Scams
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Scams are illegal actions done by players, usually to earn items without working much for it. Most players scam either for the fun of it or to obtain other players' items illegally.
Doing such things in Growtopia is frowned upon and CAN get you banned from Growtopia! Should you enter a world where a a scam is taking place, you are encouraged to leave the world as soon as possible (this may also help prevent others from being scammed). If you see an on-going scam, kindly inform the moderators by messaging them (to message a moderator, type /msg <moderator's name>). Do not attempt to solve any problems regarding scams by yourself as it may put you, as well as other players, in unnecessary trouble.
Reporting such scams, even with images or video clips, in the forum or sending an e-mail to the Support Team does nothing. The Support Team do not accept photographs or clips of the scam, and the forum is not a place to report such scams.
NOTE: For more info about scams and how to report them, visit the world STOPDONTDROP in Growtopia, should you need assistance in dealing with scams.
As of June 3, 2015, you are not able to trade a world with loosely dropped items, items in chests and items covered in public blocks. This patch terminated almost ALL scams related to world trade.
Types of Scams
This section is to inform you about most of the scams in the game. Do not pick up ideas from this section and do NOT attempt these in the game. Like what we have stated earlier, it is punishable.
Drop Game
The Drop Game is one of the most common scams. The scammer tells the participants/victims to drop their items on the ground in order to win a prize. However, you will be kicked/banned upon dropping the items. The scammer may also place a block on your item, preventing you from retrieving your item(s) back.
It is advisable to not oblige to whatever the scammer tells you to do. Even if the scammer leaves the world, he may have an ally that has access to the lock. Do not ever drop an item if someone tells you to. Most of the time, it is a scam.
Should a moderator encounter a game being hosted, the players who were speculating and participating will be cursed and sent to Hell, while the scammer and assistants will be banned by the Moderator.
If a moderator happens to be online, send them a private message and leave the world immediately. However, if there are no moderators online at that time, simply leave the world.
Drop Game Type 2
This is drop game in which the scammer lets you lock the world, and there's 1 cave entrance in both rooms that are hidden by the cave background. Once you drop your rares, the scammer will enter the cave entrance and scam your items. The second way that they can scam you is with wallpapers in the room. As you drop your items they will jump into the wallpaper and take them. Be carefull some wallpapers lIke black or white wallpapers are barely visible when next to a block of that color. The third version of this scam is when they use secret passages or any other entrance. If setting to public they can enter to take your items.
This Drop Game is unique. The scammer lets you lock the world that consists of two rooms and are constructed mainly with Cave Background or any other dark wallpapers, with a Cave Entrance in both rooms. The scammer would tell you to drop your items in the other room. Since it appears like you are blocked off, it is impossible for them to take your items. When you drop your items, they can enter the cave entrance and take your items.
Another type is when they ask you to go to a room made with blocks and a wallpaper that share the similar texture with each other (such as . As you drop your items, the scammer will walk through the wallpaper into the room you are in and take your items.
Another similar type of a drop game is when they tell you to drop your items in a room made of Wood Blocks.
Do not do what the scammer tells you to do. Ban them from the world and leave, or take the lock that you used to lock the world and leave.
Drop Game Type 3
A player without a GrowID (ex. Name_521) will get you to go to an unlocked world. They will then tell you to lock the world. After that, they will ask for you to grant them access to the World Lock. After you grant them access to the lock, they will tell you to go to a different world. Once you are there, they will then tell you to go back to the previous world. They will then come back as a new character that looks similar and has the same name, except for the number after their name. Most players will not notice this. They will say that they removed their own access They will then tell you to drop a World Lock in an enclosed area where they are not able to take it. After dropping your World Lock or any other item, they will tell you to respawn. When you do this, the scammer will come back on with the account that has access to the lock. They will then break into the area where you dropped your item and steal it.
In order to avoid such scams, simply ignore them.
Drop Game Type 4
A player would lie about quitting the game. He will then showcase his or her items that he or she promised to give away. The player will then pull a player in a cell and he or she would tell them to drop an item in order to win. When the victim drops an item, the player will either cover the dropped item with a block or ban the victim.
Some players will try to gain the trust of the potential victims, so he or she will ask his friend to play along. The scammer would pull his or her friend in a cell and when his or her friend drops an item, the scammer would reward his or her friend. The scammer would then proceed on to do the same with other unsuspecting players, the only difference is that the scammer will not reward them but will take the items from them.
World Trade Scam Type 1 (PATCHED)
This type is obvious, and not commonly used. The owner puts a checkpoint behind the dropped items in a world so that the checkpoint is not visible. The scammer will put other random items to cover the checkpoint and once you buy it, they will respawn and take it.
Similar to Type 1
This scam also uses doors behind dropped items, there will be items dropped to sweeten the bargain so you will buy the world, but behind the items there is a Cave Entrance, so that the scammers friend can take the items before you can get a chance to get near them. Usually, there are Cave Backgrounds behind the Cave Entrance to hide it. Always look closely, if you see Cave Background then it is more likely than not a "Trade Key" Scam.
World Trade Scam Type 2 (PATCHED)
This world scam is tricky enough to trick some people but some know what it is and to avoid it, they will go into the world with a door leading the items, but the door actually leads to another world with an insanely similar name, some can see on their chat (or can easily tell because its taking some time to travel worlds), so if they go back to the main world, and she/he bought the key, she/he would know that the other world, was actually not part of the world.
World Trade Scam Type 3
This is also a rare scam. The owner will block out rare items with what looks like wood. In reality, it is Secret Passage. He/she will put it far enough so that when you press on Wrench, you can't see that its a door. They could also pull a random person (often his friend/accomplice), and he/she will pretend to not understand. This is a hard scam to avoid, but it is normally not done.
How to avoid: Sometimes Secret Passages can slightly different to normal ones. Just ask the owner to cover up the item. If he doesn't, its a scam. If he does, it probably isn't (still might, but less likely).
World Trade Scam Type 4
In this scam, there will be a door with items dropped on it. The scammer will be standing beside a door that may or may not lead to the items. When the victim buys the key, the victim may ban the scammer. However, the scammer's friends (different IP Address) will then enter the door from another world and take back the items.
World Trade Scam Type 5
This is the most trickiest scam ever, the scammer's friend will be standing near the items and the scammer usually accept and move. Once you accepted and banned the scammer's friend, you will see a pathmaker. Which his/her other friends can use the ID to get the items. Some may include more friends.
World Trade Scam Type 6 (Similar to Type 5 and Type 1)
This is tricky and hard to avoid it. The scammer's friend will be standing near the items and the scammer usually accept and move. Once you accepted and banned the scammer's friend, you will see a checkpoint... Some people in the world could be his/her friends. They will respawn and get the items.
World Trade Scam Type 7
This is a rare scam and its easy to avoid if you look closely. The owner will place a water bucket on a block, and drop a pickaxe inside. They will say that they are selling a world with a Diamond Flashaxe. Then, they will pick up the pickaxe, and wear their OWN Diamond Flashaxe, and say that they are not scammers. Then when you pick up the item, you will be SCAMMED. A lot of other items can be used for this type of scam such as Diapers, Super Capes, Diamond locks, etc.
World Trade Scam Type 8
This scam uses 2 people, 1 being the owner and the other being an admin. The owner will sell a world with rare items in it which is dropped in a block far away from spawn. Once you purchase it, the owner will pull you in a box and trade you. The admin will then take the item before the owner gets world key. When you have completed the trade, you will notice that there is no items at the place the scammer dropped it. And of course, you are SCAMMED!
World Trade Scam Type 9
This is an extremely rare scam.Rich growtopians can do this.
The scammer may have a rare name world and/or have rare blocks/items in it.The the owner would broadcast "Sell Epic World for WLS!!!Rare blocks here!!!!!!!!" Then the victim would come to the world,to buy it.The owner would have a pre-made(Nothing destroyed,no blocks placed) world with a similar name .He would make sure he has the world key(from the untouched world) with him,trade it to the victim for the world locks,and ban the victim.The owner also would farm growtokens due to multiple buyers going there.
How to avoid:Pay close attention to the name of the world you are buying.
World Trade Scam Type 10
This is a scarce (Slightly Rare) scam.
The scammer will put rare items in a chest, highly combustible box, etc. Then he will tell you to look at a "surprise" underneath the storage item. Meanwhile, he would take the items from the chest, you might ask him to show the items, if you do he would pretend to take the items from an empty chest, puts the items back in and tells you to look a the "surprise again." He will ask you to trade with him so you can get scammed.
Scammed Victim
A player will tell other players that he or she has been recently scammed. With luck, the players will show sympathy to the 'scammed' player and they will donate items.
Refuse to donate to the dishonest player at any costs. If he or she persists, just ignore him (/ignore command).
Casino (Betting)
Casinos are common and are never trusted. You are required to bet your items with another player. You are then asked to spin a Roulette Wheel or something else that is similar. If you manage to win, the owner will either ban you immediately, or will allow you to win in order to gain your trust. Casinos and betting violate the game's rules. If you encounter a casino world, message a Moderator if there is any online. However, if there are no moderators online, ignore the world and leave.
With effect from July 20th, 2015, any kind of betting is banned in Growtopia. Should you ever be caught hosting such illegal actions, you will be banned from the game. Participating in a casino or anything that involves betting will also result in a punishment, but a lighter one.
Fake Growtoken Worlds
There are worlds in Growtopia that promise a reward upon completing the game, but end up not giving them a prize. This wastes the players' time and would result in the owner gathering Growtokens from the world. The owner of the world will either make the questions or the obstacles impossible to complete, resulting in players wasting their time trying to get the prize.
Please take note that just because the world does not give a prize doesn't always mean it is a scam. It is only a scam if the world tells you that you can receive a prize but, actually, you don't.
Trust Test
This type of scam is very common between friends. They would pressure the victim to grant them access to their lock or give them items to prove their trust. However, there is a high chance that the person would steal the item. If the victim refuses to give the items, the scammer would break their 'friendship'.
Donate to Win
Players are required to donate the rarest item to the scammer to receive a promised prize. Alternate players, or puppets, are commonly used to lure unsuspecting players into the game. Players will then donate rare items to the scammer. However, the players will not receive any rewards and will instead be banned from the world.
Break for Prize Scam
A player broadcasts asking players to help him break and says there will be a prize at the end to lure others. They do this to earn Growtokens, or because they are too lazy to break themselves. They will either ban or give a lame prize at the end, or even ignore the player after helping him break. This does not mean that all people asking for help are scammers.
How to avoid: Only help break if you know them well.
Password Door Game Scam
Players place password doors and broadcasts that there is a password door game and the winner will get the prize. But the owner puts a different password from the guess area. (e.g. 0 as a password although the door caption is "10 ~ 1000") Also the prize placed will be very rare to attract players. The owner does this to earn Growtokens. It starts off easy at first (1 -10) and is legit, but soon gets to insane things like 10,000 - 50,000, or something like "Owners 2nd world name" or "Owner's best friend" or "Owners real name". Usually the owner will make one legit one so everyone thinks that they are all real.
How to avoid: If it asks those sort of questions on password doors, it's a scam. Just leave the world to attract the world less.
Account Password Scam
The scammer will sell the password of a different account which is a "fake account" (nothing in the inventory, level one, no clothes) to scam the people who are buying. Once they buy it, they will login with the password and realize that they have been scammed.
EDIT: Buying/Selling/accounts is ILLEGAL!
How to avoid: Never buy accounts. Just make your own.
Phishing Scam Type 1
This scam is very simple. The scammer says he/she can hack Growtopia for the player but the player must send him/her the password. This type of scam is often done on YouTube videos.
How to avoid: Obviously its a scam. Never give your password to anyone (including moderators) no matter how legit it looks or how much you trust the player.
Phishing Scam Type 2
This scam is similar to type #1 but far more advanced. This scam is an advanced application that sends the player's password to the scammer's mail. This application could possibly bring malware to player's PC. This scam is often done by advanced scammers.
Selling Legendary item Scam A.K.A Growtoken scam
During the release of the Legendary Quests, and other new stuff, players will often fake the presence of the new things such as the Legendary Wizard to 'lure' other Players into the broadcaster/owner's world; usually to farm Growtoken. But to this day, many have learn't not to be tricked by these scams as only a few worlds have the Legendary Wizard placed in the world.
How to avoid: If something seems too good to be true, it is too good to be true. Legendary items are UNTRADEABLE.
Mannequin Scam
The owner will stand on a Mannequin. There will be either a Punch Jammer in the world or the owner is surrounded by blocks. The owner will be blocking the Mannequin.Then the owner would give you access.He will then ask you to right click your cloth and touch him ( The cloth is going onto the Mannequin ). Then he would remove your access and ban you!. To avoid, just break the Mannequin.
Expensive Buying Items or Cheap Selling Items Broadcast Scam (Sales Broadcast Scam)
You will always encounter this (almost) everyday. The scam works when the owner or admin broadcast that he/she is buying stuff for expensive stuffs (ex. World Lock, wings, etc.) or selling stuffs for cheap or free. Most common is to advertise parkour or quiz world. One of the example of spam broadcasting is "Buying 5 dirt seeds per wl!", "Buy Pickaxe for 3 WLs" or "Selling Angel Wings for 4 WLs!". When a buyer/selling is coming to the scammer's world, they found out they were tricked. Mostly, the victims shout to the visitors who heard the broadcast of the scammer's world to leave or complaining the owner of the world that he/she scams. The scammer usually world bans the victim who shout about the owner/admin scamming to keep the reputation of his/her world increasing or preventing the visitors to leave. The owner/admin does this to earn Growtokens and to lure many people to increase their fame and the world to be WOTD or to obtain World Honors. The punishment for this is duct-taped/curse by a moderator.
How to avoid: You will be able to see if it is real or not. If it says "Wait here for 10 minutes and get 10 World Locks", just leave to prevent attraction to the world.
The Counterfeit Scam
This is the same as a World Trade Scam but it's totally different. A scammer will drop a seed or block that is identical, or almost identical to a cheaper seed or block. One of the example is "Crystal Block Seed and Open Sign Seed", "Blackrock Wall Seed and Ocean Rock Seed" , "Pinball Bumper Seed and Yellow Block Seed", "Emerald Block Seed and Cash Register Seed" and "Birth Certificate and Secret of Growtopia" "Skyrocket Seed" and "Exclamation Sign Seed". It is very rare to find two different seeds with the same or similar colour and pattern. Then the scammer cover it with a block and broadcast that he is selling it for cheap. After you buy the world key, break the block and get the items, you are realized that you got scammed by the identical block or seed. Don't do it because the punishment is duct-taped and be cursed in Hell for a long time.
How to avoid: If it can be sold via trade then why would they sell it via world trade?
Trade Scam
You may think that trading is impossible to scam but finally it came. This scam is totally different from any other scam. The scammer will make the player pay attention to somewhere else while the scammer is changing items quickly, or will use lag as an excuse to change the items. It is quick that the player cannot press "Accept Trade" button. When the scammer stopped, the player without realizing that the trade has changed like 10 World Lock to 1World Lock or into golden tickets or diamond locks into ice and will accept trade without realizing the trade has already changed! Ex. Someone came to you and buy your Dragon Hand for 189 World Lock. The scammer will put and remove world locks from the trade window quickly and loop so the player cannot accept trade. The player will not concentrate on the trade window but will keep looking at the accept button. When the loop stopped, the player will accept trade quickly because he/she doesn't want to miss it. Without realizing that 189 World Lock has changed to 1 World Lock, the player will do the trade without checking what he/she is ACTUALLY trading with the scammer.
How to avoid: Always look at what you are trading but you don't have to worry about this with most people. Also if he removes and puts back more than twice just cancel trade. The second trade confirmation screen is there for a reason!
"Friend" Scam Type 1
A random player adds you as a friend on Growtopia, for example, someone you completely do not know tells you to "add friend". After you add him as a friend, he may pretend to be your good friend, example, by donating stuff to you. After sometime when he gains your trust as a friend, he will tell you to visit his world to play games, like "casino". But after you drop, he will immediately world ban you, and remove you as a friend.
How to avoid: NEVER DROP ANYTHING TO YOUR FRIEND! Unless, in reality, you know him/her well. But if your real life friend did, punch them in the face.
"Friend" Scam Type 2
This a more complex version of the "Friend" Scam. A random player adds you as a friend on Growtopia, for example, someone you completely do not know tells you to "add friend". The scammer creates a new "casino" world with another different account, and log out of the world. Then, after sometime, he will try to introduce you to his world where you will play "casino" with him. He will then proceed to play casino with you. You will think that the owner of the casino world is not online, so you will think that the casino is real and is not a scam. After you drop your items, he will log on to the world with his other account and ban his original account, before banning you. This will make you think that the owner the casino has scammed both of you, and the scammer using his original account will continue being your friend.
"Friend" Scam Type 3
This is a longer process of "Friend Scam". A random player will add you as friend on Growtopia. After a few days he/she will pretend to be a "Helpful Friend". Then he/she will give you access to his world and will ask if you can add him/her into your world. In a few days he/she will pretend to be friendly so you will think he is a real "Friend" and then when he/she asked you to get one of his valuable items (ex. Zombie Jammer) he/she will pretend you stole it and recorded in the Security Camera. And when he/she knows you are offline he/she will remove your access to the world and steal your items and grief your world. When you see your world he/she will come and tell that you stole his/her (ex. Zombie Jammer) and will remove you as a friend and ignore you.
Bat (@Play) Wings Scam (Fails to work on Growtopians now)
It is like the world trade scam but different.The owner places a mannequin with a gargoyle behind it,looking like bat wings.Then the owner broadcasts that he sells the world with the "Bat Wings" for a cheap/expensive price. After a player buys the world,he tries to get the "Bat Wings" but failed.He breaks the mannequin, realizing the he got scammed.
How to avoid: Bat wings DON'T exist in growtopia. It is similar looking to @Play's wings, don't get scammed. And remember that every wings in Growtopia are animated! (ripper wings glow instead of moving.)
Shop Scam
Another Growtoken scam. Common these days in Growtopia. Owner would Broadcast, Custom-Broadcast, or Super Broadcast saying that he/she is quitting and the items are for sale. They would place their valuables and on a sign, they'll write something like "Angels for 10 WLs" or some price that is way cheaper than it is or "Wait for 10 minutes to get 1 for free". The owner basically never answers to a buyer, never does anything except stand, world bans them when they have the actual world locks or leave the world for a long time. People fall for this scam easily and the owner just farms Growtokens while people are wasting their time.
How to avoid : Leave the world you will just waste your time and at least 25% shops are scams.
Famous People Scam
Same as Expensive Buying Items or Cheap Selling Items Broadcast Scam (Sales Broadcast Scam) but it's slightly different. The owner or admin broadcast or super broadcast that a famous person is present in his/her world. Most people came due to this broadcast but they fall with this scam. The owner/admin did this to farm Growtokens and the visitors to waste their time in his/her world. They had learn not to be scammed by /msg a famous person or use /mods for locating a moderator.
How to avoid: You can check on youtube/twitter what most people will really do during their free times. Otherwise,they are in their original youtube/twitter world.
"Recording" Scam
The most well known type of the Recording Scam is the "Donate, I am recording" scam. The owner or admin of a world will broadcast something quite similar to this: "I am recording, please come and donate!" Please, DO NOT DONATE TO A PERSON YOU DON'T KNOW. Only donate to people who you truly trust and really know. Once you donate something good, the owner or admin of the world will start to praise you, and perhaps say: "OMG I RECORDED ON YOUTUBE, THANK YOU VERY MUCH!" This will make you think that you are on YouTube and you are going to be famous because you donated something worth of value. But in reality, they haven't recorded anything, and they are trying to steal your good items.
Another scam (this is quite rare) goes quite further and can be quite easy to fall for. They will ask you to help them record a video with them, often with a subject that includes dropping your items. One such subject is called: "Noob vs Pro". If you are quite rich and have an item that people would want, this may happen to you. A person will approach you in any world, ask them to help you with their vid, and friend you so you can warp to their world. The "Noob vs Pro" subject goes along the lines of this: The "noob" person (the person who approached you) will tell you to hide somewhere while they do a "noob" act (noob farm with dirt, noob donation, etc). Once they say something, you will come in and mock them. Then, it may switch over to you, the "pro", to do a pro act. They may tell you to grab some of your good farmables and place them down so you can destroy them and mock the noob while they "record". After some of this goes on, they may go to the donation subject. They will drop a low tier item (dirt, small lock, etc.) and then you, the pro, mock them for it. After that, they will ask you to drop an item worth of World Locks (Dragon Hand, StarBoard, Cultist Set, etc.) and quickly pick it back up. This is where you get scammed. Once you drop it, they may:
- Block the item and proceed to ban you.
- Kick you and take the item.
- Ban you and take the item.
Either of these options still result in you getting scammed. Once they successfully scam you, they will unfriend you and ignore you. Please, only record with people who you truly trust, like your real life friend(s). If your friends do this, well, you can't trust anyone.
Donate to Noob Scam
This one is quite hard to fall for, because you don't really want to donate to someone you don't know. Even so, this method still works on some people. This scam works by a person going on a fresh new account or a guest account and getting "noob" clothes from their main world. Basically, a rich person creates a fresh new account or logs onto a guest account to get some clothing that people wouldn't usually wear because it makes them look like a newbie or a noob. Then, the person would go into a world with quite a lot of people and would say something like this: "I am a noob, please donate!!" Usually everyone ignores this, but every so often, a poor gullible fish comes by to donate (possibly) some rares. When nobody responds, they usually go to the richest person they see and say their sentence again. When the rich person says no, they persist and may spam: "pls! donate pls!" Once someone donates something of value to the noob, the noob goes to their main world and drops the item, logs back on their main account, and takes the item. Profit for them, none for you.
How to avoid: Just don't donate to people you don't know. Or, ignore them and leave them be.
Super Broadcast Scam a.k.a Growtoken Scam
Like: Hamumu and Seth is Here or Buy Pickaxe 1/3 World Locks.
This scam was found in trading/minigames world. An owner broadcast or super broadcast that he/she buys super broadcast for rares or WLs. After the victim spend their gems to super broadcast, the owner world bans him/her, ignore him/her or give a lame prize to you. You will instead waste your gems and the owner will get Growtokens However, on the other side, the world owner could get scammed too. For now, "pay for sb first" is still debatable.
How to avoid: Don't buy/sell a Sb. Do your own Sb. Be patient to be level 20/Supporter. Or you can buy a Megaphone from Locke for 20 World locks.
Phone Booth Scam (PATCHED)
This scam is using one of the item from the superhero pack, called Phone Booth. First, the scammer will broadcast that he/she will do a giveaway. Then,The scammer will give you the access on the Phone Booth. The scammer will ask you to punch the phone booth while you are standing in front of it. Then, he will ask you to press the "yes" button. Finally, your clothes will be in the Phone Booth, the scammer will remove your access and then kick/ban you. Sometimes, the scammer will ask you to pay if you want to have the giveaway prize (when the player doesn't know that he/she is going to be scammed).
EDIT: Phone Booth are only accessible by its original owner (The one who really owns the Locks - Small, Big, Huge and World Lock).
Phone Booth Scam 2 (World Trade Scam)
This scam is different from the 1st Phone Booth Scam. Someone will have a Phone Booth in their world, and they would wear rare clothing. Then they'd put those items in the Phone Booth, and after that, quickly use their wrench to take those items out without putting them on. Then, the person would sell the world, and when its bought, the buyer will soon notice, that thay have been scammed. This scam is getting more known each day.
How to avoid : If they can just drop and cover up the items with dirt(which will be more useful) why don't they do it?
Fake Players In Autorun Worlds (PATCHED)
This scam is when the main player/owner makes a world-locked world with a portal (Ex. Orange Portal) near the white door. He/she will then use a couple fake accounts (5-10 or more) to stay in that world. What happens is that, The world will appear in your world list. The Scammer may put a rare name or a "luring name" to lure the player into the world. Then the player will be forced to go into the portal or be punched by a fake account, While the other accounts are hiding somewhere in the world. The Scammer uses that advantage to get honors for both worlds, And get alot of Growtokens. A example world of this scam is called "GIVEAWAY12" Sometimes, You can see this world in your world list and it will show many players with the same name. (Ex. Dongs1, dongs2, dongs3, dongs4... etc.)
EDIT :This scam is now impossible because you can no longer punch people thats in the white door.
Random Pull Scam
This scam is usually done by players who wants to earn some growtokens. The owner will broadcast or tell someone that she/he is hosting a giveaway. Then when there are already plenty of players in the world, the owner will drop their item and say that they will pull random players. Then the owner will pull either their trusted friends or fake accounts and give the item to them so the fake account/friend can return the item to the owner after the giveaway. Then the owner will do it again and again to other fake accounts/friends until it's done. So, since there were huge amounts of players that entered the world the owner will have plenty of growtokens.
Spleef Scam
This scam is commonly used (be careful!) and it's easy. The owner puts a rare prize (e.g. World Lock) and hosts the spleef. The owner will ask people to pay when they died. At the end, the victims realized that they have been scammed and realized their mistakes.
How to avoid: If you get asked to pay for life in a spleef game, never pay. It is safer not to pay.At least 25% spleef games are scams.
Glitch Seed Scam
The glitch seed scam is used by players to trick other players that the seed is a glitch so the scammer will sell it in a high price. The scammer will place the seed (which is not really a glitch seed) in a world and sell the world in a high price. Then the scammer will tell others that it is a glitch seed, so players will be interested in buying it. So when the player who bought the world will receive a seed that isn't really a glitch.
How to avoid: Now Glitch Clothing Seeds aren't glitch seeds, many are being added because of the Clothing Compactor. Otherwise, ask the owner to buy it from trade. If he says no, its a scam.
Glitch Seed Scam Type 2
This is the new scam that rare to find but be advanced scam type. Owner will drop any same (or almost) color (layer and main colour) and then drop glass pane seed in treasure chest and cover it with water. And owner will bc that it was a glitch seed. When other ask owner to show in treasure chest , owner will quickly open and close the chest. So it may look like a new seed. When a player bought that world will receive 2 seed (1 glass pane and other depend on owner to drop).
How to avoid: If there is a Treasure Chest, water over it and items in it, its a scam no matter what. Just shout "SCAM" to warn other players and instantly leave the world.
Treasure Chest Scam (PATCHED)
This is a scam that is rarely used. The scammer will put the rare item in the edge of the treasure chest which is sticking out and broadcast she/he is selling the world and then pull some random people that to prove everyone that the treasure chest is not public. He will later punch the treasure chest showing everyone the item inside. Once trading with the victim the trade menu that warns you about getting scammed will block the treasure chest and that makes the victim distracted. And the scammer will be REALLY close to the edge of the treasure chest which the item is sticking out of (It's closed) and quickly punch it to get the item and close it quickly. The victim won't notice and he will accept the trade while the owner quickly leaves or stay. When the player bought the scam world he will get nothing in the chest.
UPDATE: Owners of worlds are not allowed to take the world key when there are items in treasure chests or floating unblocked in the world.
Fake Item Quantity Scam
This scam is uncommon . The scammer sells a world with a World Lock. Then he places a random item behind it (e.g.: Grass, Glass Pane, etc.). There is only one World Lock. The player buys the world and gets it and gets only 1 of it.
UPDATE: Locks now have a orange border.
Tap the Door Scam
Most of the Growtopians knows this is a scam. It says tap the door 200 times to enter the door and get the prize. It is a very known scam, Mostly in minigame scam worlds. It is just Target world Goes to it's own ID.
Example:
Target World: Noob
ID: Noob
So it doesn't lead to the other door, instead leads to itself.
How to avoid: Simply leave the world, because you are wasting your time.
Fake World lock (Yellow Block) Key Scam (PATCHED)
This scam is hard tricky enough for you to get scammed. The Owner will broadcast that he buys an item,
Example: Owner buys Skeletal Dragon Claw for 300 World Locks and More!
But then you see 100 World Locks on the Dirt on top of 200 World locks.
DON'T BE FOOLED: The 200 World locks are actually Yellow Blocks which are hidden underneath the 100 World locks hiding the blocks making them appear like 200 World locks. Then if the buyer buys the world, he would be scammed selling the item for just 100 World Locks!
EDIT: Locks now have a orange border.
Chest Game
In this game, you will be asked to pay the owner/admin an amount of WLs or rares. The items will be hidden within the chests. The owner/admin can lie to you that there are large prizes in one of the chests (Or more). Be cautious, as they can put low rarity items in the chests, so they can profit from your initial payment.
Note: There is no guarantee that any of the chests will contain any higher rarity prizes than the items you paid. Be careful with these games, as they can be a scam.
EDIT: With effect from July 20th, any kind betting is banned in Growtopia. You will be banned similarly to a drop game if you host betting. Participating in betting will also result in punishment, to a lesser extent.
"Mammoth Tree in World Scam"
In this scam, the owner will broadcast "Mammoth tree in world! Selling!" Just before you buy the world, the owner will quickly harvest and take the items, and you won't have it. This scam can also be used with other rare trees (e.g. Ice Calf, Crystal/Ruby/Emerald, Rainbow Wing, etc.)
How to avoid: Always ask the owner to surround the tree with blocks and have the /ban in your chat, so when you buy, you will get it.
"Vending Machine Scam"
In this scam, the owner will BC,CB or SB, said "Sell <any number> <any farmable> for WL" or "GIVEAWAY USE VENDING MACHINE, HURRY OR OTHER PLAYERS WILL GET IT" After you enter, the world is like a giveaway path leading to the vending machine. This scam method is so effective that people don't read it carefully. After you wrench the vending machine you might notice that <any number> and the <any farmable>. If you read it carefully you might see "cost 1 World Lock each"
HOW TO AVOID: Make sure you read the Vending Machine trade confirmation carefully. Don't buy items in the Vending Machine unless you need it.
World Key Vending Machine Scam (PATCHED)
In this scam, the owner of the world will BC,CB or SB "Sell world key." The owner will put the world key into
the Vending machine, then sell it for example,10 World Locks. Then, when you buy the world key, the world will not transfer to your account. The owner will take your World Lock(s).
No World Lock Scam
In this scam, 2 players who are friends put a big lock and broadcasts: QUITTING COME GET MY ITEMS DROP AND WIN! And a lot of people go in, but they narrow it down and see which one is gullible enough to drop and they put a world lock and type /ban player.
How to avoid:
Just place a random lock in the world so they can't place the world lock and LEAVE WORLD.
Giveaway Scam
In this scam, the owner with do a typical exit door giveaway. When he countdowns, he then says "GO' and then collects the items himself. then he will repeat the procedure all over again. that means he is trying to farm Growtokens.
How to avoid: Just simply tell everyone to leave and LEAVE!
Spam door game 2
In this scam you enter the spam door game and pass through all the doors but the last one has no id so you go back to the white door.
Autorun Scam
In this scam the owner might place a portal linking to an Autorun world but with no exit to the other side.
How to avoid: See if there are any players up there before you enter the portal.
Public vending machine scam (PATCHED)
The scammer will put a small lock that is open to public and then he will put a vending machine in it and when you try to break the vending machine you will have to buy the items inside which the item maybe a huge lock or lower then sell the item for 2 world locks or higher and when you see the items are so many it is impossible for that much players to buy the item you can already tell it is a scam. Even if all the players have bought all the items, you still can't get the machine until the owner takes the world locks inside the machine.
PATCH: Public vending machines are now disabled.
Trade Scam #2
In this scam, people will buy you rares. (Eg: Devil Wings, Angel Wings) but they offer something less rare for the item. (eg: Block Glue). Then, someone(his/her friend) comes in and buy Block Glue for an expensive item, leading you to think that Block Glue suddenly became expensive. Hence, you buy the item for your rares, thinking that the other guy is overpaying you, but it is the direct opposite!
How to Avoid: Always check the price of the item people are selling!
Beach World Scam (Patched)
In this scam, the owner will make a pristine untouched beach world and take the item in the chest(s). And he would place a lot of chests in the world and broadcast "SELLING PRISTINE BEACH WORLD UNTOUCHED!!!" And the victim would buy the world and find out that there is nothing in the chests.
How to avoid: LEAVE!
Patched: You can't sell worlds with items in treasure chests now so don't get fooled that the chests are untouched.
Fake Growboard Scam
The owner drops a Hot Head inside a dirt covered with water. The flame hair will look like a Growboard and the owner will sell the world for cheaper than the Growboard's price itself. Once you pick the "Fake Growboard" (Hot Head) up you will realise it is a scam.
How to avoid: Only do world trade for its name or the blocks placed in it. The only reason that you would buy a world for items is that it is a big trade with more than 4 items or over 200 of the same item.
How to avoid: Look closely to the Growboard and make sure it is actually a Growboard.
Breaking World Lock Scam
The owner will broadcast (/bc) or super broadcast (/sb) for example: (/bc Hey guys I am quitting breaking lock here) or (/sb Owner quitting removing world lock here hurry!!) . When you enter the world, there is only a single block for you to place a world lock if the owner actually breaks the world lock in the world, BUT. when he is about to break the World Lock, he places a donation box on the space everyone tries to place their own locks in. Some people will be scammed of their World Locks as they might accidentally donate their hard-earned World Locks to the Owner of the world. Even someone donated 2 Diamond Locks by accident. That was horrible...
PATCH: Donation boxes need to warm up for 5 seconds after placing
Or, the owner will simply fake break the lock by punching it until it looks like it's going to break, or equips a Cursed Wizard Hat with a Cyclopean Visor and/or a Heartbow and punch the World Lock repeatedly. While it may look like they're breaking the World Lock, they're actually getting nowhere, as a Cursed Wizard Hat and a Cyclopean Visor or a Heartbow can't break anything. They're just trying to get Growtokens off of you.
Similar Seed Scam 1
In this scam, the scammer will pick a seed similar to another rarer seed (For Example: Leaf Block seed and Venus Guytrap seed as shown in the picture in the right) And /bc SELL VENUS GUYTRAP SEEDS SELL 200 (If he has 200 leaf Block Seeds) And the victim will buy all 200 (if he has enough World Locks) And the owner will disconnect. When the victim plants it, he will then realize he has been scammed.
How to avoid: Tap the seeds in trade to verify the name of the seed. Also, there's the trade confirmation screen for a reason!
Shop Scam 2
So, the owner gives you a free shop with a big lock, then you start putting stuff to sell. After you put stuff to sell, the next day the owner steals all your stuff (or he bans you as soon as you fill your "free shop") and YOU DO NOT HAVE ACCESS.
How to avoid: Just make your own shop you must not waste your items to get a slot just make your own just do a lot of hard work and your shop at first might seem noobish with alot of hard work you can finally have a pro shop and a lot of pro items to sell.
Vending Machine Scam 2
The owner will bc/sb: sell (item) for (price). The owner might also sb/bc giveaway (item.) There will be 3 or more vending machines with doors separating them. The owner will open each door one at a time. The door will be opened and the last vending machine will be a scam.
Ex: Broadcast: Sell Devil Wings 50 World Locks cheap!
Vending Machine #1: Devil Wing Fragment for 50 WLs
Vending Machine #2: Devil Wing Fragment for 50 WLs
Vending Machine #3: Devil Wing Fragment for 200 WLs.
Wikia Scam (Advertising on THIS website)
In this scam, people will advertise stuff like FREE ITEMS on a new page they just created and put links that direct to the website for advertising.
How to Avoid: DO NOT GO TO THE WEBSITE!
How to get rid of: Delete all content and do { {delete} } (I did not do the actual delete because it will show up the box instantly.)
Slime Leash Scam
In this scam, the owner will place 3 vending machines (similar to the Vending Machine Scam) and sb "SELL SLIME LEASH/PET SLIME 30WLs EACH!!!" and he will open all 3 but it's actually Slime blocks, not the actual leash. then he will put the first 2 machines to 30 world locks each but the last one will be 1 world lock.
How to avoid: Leave World as usual or just don't buy.The slime leash and slime well....They are totally different they may sound the same but it's crazy that you might get scammed because slime and slime leash and when you see the picture of the item you are not that gullible right? Also, the Vending Comfirmation screen is there for a reason!
Garbage Block Scam
The owner will leave something like a HL or a BL (Or maybe even a WL) and will leave it on the floor in a world locked world, When the player comes in, The owner will put a Garbage block over the lock that is on the floor, Usually the Main Door is blocked with dirt or house entrances, The player will think that the owner doesn't know that garbage is public (So anyone can break it) and will ask the owner to pull him, The owner will ask for a SL or something rare the player has for access, When the player gives the items (Usually it's via trade) the owner will world ban the player.
How to avoid: Everybody knows garbage can be broken by anyone (Even if they don't have access) and never pay for access. Usually the world (Or atleast the entrance) Will look like this image.
Super Broadcast Scam
The scammer will broadcast that he is buying Super Broadcasts for WLs. The owner will pull you into a room with a sign on what to broadcast and the price (in a block). After you Super Broadcast, the owner will ban you from the world or an admin will take the WLs in the block, scamming you.
How to avoid: Selling Super Broadcasts is like doing a trust test with someone else. Never sell Super Broadcasts if you do not want to get scammed!
The "I can't see items in trade" Scam
So someone would ask you to show rares but he pretends he can't see in trade, then he asks you to follow him to his world. After that, he tells you to drop the rare items (most likely happens in hotel worlds when the scammer is owner's friend) then owner will ban you and get items.
How to avoid: Just leave the guy alone and ignore.
Minigames Ice Jump Scam (or how you wanna call it)
It happens in minigame worlds. After finishing a minigame there would be a ice jump and there will be a Screen Door on water. Well that door is a display block with it on (because the display block will turn blue when there's a block in it.
How to avoid: Set your graphics to high and see if it is a display block or use a item(any item) on the door or display block,if it says Only the owner can place blocks here,then it's a display block(although this is tricky)
Conclusion
In order to avoid getting scammed, you need to learn how to control yourself. Do not give in to greed or to whatever the scammer says. Just ignore whatever other people say that can lead to you getting scammed. Simply put, have common sense and do not be stupid.