Trivia Ball 2.2 by Rejeanne Cannoli

[Shyla Starflare]

Hoping for an expert to advise me...
I bought the trivia ball to put on my mainland parcel, just for use by my group for entertainment.
When I first set it down on my land, I get this scary warning (attached below).
Is that something normal for which I should trust?  Or deny?

[Rowan Amore]

From one of the reviews on MP, the creator responded to this question...

on January 21, 2023, Rejeanne Cannoli said:

It is clear the reviewer does not understand how money is handled by scripts in Second Life. Or trust any of the positive reviews. Or understand how to ask politely for an explanation. A refund has been issued.

- The ball (optionally) pays out money when a player issues a correct response.
- This money has to come from somewhere. The ONLY place it can come from is the owner's account. PERMISSION IS REQUIRED BY ALL SECOND LIFE SCRIPTED OBJECTS THAT DO THIS. IT IS NOT A SECRET.
- If somebody starts a game the money is paid INTO the owner's account. (Unless the owner starts the game).
- The ball NEVER pays out more than it was paid. IT DOES NOT STEAL YOUR MONEY.

[Shyla Starflare]

thank you, rowan. 
I did not buy it on marketplace.
I bought it in-world store.
is there a way to see reviews-responses at in-world stores?

 

[Rowan Amore]

No, but you can read the reviews on the MP.   I'd imagine sending a notecard to the creator might be an option as well if you have any concerns or questions.  

[Lindal Kidd]

That's an awful small, ad-hoc, sketchy looking sort of store. It could just be a small-time merchant, or it could be a setup. While most devices that request access to your account are legit, there are some that are most definitely not (usually things that are given to you by some stranger).

There are a couple of things you can do to protect yourself.

• Transfer most or all of your L$ to an alt account. Then rez the thing, set it up, and play with it for a few days. See if it tries to suck any money out of your account that it should not. Since there is little or no money IN your account, there's very little at risk. (Note: if the device does steal your money, simply take it back into your inventory and send in an Abuse Report on the seller. The device can not do anything to anybody unless it is rezzed in world.)
• See if the creator has an in world support group. If so, join it. You might then privately IM a few of the other members and get their opinions on the creator and the item in question.
• Check to see if the store owner is the actual creator of the device. You can do this by comparing the owner(s) of the vendors and prims in the store against the creator of the trivia ball in your inventory. How long have the seller (and the creator, if they are different) been in SL? Very new accounts are suspect.
• Check to see if the same item is sold on the Marketplace, as Rowan suggests. If it is, what do the reviews look like?

[Shyla Starflare]

Thank you so much, Lindal.
I followed your advice, except could not find a Group.
There are only 6 items sold in store and all appear by same creator.
There is a Redelivey terminal standing near the items, however, it does not work at all.
Creator has been in sl since 2005.
I shifted my Linden-cash to alt, so feeling safer on that issue, I rezzed the trivia ball.
So far, so good.
Thank you once again.