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Scam trade about a cd-key is not a crime?

Discussion in 'Discussion Archive' started by TwiggyAsh, Aug 30, 2013.

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  1. TwiggyAsh

    TwiggyAsh New User

    Messages:
    4
    Steam:
    STEAM_0:1:10009598
    Hi, really sorry to bother you. I just checked my report and I read that is considered invalid cause the scam trade was about a cd-key ( here is the link http://forums.steamrep.com/threads/scammer-fouled-me.41999/ ).
    I would just say that I understand the policy of SteamRep about not investigating on these cases but let me do a little consideration: making nothing to a scammer, makes fraud trades legal acts in the end.
    They will go on day by day cheating the next honest user. I can't even help other users to avoid this crimal and it's sad (or better "awful") that I don't have any rights even with legal proofs of a crime. However, he has the right to ruin freely my reputation on my profile and in other forums.
    How the honest community can defend from these criminals that will never have any consequencies?

    Thank you for consideration.
  2. SilentReaper(SR)

    SilentReaper(SR) Retired Staff

    Messages:
    11,991
    SteamRep Admin:
    STEAM_0:0:89705646
    We do not support CD-key scams and trading for various reasons. Among others:

    • There is no way to discern if a CD-key was real or fake in any way, the only way to "check" it is to try to add it to one's steam account... A Admin / MM should never do so, for the risk that they'd activate them to their account..., and it wont work if the account already has the specific game.
    • As a key is not verifiable, how can a trade be fully verified and proven? If the recieving party for the CD-Key says its not working, there is no way to find who/what has activated, if it even was a valid key. So there is no way to determine who is saying the truth about such CD-key scam, and therefore not much possibilities of validating a scammer report on those. The key could have been activated by the seller, on a alt of the seller, the buyer on a alt, etc. No way to know for sure.
    • Account risks for buyer of the CD-key, CD-key activations have been tied to hijacks of accounts in the past, for the seller has Proof of Purchase for those CD-keys, which the buyer doesn't have. The only way to kill off those is to ask steam support to remove the CD-key activated from one's account...
    All-in-all: We highly suggest that ppl would NOT trade in CD-keys. As reports in those aren't verifiable, we cannot handle the reports. Its a no-win situation.
  3. TwiggyAsh

    TwiggyAsh New User

    Messages:
    4
    Steam:
    STEAM_0:1:10009598
    Thanks for reply. I understand everything. But please let me explain that in this case the scam was very easy to verify.
    In my screenshots (legal proof of that fraud) is possible to check what the trade was about (even on steamtrades forum too). I was asking for a game (Company of Heroes 2) and he gave me (after asking many times during the trade for more items than we dealed at the beginning) an already used steam key, but NOT of the game that I was asking for (and this case all your clarifications would be absolutely correct) but of an OTHER game, totally different from what I asked: in screenshot is possible to check the cd-key that he gave to me TPWG2-7CCEE-DJX7L, and if anyone would put it on steam it says that is for a copy "Dino D-Day retail" already used.
    So everything can be proved, and the scam is absolutely clear.
    Don't understand why make all cases equal.
    If this scammer goes on cheating? Is always honest people's fault?

    Thank you again.
  4. Starburst

    Starburst New User

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    0
    Your report was indeed invalid, Silent Reaper mentioned to you the reasons above.. It is highly advised NOT to do such trades at all. This matter is closed in terms of SR you can try contacting steam support.

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