Scams

NOTE: The neutrality of this article is disputed. Please help the MapleWiki by eliminating any bias which may exist.

In MapleStory there are players known as "scammers". These are the players who will try to leave a trade made with another player with the item they want, but they will not give the other player what they had agreed on. Scammers try to rip others off to benefit themselves. Below are some examples of scams:

Misreading Scam

Player1 is our scammer; Player2 is our random player.

Player1: Hey, I'll buy your sword for 50,000 mesos.

Player2: (Hmmm... that's 20,000 mesos more than it's worth!) Okay.

-In the trade-

Player1 places 5,000 mesos in the trade. (10 times less)

Player2 places his/her sword in the trade.

Player1 accepts the trade.

Player2 accepts the trade.

Player2 has now been scammed out of his/her sword. He/she has received much less mesos than he/she would have received if he/she would have sold it without being scammed. Player1 now has received a cheap item and can keep it or sell it for more than he/she paid (5,000 mesos).

Fame Scam

Player1: Trading fame!

Player2: I want to trade!

Player1: You up (my fame) first.

Player2 gives Player1 fame.

Player1 runs off or logs off without faming Player2.

-or in a worse case...-

Player1 defames Player2, who was not paying attention and by looking at the chat bar thought that he was famed.

Most scams can only work if the person being scammed isn't paying attention. As long as the target is aware of what is going on and is cautious, they should be able to leave the trade without being scammed. Player2 shouldn't have to worry about scammers in games, but the reality is that they will always be around, games like Maplestory has no "scam protection". If Player2 is too careless to pay attention to scams, he/she deserves to be scammed, in a sense.
As for the fame scam case, you are actually risking your fame when you trade fame, or sell/buy fame, because in Maplestory, there is no "legitimate" way to trade fame, and you just have to trust the other party. So technically speaking, the fame case is not scamming, although the two players have made a mutual agreement of faming each other.

Freebies

Players on other online games can also be scammed without even being on the game. In Maple sometimes people will create websites with promises of "free mesos/meso generator", "free items", or other freebies for the game in exchange for their account info and password. If the target is selfish enough to want to cheat at the game or isn't intelligent enough to realize that these websites are scams and the owners are trying to steal their accounts, they could be said to have deserved their losses.

Trust Game

Some person say that they will give you a item if you drop your items right in front of them and then they will reward with money then ask you to drop more. When you drop a item they want, they rush over and loot them. Aftter taking them they would, log out, or transfer the items to their real characther.

Drop Game

Another is the "Drop Game" to some, this game is to have fun. A person offer to play the game with you: and asks you to drop a equip/rare item, and tries to get it. Thats the point of the game. You're supposed to get your item fast enough.. next they will move far away then drop, for the advantage. If you can quickly pick up your items, then it's okay, but beware of wizards with the Teleport spell, who can cheat at this easily. Also, there are maplers who use Item Vacuum hack, a hack that can suck up all items dropped on the ground. So beware, even though other players may be standing far away from you. When you drop an item, be prepared to lose it.

Conclusion

Scams aren unfortunetely, not against the rules. There is no secure way to trade fame in Maple, opening it to abuse. If you drop your items, be prepared to lose them. As for trading scams, too bad. You weren't paying attention. Some people may also sell you below-average equipments (like a 28 Atk Red valentine rose) while passing them off as average ones (30 Atk Red valentine rose), so be wary of that as well. Remember: Scams are not hacks, and GMs (Gamemasters) have no need to intervene as it is not technically an illegal activity.