posting was to ask the OP what he meant by "breaking the SL ToS". If he's only posting about quick reselling at a profit, without paying tier/rent, then it's not in breach of the SL ToS at all.

[Melita Magic]

If the person reselling did not have the permission of the landlord, and the landlord has not approved the second buyer nor added them to the land group, then the second buyer will be out their money. 

I think that's what they are saying is the problem.

[Lizard Howl]

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Melita Magic wrote:

If the person reselling did not have the permission of the landlord, and the landlord has not approved the second buyer nor added them to the land group, then the second buyer will be out their money. 

I think that's what they are saying is the problem.

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Exactly Melita.

Whether or not this is a violation of ToS it certainly isn't ethical.

Certainly it is an Estate Owner's choice to sell land for 1L and to allow it to be resold.

We were in business over four years before we went to the 1L price.

The only reason we did so is because of how Search works.

SL Search is such that only the selling price of the land affects how you show in the listing.

I could list at 1000L and never get any business, or list at 1L and get sales all day long.

The trade off is having to deal with knuckleheads who buy land without paying tier.

Small annoyance, but for me its worth it.

Lizard

 

[161488303349]

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Lizard Howl wrote:

Whether or not this is a violation of ToS it certainly isn't ethical.

Certainly it is an Estate Owner's choice to sell land for 1L and to allow it to be resold.

The only reason we did so is because of how Search works.

SL Search is such that only the selling price of the land affects how you show in the listing.

 

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so you are gaming the Land for Sale listings to advertise your rentals ???

and you then say its unethical for people to buy the land that you have listed in the Land for Sale listings for the price you have set and then onsell to someone else as Land for Sale ???

lol