Identifying an alt

[Tolya Ugajin]

On 10/4/2019 at 6:02 PM, JUSTUS Palianta said:

One way you can work out someone is an alt.  Is rez a online tracker.  Add the two avatars you suspect are the same person and sit back and watch.  

That's an interesting method, and could work given a few particulars:

1:  The RL person you suspect is alting is foolish enough to get to know you on both alts well enough for you to suspect them. I'm not really sure how anyone could be stupid enough to do that, but then, I am constantly amazed at how stupid humans can be.

AND

2:     A:  The person happens to constantly keep both accounts logged in at the same - which seems rather tiresome to do, OR

2:     B:  The person happens to log one account off and then shortly thereafter log the other account on, and do so repeatedly. 

Of course, it's also quite possible that, with SL having hundreds of thousands of active accounts and tens of thousands logged in at any given time, you'll just end up suspecting someone due to random coincidence and a strong streak of paranoia.  Your method would also be easy to circumvent by the simple expedient of always leaving one account logged in and idle somewhere, like a cheap rental home or a sandbox.

May I suggest an alternate approach?  If the possibility of a given set of avatars being alts bothers you enough to use an online tracker and stare at it waiting to hope you catch them, then just mute them all and proceed with enjoying your SL.  I can't think of anything more tedious.

Edited December 6, 2019 by Tolya Ugajin

[Pamela Galli]

30 minutes ago, Tolya Ugajin said:

Can I cash mine in at your store?  I could use some new furniture

I thought I remembered that name!

[Tolya Ugajin]

On 12/1/2019 at 9:48 AM, JudiLynn India said:

I did read a long time ago, that if you get up to about 10 alts, LL takes notice as that could indicate a user is into griefing.

No lie, there is a MrStarman character who created at least a hundred different alts, all with the same MrStarman name (and maybe others I never saw) who would go about spamming adult, mostly BDSM/babygirl groups, to find "girls who were submissive when younger" (or some such dreck).  Very creepy.  Once an alt, say MrStarman2glt, had been banned from enough such groups, he'd create MrStarman3glt.  I banned at least 20 of his alts.

[Tolya Ugajin]

2 minutes ago, Pamela Galli said:

I thought I remembered that name!

awww shucks

[JudiLynn India]

Just now, Tolya Ugajin said:

No lie, there is a MrStarman character who created at least a hundred different alts, all with the same MrStarman name (and maybe others I never saw) who would go about spamming adult, mostly BDSM/babygirl groups, to find "girls who were submissive when younger" (or some such dreck).  Very creepy.  Once an alt, say MrStarman2glt, had been banned from enough such groups, he'd create MrStarman3glt.  I banned at least 20 of his alts.

Yep. There is a certain eccentric "artist" in SL who's been banned from all over the grid, suspended numerous times by LL and must have at least 50 alts by now.  

[Scylla Rhiadra]

1 hour ago, Tolya Ugajin said:

That you know of (/me laughs diabolically)

Pfffft. You don't scare me.

Much.

Besides, I've assiduously checked under my bed every night since you disappeared from the forum.

1 hour ago, Tolya Ugajin said:

Sagacious advice as always.

You are too kind, gentle sir. And the same back at you.

[Garnet Psaltery]

4 hours ago, Erwin Solo said:

No one plays on their main.  

I do.  Unless you have a special meaning for the word 'play'.

[Tolya Ugajin]

6 hours ago, Scylla Rhiadra said:

Pfffft. You don't scare me.

Much.

Besides, I've assiduously checked under my bed every night since you disappeared from the forum.

 

Shoulda checked the attic and the closet 😛  Besides, too many dust bunnies under your bed.

[Erwin Solo]

On 10/4/2019 at 11:49 AM, Lindal Kidd said:

On 10/4/2019 at 11:37 AM, LittleMe Jewell said:

 A friend has created an alt for every letter A-Z and every number 0-9 for lucky boards

Someone has WAY too much time on their hands.

I have an acquaintance that says they created over 2000 alts (via programming, not manually) back in the day when LL compensated for traffic. 

[Bree Giffen]

If you suspect that two people are the same person try having a long conversation with one of them and get specific details of what they say about whatever topic that interests them. You should also give them specific details of your topic but make sure the information is only told to that person.

With the alleged alt you should also have a long conversation but your goal is to mention indirectly things only known by the person in the last conversation. So you may mention that you were in the desert and afraid of snakes to the previous person (and to no one else) and mention the desert again to the suspected alt and see if they bring up your fear of snakes. Or maybe tell the someone sent you a gift bag with a snake and see if they assume you were afraid of it. 

[Katz Republic]

On 10/5/2019 at 11:05 AM, Alyona Chernov said:

 

I don't see a reason to keep it secret and though there are some legitimate reasons to keep an alt's relationship to you secret, I believe the mot common reason people try very hard to do so is for nefariously unethical reasons.

 

On 10/5/2019 at 12:12 PM, Snugs McMasters said:

Nefarious indeed, I'm still trying to figure out why Teresa Matfield's alt would join my group and after going through my Caspervend transactions find 11 pages worth of purchases by her! For whatever reason would she have to do buy so many of my things? I find it very disturbing and creepy.

 

[kali Wylder]

On 12/6/2019 at 9:24 AM, Bree Giffen said:

If you suspect that two people are the same person try having a long conversation with one of them and get specific details of what they say about whatever topic that interests them. You should also give them specific details of your topic but make sure the information is only told to that person.

With the alleged alt you should also have a long conversation but your goal is to mention indirectly things only known by the person in the last conversation. So you may mention that you were in the desert and afraid of snakes to the previous person (and to no one else) and mention the desert again to the suspected alt and see if they bring up your fear of snakes. Or maybe tell the someone sent you a gift bag with a snake and see if they assume you were afraid of it. 

so sneaky and clever!

[Simo Vodopan]

I've got a number of ways of finding out if it's an alt of a person or not. They're subtle ways, if you're very attentive you can catch them by how they act, how they talk and how they normally like to dress or what kind of sims they frequent and then that can in some cases translate over into their ALT without the target in question realizing it; on a subconscious level despite trying to act different they'll sometimes act the same making it easy to spot.

Ofcourse once the jig is up they'll do anything in their power to deny that it's them and yeah, but we know better.

Ontop of this you can open two IM windows and chat with both accounts and if you see there is a delay between typing then that strongly suggests it's the same person trying hard to make it seem like they're two totally different people. Little inconsistencies like that could make a huge deal of difference.

I've also noticed that if some accounts have the same styling of font and for example a heart on either end of the name or something other out there like that and you're talking to two accounts like that it's probably the same person.

Edited February 10, 2020 by Simo Vodopan

[Amina Sopwith]

3 minutes ago, Simo Vodopan said:

I've got a number of ways of finding out if it's an alt of a person or not. They're subtle ways, if you're very attentive you can catch them by how they act, how they talk and how they normally like to dress or what kind of sims they frequent and then that can in some cases translate over into their ALT without the target in question realizing it; on a subconscious level despite trying to act different they'll sometimes act the same making it easy to spot.

Ofcourse once the jig is up they'll do anything in their power to deny that it's them and yeah, but we know better.

Ontop of this you can open two IM windows and chat with both accounts and if you see there is a delay between typing then that strongly suggests it's the same person trying hard to make it seem like they're two totally different people. Little inconsistencies like that could make a huge deal of difference.

I've also noticed that if some accounts have the same styling of font and for example a heart on either end of the name or something other out there like that and you're talking to two accounts like that it's probably the same person.

Good God. I hope none of your exes have pet rabbits.

[Rolig Loon]

20 minutes ago, Simo Vodopan said:

I've got a number of ways of finding out if it's an alt of a person or not.

And you care because .... ?

[Simo Vodopan]

Just now, Rolig Loon said:

And you care because .... ?

Just contributing to the thread like everyone else here, don't see how this question has any relevance.

[Rolig Loon]

7 minutes ago, Simo Vodopan said:

Just contributing to the thread like everyone else here, don't see how this question has any relevance.

That's fine.  Good contribution too. I just wonder why anyone wants to go to so much trouble for a pretty worthless piece of information.  That's all.  So you find out who someone's alt might be.  Then what?  You can't share that information (even with the person) without breaking the TOS.  You could add the alt to your mute/ban list too, but you can do that anyway. So, aside from satisfying your curiosity, .... ?

[Amina Sopwith]

11 minutes ago, Simo Vodopan said:

Just contributing to the thread like everyone else here, don't see how this question has any relevance.

My first post on this thread was about asking oneself why one is so invested in whether or not someone is an alt. I think it's a good question to ask before you start timing responses in different chat windows, poring over the details of how they dress and satisfying yourself that you "know better" when the poor "target" (your word, not mine) denies that you are in fact the expert on them. 

Edited February 10, 2020 by Amina Sopwith

[Simo Vodopan]

3 minutes ago, Rolig Loon said:

That's fine.  Good contribution too. I just wonder why anyone wants to go to so much trouble for a pretty worthless piece of information.  That's all.  So you find out who someone's alt might be.  Then what?  You can't share that information (even with the person) without breaking the TOS.  You could add the alt to your mute/ban list too, but you can do that anyway. So, aside from satisfying your curiosity, .... ?

Curiosity one might say, it is rather fascinating to see what drives people to do such things. I wouldn't really care if they had an ALT unless it was used for a very malicious purpose like playing someone you know? Otherwise, it'd just be curiosity.

I sometimes like to take a step-back and just observe people and see how they interact amongst each other, quite interesting. As it reminds me of The Sims in many ways. As someone that's into sociology and such you get the idea.

Edited February 10, 2020 by Simo Vodopan

[Amina Sopwith]

Just now, Simo Vodopan said:

Curiosity one might say, it is rather fascinating to see what drives people to do such things. 

Uh....

[Simo Vodopan]

2 minutes ago, Amina Sopwith said:

My first post on this thread was about asking oneself why one is so invested in whether or not someone is an alt. I think it's a good question to ask before you start timing responses in different chat windows, poring over the details of how they dress and satisfying yourself that you "know better" when the poor "target" (your word, not mine) denies that you are in fact the expert on them. 

I think you're putting words into my mouth and reading into it in a certain way that was not intended to be taken. As per the OP's question, the intention in mind was only to help them identify an ALT should the need arise, like for a malicious purpose on the ALT holder's end.

[Amina Sopwith]

1 minute ago, Simo Vodopan said:

I think you're putting words into my mouth and reading into it in a certain way that was not intended to be taken. 

I'm quite sure you didn't intend it to read the way it does, but there's honestly no way to read that and not think "lock up your bunnies".

Why on earth would you be so invested in whether someone's an alt, even telling yourself that you "know better" when the poor sod tries to speak for themselves? Because you're such a high minded sociologist? Even a Gorean wouldn't buy that one and they'll believe anything. 

[Simo Vodopan]

2 minutes ago, Amina Sopwith said:

I'm quite sure you didn't intend it to read the way it does, but there's honestly no way to read that and not think "lock up your bunnies".

Why on earth would you be so invested in whether someone's an alt, even telling yourself that you "know better" when the poor sod tries to speak for themselves? Because you're such a high minded sociologist? Even a Gorean wouldn't buy that one and they'll believe anything. 

Not even gonna bother with this one, to consider me possibly deranged for it just because of curiosity? Humm, I guess that makes all scientists curious in something deranged as well then, it's no wonder SL can be a toxic place at times.

Good day.

Edited February 10, 2020 by Simo Vodopan

[Rolig Loon]

14 minutes ago, Simo Vodopan said:

Curiosity one might say, it is rather fascinating to see what drives people to do such things.

I guess I can see that.  Curiosity is an OK motive for doing a lot of things.  As long as that's all there is to it, I can't see a problem, myself.  I ask a lot of questions simply because I wonder how things work or why people make the choices that they do. There is the possibility of misusing the information, of course, and that's what Amina and others are concerned about. And that's why I asked.  Just don't share what you learn (or think that you learn), and don't use it to do anything nasty. 

[Amina Sopwith]

1 minute ago, Simo Vodopan said:

Not even gonna bother with this one, to consider me possibly deranged for it just because of curiosity? Humm, I guess that makes all scientists curious in something deranged as well then, it's no wonder SL can be a toxic place at times.

I get it, you're a principled scientist carrying out an important experiment in the name of sociology and anthropology. You are motivated entirely by your inquiring and agile mind, which is dispassionately researching the human psyche. To doubt your intentions is to cast aspersions upon all the finest academic minds of the land and reveal myself as the myopic philistine I clearly am.*

It's absolutely nothing to do with trying to catch out your girlfriend with a hunk of burning pixels. I gotcha.

 

*To be fair, I am.