Why are SL event listings flooded with scam?

[RufusJack]

It's always advertising the same sim, Loon. The same pattern repeats: They claim to have an event hiring models, paying them well, new residents are welcome, there will be a DJ spinning. Fact is, nothing is happening, there is no DJ, and no casting, instead there is a simple box telling you that in order to apply as a model you need to submit a picture of you in their clothes, which you have to buy first. Needless to say their clothes are of a very low quality. This happening in event search as I type this:

Time: 06/23/16 04:00 pm
Duration: 2 hours
Location: 5TH AVENUE FASHIONISTA on Loon
Category: Nightlife/Entertainment
Cover: FREE

*NEED MODELS FOR FASHIONS-make $890 and up-DJ Leila-EVENT 10201 Lina's jazz romantic music -make up to $800 or more.Models wanted-no experience need-new residents welcome-event to hire-look for instructions to apply for model job in the store blue box.-look for instructions to apply for model job in the store blue box. gowns,casual clothes,low prim furniture,body paint,tattoes,bathing suit,costumes,carnaval mask,new avatars look,pretty flexy hair,pretty avatars, models house, fashion clothes,men clothes, men hair, women clothes,women shoes, stilletos, wedges, pijamas,party clothes

 

Time: 06/23/16 03:00 pm
Duration: 2 hours
Location: ROYAL HAIR-SHAPES AND SKIN on Loon
Category: Games/Contests
Cover: FREE

..~ROYAL's Hair Contest $1500-Hiring models-DJ Lucy-event 10208 Costumes-mardi grass mask-venetian masks- Instructions to participated in the blue box. Be Miss Hair this month and win 1500. curly hair, long hair, modern short hair, mermaid hair,flexy hair, natural hair, pelos cortos, pelos largos,pelos lacios, pelos risados, pelos naturales, pelos flexibles, pelos lindos, cabelo,cabello-model skin and shape,make up, color eyes,costumes, inmortal bacu,alice in wonderland,pilgrim costumes,bunny,medieval clothes,butterfly,mermaid, incredible hulk,body paint, tattoos and many more.

 

Time: 06/23/16 06:00 pm
Duration: 2 hours
Location: 5TH AVENUE FASHIONISTA on Loon
Category: Nightlife/Entertainment
Cover: FREE

*NEED MODELS FOR FASHIONS-make $890 and up-DJ Ruby-EVENT 10201 Lina's jazz romantic music -make up to $800 or more.Models wanted-no experience need-new residents welcome-event to hire-look for instructions to apply for model job in the store blue box.-look for instructions to apply for model job in the store blue box. gowns,casual clothes,low prim furniture,body paint,tattoes,bathing suit,costumes,carnaval mask,new avatars look,pretty flexy hair,pretty avatars, models house, fashion clothes,men clothes, men hair, women clothes,women shoes, stilletos, wedges, pijamas,party clothes

 

They use different hosts for the events… well, alts, obviously. This has been going on for literally years and is rendering SL event search useless because it is flooded with this very obvious scam. Simple question, Linden Labs: With scam this easy to identify, does no one even monitor event listings? 

 

[Qie Niangao]

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RufusJack wrote:

 Simple question, Linden Labs: With scam this easy to identify, does no one even monitor event listings? 

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Worse than that: Because as you say it's been going on for years, nobody even looks at Event listings anymore, and reputable places rarely even bother to list their events now (except maybe for the Map decoration).

It's a squandered resource, but I think it's probably too late to repair even if the Lab were inclined to invest the resources (one percent of an unpaid summer intern).

[Amethyst Jetaime]

It may not do any good but you could AR them.  The person to AR would be owner of the business.

[RufusJack]

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Qie Niangao wrote:

Worse than that: Because as you say it's been going on for years, nobody even looks at Event listings anymore, and reputable places rarely even bother to list their events now (except maybe for the Map decoration).

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Exactly. I run a club, and I don't bother listing my events in search because it is completely dominated by this scam plus the Star Trek Museum (no events there either). I will consider an AR, but honestly, I think I'll be married to a twi'lek before I get a response from that.

[Alwin Alcott]

If LL take the activities on the forums and web a little bit serious there has to come a bit of clean up and more moderation, the off topic and selfpromotion gets worse every week.

[Amethyst Jetaime]

They are too busy with Sansar, so that will happen when...



[Pamela Galli]

 

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Alwin Alcott wrote:

If LL take the activities on the forums and web a little bit serious there has to come a bit of clean up and more moderation, the off topic and selfpromotion gets worse every week.

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Yes, at least half the posts in the entire forum are thinly veiled promotion or spam, or outright scams. The same spammers post the same things over and over. 

(Then there are those who can't be bothered to use Google or search the forum before asking some broad general question like "How do I make mesh clothes?". And then complain if they do not like whatever answers they receive.)

[Pamela Galli]

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Amethyst Jetaime wrote:

They are too busy with Sansar, so that will happen when...



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That pig would make a good emblem for a LL logo -- although the current "talk to the hand" one is pretty apt, too.

[wherorangi]

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RufusJack wrote:

 

Exactly. I run a club, and I don't bother listing my events in search because it is completely dominated by this scam plus the Star Trek Museum (no events there either). I will consider an AR, but honestly, I think I'll be married to a twi'lek before I get a response from that.

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please advert your events. Is lots of new and newish people who do try to find stuff to do where there are actual people attending

when they do find you amongst all the spammers then they will be happy. and your place will be in their Teleport History for them to find another time  

[Maximillon Lefavre]

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Amethyst Jetaime wrote:

They are too busy with Sansar, so that will happen when...



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Surely you jest. Pigs can be seen flying everyday in SL. In fact, I was flying already earlier today in SL.

[Ilithios Liebknecht]

Yes the state of events is horrible. Almost all events are just ads. When you post an event, there's a long speil you have to read and part of it tells you that just posting ads instead of actual events "will not be tolerated." What a huge joke. That's what 95% of "events" are and they are very clearly tolerated. It's maddening.

I do still list my events though. And people do show up from the event listing sometimes.

[Kimmi Zehetbauer]

Same here.  I just go in and post my events.  Few times I'll see events in the wrong areas, like Sales in the Live Music cat.

I wish the event posting system was easier to manage, like a list of all the events you posted,  Sometimes a pain to go and edit or delete something, especially if your performer informs you he/she can't show up.

[Tamara Artis]

When I started SL back in 2010. and wanted to find a job to earn some lindens that was first thing I tried, the ad sounded same! They were hiring "models" with no experience and promised looots of money lol.

Now watch my job description: first I had to wear their clothes combined with my accessories and all, and walk up and down the catwalk. While doing that I also had to post (I don't remember how much but, at that time, it was omg what?? number for me) a certain number of events on the event board - same ads that I found and applied to lol. Funniest thing was, there was a bot or something (that I didn't know at first) on the nearby parcel that my boss told me that person is watching me and, in case I stop walking down the catwalk, they will call her. I had to walk even if the store was empty! The store was always empty hahaha, except for few noobs same like me, who came to pick up the application. 

I worked few shifts just to see what outfits she will send me and gave up soon, but for a long time I was seeing her ads there. 

 

[Pamela Galli]

I am reporting them and all the other thinly disguised ads in all the forums.

[Tamara Artis]

I completely gave up from that after one of the LL employees replied to my message in merchants forum. I said how there is a listing that says how item is cheaper in-world than on the MP, that I have flagged it, flag button is grey for me now and the item is still there. I included a screenshots to show.

He replied to flag the item. 

After I not only said but also showed it with the photo that the flag button is gray lol

And its not only the Event section, few days ago I realized the Art. Music and Photography section of these Forums is slowly going dead. 

One person started a thread with the general question about the SL photography, I replied with the general answer, then one of the scammers used the opportunity to self-promote and replied with the link to her website. I wanted to link it here to show how there is only one post "in the theme" and now it seems that that post was just another excuse to self-promote lol

 

 

[Pamela Galli]

Yes it is beyond frustrating. But all I can do is report them, with relevant bits of the TOS ,  so I do. Not that anyone seems to care about the signal to noise ration in this forum, oh well.

[Alwin Alcott]

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Pamela Galli wrote:

Not that anyone seems to care about the signal to noise ration in this forum, oh well.

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i'm not sure about that... mostly when i report impropriate content i find it removed later... now i don't think my reporting is such ultimate help, but gives me the idea its read.