The term "hacking" needs to be cleared up. No one has EVER HACKED into the neopets website. Yes, there are bugs in their servers and databases, but no one has EVER HACKED into their database. There is a BIG BIG BIG difference between HACKING and MANIPULATING HTML coding. Just like there is a BIG difference between telling a lie and stealing. Manipulating HTML is done OUTSIDE of neopets. It is because Neopets GIVES US the abilities to CUSTOMIZE our pet's pages and shops that gives us all this problem. IF neopets BANNED all customization, there would be NO stealing of accounts in Neopets. Also there are some really naive players out there. They get fooled and tricked into scams. Just like someone was probably stupid enough to spend 500 NP at a chance to win a codestone. Yes it's bad to scam people, but that happens in real life as well. Why do you think there are lawsuits all the time??? It's because people are busy scamming other people for REAL money. So the only thing is to be SMART and DON'T FALL for scams. Don't get tempted into sending someone your Neopets username and p@$$ just so you can get 1 million NP. DON'T BUY expensive neoitems for a chance at a contest. Keeping your account safe is up to you.



" Hacking vs. Scamming: Part 2 " Now if someone HACKED into the Neopets database, ALL OF OUR ACCOUNTS WOULD BE GONE. If someone HACKED into the Neopets database, it means they would have stolen ALL our usernames and p@$$es. HACKING means someone physically got into a database. It's not just manipulation, it's PHYSICAL access to a database and its contents. For example, someone HACKED into another person's website and CHANGED the front page to another website. That is consider HACKING cause they got INSIDE the database. NO ONE has ever HACKED into the Neopets database. So PLEASE be careful how you use the word "hacking". It takes a lot more brains to HACK than it does to SCAM.



" Various Scamming Tricks: " About P@$$es... Neopets Staff NEVER asks you for y0ur p@$$. NEVER give it out!!! I've heard of people who gave their p@$$es to their "NEOFRIENDS" and realized that their entire account got stolen. I've even heard of people giving their p@$$ to their family members and they're accounts got looted. So if you are going to give out y0ur p@$$, then know that you may not see your account again.



Beware neocomers, scammers main targets are newbies, because they know that newbies are new to the game and are totally innocent and naive to the NeoPets world. So be really careful!!! Also there is NO SHAME in being new to a game, it just sucks if your VERY first friendly neomail happens to be from a scammer. You can give your account name to people (how else will they know about your shop, pets, etc). But never give out y0ur p@$$ or the email address you use. Also, never change your email because someone asks you too. TIP : NEVER set y0ur P@$$ the same as your NeoID TIP : NEVER let y0ur p@$$ be something easy like 12345 TIP : Always remember your OWN NeoID and p@$$!!!!



" Neomails and other... " Here's a some of what to watch out for when you read your neomails. Always report something like this to http://www.neopets.com/autoform_abuse.phtml?abuse=report. Give the Neopets Staff the NeoID of the people that send neomails like this. P@$$ Scam through Neomail Case Study #1: I think i'll just get 1million np the boring old fashioned way hwy its your choice ill give it to the runner up (does it involve sending you a million neopoints then getting it back?) no i simply put a cheat in your account (ohh...really?) ***or this...*** Congratulations you have won our guild prize draw of 1million neopoinds please reply immedietly with y0ur p@$$ (no) but you logged in on our leaders birthday (yup) so do you want the np (um no) (...but i'm not in ur guild...?) P@$$ Scam through Neomail Case Study #2: There are many websites that promises you lots of NPs if you give them your username and p@$$! DON'T fall for it!!! It's just another p@$$ scam! Just take a look at the URL below, it's totally obvious it's a temp page trying to steal y0ur p@$$! http://www.geocities.com/element_sk8er_4life2002/temporarypreviewfile.html?1006143674010 P@$$ Scam through Neomail Case Study #3: People in the chats go around saying how Neopets has super-security, and if they post their p@$$, then it will end up like this: *******, BUT, if you post y0ur p@$$ on that post, then y0ur p@$$ will end up in WORDS, NOT ****** thingys... so they can see y0ur p@$$ and get inside your account.. Its really sad, cause I've seen some people actually FALL for it. and next thing you know, that person comes around saying "AHHHH!!!!! MY ACCOUNT HAS BEEN SCAMMED!!!!" poor little neopians...



" Neomails and other... " Here's a some of what to watch out for when you read your neomails. Always report something like this to http://www.neopets.com/autoform_abuse.phtml?abuse=report. Give the Neopets Staff the NeoID of the people that send neomails like this. P@$$ Scam through Neomail Case Study #1: I think i'll just get 1million np the boring old fashioned way hwy its your choice ill give it to the runner up (does it involve sending you a million neopoints then getting it back?) no i simply put a cheat in your account (ohh...really?) ***or this...*** Congratulations you have won our guild prize draw of 1million neopoinds please reply immedietly with y0ur p@$$ (no) but you logged in on our leaders birthday (yup) so do you want the np (um no) (...but i'm not in ur guild...?) P@$$ Scam through Neomail Case Study #2: There are many websites that promises you lots of NPs if you give them your username and p@$$! DON'T fall for it!!! It's just another p@$$ scam! Just take a look at the URL below, it's totally obvious it's a temp page trying to steal y0ur p@$$! http://www.geocities.com/element_sk8er_4life2002/temporarypreviewfile.html?1006143674010 P@$$ Scam through Neomail Case Study #3: People in the chats go around saying how Neopets has super-security, and if they post their p@$$, then it will end up like this: *******, BUT, if you post y0ur p@$$ on that post, then y0ur p@$$ will end up in WORDS, NOT ****** thingys... so they can see y0ur p@$$ and get inside your account.. Its really sad, cause I've seen some people actually FALL for it. and next thing you know, that person comes around saying "AHHHH!!!!! MY ACCOUNT HAS BEEN SCAMMED!!!!" poor little neopians...



" Fake Login " One of the MOST common ways for people to lose their accounts are to FAKE LOGIN pages. Now it's one thing that you try to avoid them, it's another thing that YOU KNOW how to spot them!!! Lesson 1 : Fake Login pages are most commonly found in people's SHOPS. Lesson 2: If you notice a Faerie PaintBrush going for 1000 NP instead of 100,000 NP, it's most likely a scam. So if it's too good to be true, it probably is. Lesson 3: How do you know if the login page is a fake?? Well, this is up to your Internet expertise. But a good rule of thumb is if you go to a shop, click on something that is cheap, and then the next page is to ask for your LOGIN name and p@$$, it probably is a FAKE LOGIN page. However, to recognize a fake one, you must first understand what a TRUE GENUINE Login Page is suppose to look like: (As you will note, the URL is always http://www.neopets.com/loginpage.phtml Recognizing and understanding URLs will help you avoid a bunch of scams on the Internet. If you see a Neopets page, but the URL starts with something other than www.neopets.com then you have been transferred to another website and you will be giving away y0ur p@$$ to a scammer. FAKE LOGIN PAGE STUDY I just got informed that this shop is a scam. http://www.neopets.com/browseshop.phtml?owner=hellokitty2190 This shop is a scam shop. You can tell that by hovering over the item for sale, it will be taking you to a site OUTSIDE of NeoPets. If you get a fake login page, the URL is NOT http://www.neopets.com/ So if you LOGIN here - YOU WILL LOSE YOUR ACCOUNT!!!! This is why it's VERY important that you know EXACTLY which URL you are going to. If you have your web browser set at FULL SCREEN, you won't know when you are being scammed until it's too late. So BOO on hellokitty2190



" Chain Letters " An actual neomail sent to one of my neofriends::: (O.k. First I want to Note This Isn't my program, Don't Give me credit for it) Anyways.............I just Got 500,000,000 Np From This Guy Named George Basset This is sooooo Cool Man.....I Had 25,000 Np So It Started Multipling My 25,000 Np By 20,000 Np (25,000 X 20,000=500,000,000) So That Is It.......Oh Yeah The Website is : www.geocities.com/codys_room_inc/BeARichNeopian.html Have Fun

The above doesn't seem like it's a "chain" neomail scam, but it is still a general neomail scam. It is soliciting you to visit a site OUTSIDE of NeoPets to earn Neopoints through manipulation of NeoPets programming. If the person was geniune about helping someone earn money, he will NEVER ask you for a username or p@$$, nor will he manipulate ANY type of NeoPets HTML.



" Chain Letters: Part 2 "

#2 (exact copy of scam neomail below) Dear NeoPets Member, as you may have noted, we have recently reached our goal of 16 million Neo Pets Members! As part of this special commemoration, we would like to thank you and all of the other Neo Pets members by holding a special contest. In this contest we put all of the names of the Neo Pets members into a computerized randomizer, then this computer randomly chose a name. We would like to be the first to congratulate you, you have won!!! This prize package includes 100,000 Np, the complete set of faeries, and the complete set of codestones. To send you these prizes though, we must receive y0ur p@$$. This is because of two reasons, the first is... we have created a special software that enables us to send money, since the software requires both the sender and the recipient to be on, we need to sign on to both accounts at the same time. The second is... when you register to neopets we DO NOT keep y0ur p@$$, this is because we feel it is unfair to you that we know your confidential information. Please reply shortly to Neopetdatabase@hotmail.com in the e mail make sure to include y0ur p@$$ and screen name. The Central Database of Neopia #2 is a classic example of how scammers use the current condition of NeoPets to their advantage. So be aware of what is happening in NeoPets so you don't get scammed into a convincing neomail. REMEMBER, the NeoPets Staff NEVER asks you for y0ur p@$$!!! If they ever did, I would report the incident to abuse@neopets.com It's better to be safe than sorry.



" Chain Letters: Part 3 "

#3 (exact copy of scam neomail below) To neopets member We have decided to delete unused accounts. Send this message to 10 other people or your account will be deleted, you will get 5 sneggs for sending the message. Case Study #3 is one of the most basic chain letter scams. They use the fear tactic to scare you into sending chain neomails around neopets to slow down the Neopets Server. In reward for your fear, they promise you free neoitems. REMEMBER, the NeoPets Staff NEVER delete accounts!!! They just freeze them =P Yes, I've got my account frozen before too, I know the fear. But with time, patience, and NICE emails to the staff, they will open the account again. So don't forward chain neomails on!!! It's a waste of your time, your neofriends' time, and it slows down the Neopets Server!!!



" My Special Today::: " My Scamming Special today is shop scams!!! Yay! These are highly used, and here are the things to watch out for! If you see a shop that is telling you to buy things for 1000 NP (and the items are really only worth 5 NP) and the shop claims that in return, you'll get secrets cheat codes or a fearie paint brush ... BEWARE, IT'S A SCAM!!! If you buy from that shop, you'll probably NEVER hear back from them. Meanwhile, you've already lost your money. A good example is an email I got. They sent an email that said: ARE YOU TIRED OF BEING POOR? THEN BUY FROM MY SHOP AND I'LL TELL YOU HOW YOU CAN MAKE MILLIONS! Well, right off the bat you can't tell if it's a scam. They could be a legitimate person that probably has a list of Internet sites that gives you hints on how to become a Neopian Millionaire. So I got curious and visited their shop, they were selling things like scarfs and capri suns for 1000 NP. You know that scarfs and carpi suns are NOT worth 1000NP. So is this person a scammer?? Perhaps yes, perhaps not. But you'll DEFINITELY BE WASTING YOUR NEOPOINTS IF YOU BUY FROM THEIR SHOP!!! I'm sure someone in Neopets will neomail abuse@neopets.com. This is really a call for the Neopets Staff. But if this person gives out ANY types of cheat codes or ways to sabatoge a game so that you earn money the cheaters way ... be prepared to lose your account!!!! The Neopets Staff monitors EVERYTHING!!! There are tons of Internet sites out there that gives you ideas of how to be a Neopian Millionaire WITHOUT CHEATING. Cheaters NEVER win, they may earn lots of money at first, but things will always catch up with them at the end. So DON'T be tempted to cheat! You'll regret it at the end. Shops like the above examples prey on Neopians who want to earn money the easy way. So don't fall for it!!! Earn NeoPoints the right way, and you'll appreciate the game much more.



" Shops: Part 2 " NEW SHOP SCAM!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Scammers have now found a way to post a cheap price in the shop, but when it asks if to confirm the price, the price is at an outrageous price. So beware, don't just click ok to buy unless you know how much you're really paying!!! I went to a shop and clicked on an item marked 100np. The notice came up saying 'Are you sure you want to buy this item...' and it said it was priced at 55000np or something outrageous like that! i don't know how they managed to do it but it nearly fooled me.

Here's A really convincing (but dumb) scam. In their shop someone said... "Make Thousands of NP in Less Than 2 Months! *~~ I had no idea that making money could be so simple. This really works and this is NOT A SCAM! I have been scammed before and believe me, it isn't fun. If you would like to know the secret to making thousands of Neopoints quickly and easily, make me one of your neo friends and send me any one of the following: a Codestone (any), a Faerie (any), a Map Piece (any), or a Paint Brush... Once I recieve one of these items from you I will send you the secret ASAP(As Soon As Possible, but please be prepared to wait I am not on Neopets 24/7...believe me it will be worth the wait). *Guarantee* I guarantee the following: You have my promise that this is not a scam. I will send you the secret once I recieve your item. I don't blame you if you have doubts. This may sound too good to be true but I wouldn't go through the trouble if I didn't want to help you out. I don't like to be scammed and so I WON'T SCAM." If you send this shop an item, you will get the secret - which is to copy and paste this into your shop. So not ONLY IS THIS A SCAM!! IT'S A PYRAMID SCHEME SCAM! This is totally against Neopets Terms of Service and thus be prepared to get your shop closed and account frozen!! I know it sounds good, but DO NOT BE DECEIVED!! BE SMART! Don't be a part of this!!



" Shops: Part 3 " I heard that some people have placed coding into the "report shop" HTML to steal other accounts. How did the scammer figure this out??? Well, as you all know that the Neopets Staff added the "Click here to report shop" The scammers somehow figured out a way to add a special coding into their shop so that when you click on the "here" link to report them, it asks for your username and p@$$. DON'T FALL FOR IT!!! Remember, Neopets Staff NEVER asks for y0ur p@$$. The only time they will is when you login into http://www.neopets.com/ So BEWARE! This is a VERY devious shop scam! Report any shop that does this immediately to abuse@neopets.com If the "report shop" coding is true, it will NEVER ask you for a username or p@$$. It will just say, "Are you sure you want to report this shop?". If you choose yes, then it will take you to a page that says, thank you for reporting the shop. It will NEVER ask you for y0ur p@$$!!!



Q: "Am I allowed a contest in my shop?" A: Unfortunately the vast majority of shop contests are scams. If any user wins a prize it is normally one of the shop owners other accounts. Because there is no real way for us to monitor if a contest is legitimate or not, we have decided to ban all contests. This is to protect innocent players that could be tricked into purchasing over-priced items. Apologies if you are a shop owner that ran a honest contest, but you should understand why we are doing this. (Taken from the 8/17/2000 Neopian Times)



" Shops: Part 4 " Q: So does this mean any cheap/bargain items I buy from a shop will be a scam??? A: No, this is not true. Some shops really do sell legitimate neoitems at great bargain prices. I've accidentally priced something for 5000 NP at 500 NP myself because I accidentally left out a "0". Yes, I hit my head against the my keyboard several times for making stupid mistakes. Heck, I sold a cheese omelette for 10 NP when it should have been for 3000 NP, becuase I didn't do my research and realized that cheese omelettes are going for the 3000's. But it's MY mistakes and I won't take it out on the buyer of my items. The key is as long as (1) you weren't taken to a Fake Login page (or ANY page that asks for your username and p@$$) right after you bought the item, (2) you have received the item in your inventory, and(3) the proper amount of NP was deducted from your account, then you were not scammed



I heard this terrible story on the message boards once... I was hacked. It was terrible. My 30,400 NPs down the drain. ALL because I went for a 3,000NP Fire Brush. But Who wouldn't? I didn't think I could get hacked. I had no evidence he was hacking,the person was straightforward and true. Then I entered the fateful shop. I saw the 650 faerie's,fire brushes,faerie brushes. Aw,I was in Heaven! I clicked on the Fire Brush,which i thought I could resell and get even more money. I wasn't into using it. I as in it for the NPs. But oh,that was the worst mistake in my neopian life. DJVALLIER584919. I shall NEVER forget the name. The stupid person who stole my precious NPS,and my account. This shop is a scam,DO NOT enter it. I learned the hard way,and I have created a new account. I will miss my 30,000NPs and I'm determined to get them all back. To show Neopia it can happen. To show the scammer,He CANNOT crush other people's dreams... Kangaroospit2(Formerly Kangaroospit)



" Shops: Part 5 " Right click scams. There's been a scam going around when people in the chats say that if they right-click and press "Open Link", then they will go to a Cheats page, but, the item with the so-called "Cheat Page" in it will usually be priced 50,000 or more, and everyone knows that if you right-click and press "Open Link", then you will end up buying the item. so... Right click on 50,000 NP item + clicking "Open Link" on 50,000 NP item = BUYING that 50,000 NP item.



I would just like to point out to you and all other neopians that in a real, true shop, you can't right click at all; a box comes up telling you to use the left mouse button.



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