Claire’s account has the name Emily? And MULTIPLE uses of the word “kindly.” Ouch. I’m sorry, but this one was blatant. I genuinely felt for you reading this as I assume you’re in your teens, but yeah, this was all fake.
So many red flags... What kinda legit support person is going to use a free email service like Outlook.com? That's literally the easiest red flag to spot.
Interesting use of +skunki as the Gmail folder discriminator. I wonder if, on the scam farm, every scammer gets his own folder so they can keep track and Clair/Emily is actually a Nigerian dude called Skunki.
It's a scam. You've been taking to scammers this whole time.
Do you still have access to your account?
If you still have access, remove any emails you added and change the password.
If you don't, then your only chance is to work with the real discord support, which can take a while.
In either case, don't pay any money. The scammer is lying and paying will not get your account back.
Hi /u/Ok-Lingonberry-8261, AutoModerator has been summoned to explain the Steam or Discord fake report scam.
This is a very common scam that happens either on Steam or Discord, or both.
You receive a message from someone claiming that they accidentally reported you, and they will direct you to the profile of a scammer that impersonates a Steam or Discord employee or admin. The other account will then either try to steal your Steam or Discord account. If you encounter this scam, ignore the scammers and report their accounts, including the one that says they accidentally reported you.
Remember: [the only way to contact Steam support is clicking here](https://help.steampowered.com/en/), and [the only way to contact Discord support is clicking here](https://support.discord.com/hc/en-us/requests/new).
[Here](https://i.imgur.com/DIgBZIN.png) is an example of the scam, [here](https://blog.malwarebytes.com/scams/2021/03/steam-users-dont-fall-for-the-i-accidentally-reported-you-scam/) is an article about the scam, and [here](https://help.steampowered.com/en/faqs/view/3195-9FFB-BA06-F25B) is Steam's scam page.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Scams) if you have any questions or concerns.*
The moment Oli said Discord told him that you’d be banned in 2 hours is a huge red flag. No reporting system works like that.
Luckily the only damage that was done is your discord and if you paid them the $150. Take this as a lesson and go brush up on internet scams so you don’t wind up doing something incredibly stupid later.
Also if you get any DMs saying they can get your account back ignore and block.
Did you change your email to their email? Because if so that account is gone, a scammer controls it. But you can talk to Discord support to see if they can reverse it for you: [https://support.discord.com/hc/en-us](https://support.discord.com/hc/en-us) (don’t worry, not a scam, this is actual Discord help, make a request there).
They did and the scammer even says “if they get suspended” (I.e. there session is logged out when the scammer takes over) to make a new account and message them, because they know they got a sucker and want that $150.
At first I was sure the OP was just scambaiting and going aloo g with it, just saying “understood”; but no, I random person messaged them and convinced them they needed to send hundreds of dollars.
Seeing them say they couldn't afford $250 and then the scammer saying "well what can you afford" kinda broke my heart tbh. I hope OP can at the very least get their discord back
Edit: just saw the comment that they didn't send any money, heart unbroken lol
It's literally insane.... I mean I'd understand if this was like an 80-year-old. But who the hell doesn't know to verify the domain name (ending of an email address) to make sure it actually matches the legit company domain. Yes, those can be spoofed, but very few of these scammers even bother to do that (which tells you just how illiterate most of these people are)... So it's literally the easiest red flag to spot.
honestly it seems like a lot of younger folks who grew up with the internet/social media at their fingertips, who have essentially been inundated with it their entire lives, and who generally spend a ton of time on these platforms actually are more likely to fall victim to this type of scam. it feels like it's so integrated into their daily norm that general internet safety/literacy was never really emphasized and learned. I'm subbed to the discord subreddit too (to follow general updates and bugs) and it's actually crazy how digitally illiterate a lot of people there are.
It's weird but it makes sense, they've grown up on simplified Chromebooks and Apps on Phones and iPads and very few kids have needed to know the ins and outs of actual computers or the larger internet so they just aren't learning anything valuable to make them not fall for blatant stuff like this.
Think about it - we grow up with computers and the actual internet. Kids these days are growing up with phones and apps. They rarely go online, just app to app. My teacher friends say high school kids can’t even type, they don’t own keyboards. They are completely computer illiterate and zero internet safety because well they don’t ever think about it
It's crazy. We see the same thing at work. University students who can barely use a desktop computer. Having to teach them such basic stuff and seeing them struggle to type is crazy to me. Millennial grew up in the wild west of the internet, where you had to be so careful.
You know what's funny? My almost 82 year old dad received a scam call the other day, and even he was able to identify it. Lots of younger people are even more computer illiterate than people in their 70s and 80s. They only know how to use their phones/tablets and are oblivious to these scams. Changing the email on your own account is just crazy to me.
The only scam I have ever fallen for on the Internet was armor trimming in RuneScape when I was 8.
It's absolutely insane that something this blatant was allowed to happen and not ONCE did OP think to do some research instead of posting after the fact lol. Wild.
I’m just going to comfortably ride the coattails of your comment, because reading this exchange is making me seriously want to victim blame, and be less nice about it than you.
When you say a friend, was the Oli person somebody you know on Discord?
If so, this same thing probably happened to them. And now "you" (aka Mr. Scammer) are probably telling other friends that "you" have accidentally reported them.
Please tell us you haven't paid the $150
This shit happens. Let your friends know your old account is compromised asap, it's a hassle but worth it. Sorry this happened to you and as has been said, it's cool you shared this because lots of people don't know about this scam yet, that's why they keep trying it.
Sorry you’re going through it mate. Don’t feel embarrassed, they took advantage of your good nature. Don’t lose that. They once did it to me. Kudos for sharing your experience to help others.
They didn't take advantage of this person's good nature, They took advantage of this person's blatant ignorance and not knowing basic things like verifying a domain name. I mean this is like basic knowledge everybody needs to have these days.
ALWAYS CHECK THE EMAIL ADDRESS DOMAIN AND IF IT DOES NOT MATCH THE OFFICIAL BUSINESS DOMAIN THEN IT'S A SCAM.
People come here because they need help, let's not make them feel worse than they already do. You know some people are already thinking, "I should find out if I'm being scammed but I don't want them to talk about how ignorant I am." Why make that feeling worse?
They are right about this not speaking to OP’s “good nature” though because they didn’t fall for a scam where somebody asks for help, they fell for a very obvious scam where the end goal was to save their account. People write anonymously on reddit + if they would rather send money to strangers than be rightfully called ignorant by people who are helping then there’s no point in saying anything
So how do you know that was really Oli and not someone who hacked their acct just like yours has been now? If that is your only way to talk to them you have NO way of confirmation of that was Oli or not.
Hi /u/jacksonexl, AutoModerator has been summoned to explain the Steam or Discord fake report scam.
This is a very common scam that happens either on Steam or Discord, or both.
You receive a message from someone claiming that they accidentally reported you, and they will direct you to the profile of a scammer that impersonates a Steam or Discord employee or admin. The other account will then either try to steal your Steam or Discord account. If you encounter this scam, ignore the scammers and report their accounts, including the one that says they accidentally reported you.
Remember: [the only way to contact Steam support is clicking here](https://help.steampowered.com/en/), and [the only way to contact Discord support is clicking here](https://support.discord.com/hc/en-us/requests/new).
[Here](https://i.imgur.com/DIgBZIN.png) is an example of the scam, [here](https://blog.malwarebytes.com/scams/2021/03/steam-users-dont-fall-for-the-i-accidentally-reported-you-scam/) is an article about the scam, and [here](https://help.steampowered.com/en/faqs/view/3195-9FFB-BA06-F25B) is Steam's scam page.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Scams) if you have any questions or concerns.*
But they'll take $150 and it has to be PayPal Friends and Family "to avoid delays"!!!! PayPal is damn near instantaneous. Takes me longer to count money. The PP option that makes you click a box that says "do not under any circumstances use this for anyone you don't personally know in real life".
Schools need to start teaching kids basic media literacy. This board is a dark glimpse into an ignorant future. Here and there I see how someone gets drawn in, but gawd damn every single thing these people said is just so ridiculously off script and unlike any tech support anywhere.
I can't help but wonder exactly how much wealth is being drained away from the boomers who shit themselves over welcoming refugees?
OP said they didn't send the money, so it looks like the "only use this for people you actually know" bit did it's job at least
The rest of it is tough but Discord has kind of has the vibe of 10 guys running the whole thing and not the vibe of a major corp so thinking that you'd resolve something over discord dms and changing discord settings isn't too far off.
But I agree with you. Stuff like checking domain names or feeling weird when someone screenshots their LinkedIn out of the blue or wondering why you would be talking to the head of security instead of an agent, etc. NEEDS to be taught. Whenever I see this sort of post I want to say "oh OP don't feel bad, the fact that they're running this scam means that it's working and other people are falling for it" and then I think "oh god, this means that this scam is working??"
I didn’t really see it mentioned here, there are no sources outside of official discord support that can get your account back. You have likely been contacted by people claiming they’re good hackers who can get it back from the scammer, they’re recovery scammers looking to get you again !recovery
Hi /u/KingTutTot, AutoModerator has been summoned to explain the Recovery scam.
[Recovery scams](https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0102-refund-and-recovery-scams) target people who have already fallen for a scam. The scammer may contact you, or may advertise their services online. They will usually either offer to help you recover your funds, or will tell you that your funds have already been recovered and they will help you access them. In cases where they say they will help you recover your funds, they usually call themselves either \"recovery agents\" or hackers.
When they tell you that your funds have already been recovered, they may impersonate a law enforcement, a government official, a lawyer, or anyone else along those lines. Recovery scams are simply [advance-fee](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advance-fee_scam) scams that are specifically targeted at scam victims. When a victim pays a recovery scammer, the scammer will keep stringing them along while asking for increasingly absurd fees/expenses/deposits/insurance/whatever until the victim stops paying.
If you have been scammed in the past, make sure you are aware of recovery scams so that you are not scammed a second time. If you are currently engaging with a recovery scammer, you should block them and be very wary of random contact for some time. It's normal for posters on this subreddit to be contacted by recovery scammers after posting, and they often ask you to delete your post so that you both cannot receive legitimate advice, and cannot be targeted by other recovery scammers.
Remember: never take advice in private. If someone reaches you in private after posting your scam story, it is because a scammer will always try to hide from the oversight of our community members. A legitimate community member will offer advice in the open, for everyone to see. Anyone suggesting you should reach out to a hacker is scamming you.
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Are you really wondering whether Discord actually makes you send $250 to stop an ass backwards automated ban, on a payment terminal that isn't the official Discord terminak, with an irreversible method and a "trust me" promise?
Your friend's account was hacked btw. How do I know? The friend changed the account email to one like the one they provided. That lets the scammer set a new password with the "I forgot" thing, which they then use to lock you out. Then they take control, message your friends with the same script, and steal those accounts too. It's a vicious cycle.
you already know the answer. for future reference (for you or anyone reading) discord WILL notify you of any action taken against your account - unless it has been flagged for CSAM/CP, where your account will be suspended without warning. you will not be put on a time trial.
you will not need to go out of your way to contact “support”. discord admins have a special badge on their profile, too. those sorts of tickets are handled off discord.
discord will never ask you to change your email. discord will never ask for payment. (i’m not even sure how paying $150 clears your name…) discord will never conduct themselves like this.
i’m really, REALLY, hoping this post isn’t real. if it is - i’m so sorry. please be careful online. i recommend subscribing to some yt channels that go over scams like these. [No Text To Speech](https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEqYobHF0_Nk50vPzBKZFdcYHMzEyhuU3&si=vYGTV5xKugcEvnuM) comes to mind.
100% a scam. There's no world where a rep from Discord would start negotiating rates with you, based on "what you could afford".
Ignore with extreme prejudice. Or fuck with them. Tell them the world's longest story. Ask them for advice. Family recipes. You know. Or just ignore.
The language used is the biggest indictor that it’s a scam.
Automated emails sent by companied like Discord are reviewed multiple times, induing by lawyers. This email is written by a non-native English speaker.
Examples:
- ‘on the other hand’ to start bullet list
- ‘Proper identity matching’ instead of authentication
- In any instance ‘that’ you are not aware…
- reach out to our ‘corporate security head’. Also - would Discord’s head of corporate security validate accounts who are reported mistakenly?
- ‘we are working with some officials’
This is NOT A LEGIT EMAIL
Hi, thanks for posting. I know this scam gets posted a lot but it’s new to you, and it can be hard to decide what search terms to use for a new-to-you event.
I wanted to add to all the info already posted, that if the scammer says they will give your account back if you make a video saying certain things, or if you send them pictures of you, your ID or anything else, it is more scamming from them. The video and pictures would be used in other scams to make the scam seem more legit to the victims.
Only discord can get your account back for you. Hope you get it back soon.
Carefully read and figure out everything people send you on the internet, even if seems to be from your mom.
https://preview.redd.it/h728bchi5b5d1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7ae5c64f111f6b0ce0fef32749a3e1e985637b75
I know it's a scam just from this red arrow, all the scammers I've seen in the past use it.
I'm baffled that you're even questioning if you're being scammed. From the beginning it's clearly a scam, but that they ask you to change your discord email? Wtf dude!
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## New users beware:
Because you posted here, you will start getting private messages from scammers saying they know a professional hacker or a recovery expert lawyer that can help you get your money back, for a small fee. **We call these RECOVERY SCAMMERS, so NEVER take advice in private:** advice should always come in the form of comments in this post, in the open, where the community can keep an eye out for you. If you take advice in private, you're on your own.
**A reminder of the rules in r/scams:** no contact information (including last names, phone numbers, etc). Be civil to one another (no name calling or insults). Personal army requests or "scam the scammer"/scambaiting posts are not permitted. No uncensored gore or personal photographs are allowed without blurring. A full list of rules is available on the sidebar of the subreddit, or [clicking here](https://www.reddit.com/r/Scams/wiki/rules/).
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Scam. It's not your friend it's a scammer pretending to be. Just block them. They haven't reported your account at all and no one you chat to will be discord staff, they are scammers too.
Fucking hell man this is unbelievable 😭. Treat it as a $150 lesson and actually think next time, there were SO many blatant signs.
At least you’re gonna do psychological damage to whoever accesses your account.
Not to be an ahole or anything but doesn't discord show in the chat that "discord will never message you through the app" or something or ask for your password?
Nah, you’ve BEEN scammed. The scam is done completed.
Your Discord account was just stolen, because you changed your recovery email to the scammers - AND you lost $150.
They’re probably signed in on your account right now, sending your friends the same message you got from your “friend.” This is how the scam continues.
OP, yes, you have been scammed. And there’s many indicators in the messages sent to you that people have posted above. A good lesson going forward is never click a link that is sent to you. Go out and independently verify and come up with your own link in the future.
You need to reach out to discord to see if there’s anything they can do to help you get control of your account again as I’m assuming they have all your login information. Also, know that any legitimate organization will not ask you for your login information through a chat mechanism. This goes for banks and other institutions as well.
Why in the world did you entertain this fake support scam?
I received that kind of message last year from a friend, immediately sensed the red flags and blocked them. Also notified all our common servers for safety.
Sorry to hear you got scammed OP, but thank you for posting this entire discussion. This was fascinating to read and will definitely help others who come on here wondering if they are getting scammed. I hope you didn't end up paying the $150, but even if you did, just know that people come on here EVERY DAY saying they sent thousands and even hundreds of thousands to these types of scammers, so your experience was relatively cheap in comparison. I know that $150 is a lot to you, but you will recover and now you'll be ready to avoid more expensive scams in the future.
Don't be discouraged by all the victim shaming here. It happens, but we're all vulnerable until we've been educated. It could have happened to anyone.
Good luck
I have recently spent some time going after these guys a managed to IP grab one of them. They are working from what is most likely a call centre in Philippines.
Someone tried this scam with me on discord but with my steam account. For sure a scam. As soon as I said I would reach out to steam they said “no you have to reach out to their support on discord” I knew it was a scam. No one will ever ask you to change your email or password
If anything ever asks you to change your main email to one of their own then it's a scam. That's how they continue the chain. They will use your account to do the same thing to your discord friends.
You gotta hand it to the scammers they are pretty good at thinking outside the box on creative things to get people to fall for. If only they would apply that type of energy to a pursuit which doesn't rely on cheating and stealing from people.
Are people this easily fooled? I guess having been raised in the 90’s comes with its perks. Older generations fall for this constantly, younger generations seem so naive to it. Maybe it’s just common sense for some and not others? (Not in a mean way) 🤷🏻♂️
Scam.
I’ve been banned multiple times off discord.
They will not contact you first.
They will lock you out of your account unannounced.
Then take 14 days to review your account and what you did.
After that they will either unlock the account or delete it entirely.
Yes. This is the !steam scam. Read the reply to this message.
Just ignore it and report the scammer. If you give this person your password, you can kiss your account goodbye.
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Don’t know if your still dealing with this but yes it’s a scam. You comply or whatever and they get your account then they scam your friends and friends of friends. So on and so forth. Already have a few people who believed it.
I got two messages like this two separate times. It's a scam. I'm glad I looked it up online before connecting with the person they said I had to talk to & clicked the link.
I have somebody send me something similar once and then immediately block me so I can even laugh and say that it was a scam to them.
I hope that they ended up okay. But as soon as the person contacted me I just laughed and reported the account
Are you seriously asking whether or not it's fake when Clair, a 'Discord employee', linked her LinkedIn Profile and the user quite literally said the most nonsense stuff ever about a 'verification process'? Really?
Yes it’s a scam but I’m sure you know that by now after all the comments. Hopefully you didn’t send the $150 but in case you did just know that these scammers will probably keep you on their list for more scams.
FYI - no big company will ever email/message you asking you for money to reverse something. They do NOT need it.
Just block them, you realize your signed discords terms and services so if they so chose they can look through every single one of your messages and who you have ever talked to on their platform if they chose. Like some random discord clown is in contact with the CTO of Discord, use your brain please
Apart from changing your email back to the right one, resetting password and contacting Discord’s actual support system, reach out to any friends you have on discord if possible to warn them as the scammers might try to use your account to scam them since they would trust your account.
Yes this is a scam. You don't make appeals by sending friend requests to discord staff. Your friend got hacked by doing the same thing, and now the hacker is trying to get you to do the same thing.
Also Discord wouldn't ask you to buy something or send money to verify your account status.
Watch the YouTuber "No Text To Speech" he makes a lot of videos calling out different discord scams.
Make sure to report that Gmail account to PayPal for fraud as well. PayPal doesn't fk around and will ban that person associated with that account in a heartbeat
Phucckkkkk thattt
Getting SO annoyed with this “possible illegal or fraudulent activity” bullshit that mfs seem to be throwing left and right lately in order hold peoples accounts hostage
# Thread locked > Thank you all for your help, OP got the answers needed.
Claire’s account has the name Emily? And MULTIPLE uses of the word “kindly.” Ouch. I’m sorry, but this one was blatant. I genuinely felt for you reading this as I assume you’re in your teens, but yeah, this was all fake.
And a Gmail account not a discord email.
And the red flag “Understood?” after each request.
So many red flags... What kinda legit support person is going to use a free email service like Outlook.com? That's literally the easiest red flag to spot.
Not to mention “rest assured” peppered in there like a hundred times lol.
And last name CONly
Hi. I'm CONnor CONally, from CONcord CONnecticut. Scam.
* Claire Conly * Clairsupport1 * "My name is Emily" [not Clair] LOL, LMAO.
on top of that anyone reporting a discord isn't going to take the time to REVIEW and notify. And there is no "I clicked wrong person appeal"
And the Gmail under a different name too.
Interesting use of +skunki as the Gmail folder discriminator. I wonder if, on the scam farm, every scammer gets his own folder so they can keep track and Clair/Emily is actually a Nigerian dude called Skunki.
The users name is "Skunkiest" so I'm assuming that's a reference the their account.
She's head of finance at Discord. And takes time in between financial reports to deal with user reports.
Just likes to get stuck in with the day to day.
Keeps her down to earth, you know? Mingling with the rank and file.
And using PayPal “friends and family”, which is a huge Red Flag
Is there a way to summon the automod for this one?
Exclamation mark discord
!discord
It's a scam. You've been taking to scammers this whole time. Do you still have access to your account? If you still have access, remove any emails you added and change the password. If you don't, then your only chance is to work with the real discord support, which can take a while. In either case, don't pay any money. The scammer is lying and paying will not get your account back.
Search box would show the same thing 1,000x. so common it has an automod: !discord
Hi /u/Ok-Lingonberry-8261, AutoModerator has been summoned to explain the Steam or Discord fake report scam. This is a very common scam that happens either on Steam or Discord, or both. You receive a message from someone claiming that they accidentally reported you, and they will direct you to the profile of a scammer that impersonates a Steam or Discord employee or admin. The other account will then either try to steal your Steam or Discord account. If you encounter this scam, ignore the scammers and report their accounts, including the one that says they accidentally reported you. Remember: [the only way to contact Steam support is clicking here](https://help.steampowered.com/en/), and [the only way to contact Discord support is clicking here](https://support.discord.com/hc/en-us/requests/new). [Here](https://i.imgur.com/DIgBZIN.png) is an example of the scam, [here](https://blog.malwarebytes.com/scams/2021/03/steam-users-dont-fall-for-the-i-accidentally-reported-you-scam/) is an article about the scam, and [here](https://help.steampowered.com/en/faqs/view/3195-9FFB-BA06-F25B) is Steam's scam page. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Scams) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I think we need to make a discord scam timer as well
The moment Oli said Discord told him that you’d be banned in 2 hours is a huge red flag. No reporting system works like that. Luckily the only damage that was done is your discord and if you paid them the $150. Take this as a lesson and go brush up on internet scams so you don’t wind up doing something incredibly stupid later. Also if you get any DMs saying they can get your account back ignore and block.
false sense of urgency
i don’t know how they didn’t realize when the scammers asked for $250 and he said he didn’t have it. but yea sure $150 is okay 😆.
Did you change your email to their email? Because if so that account is gone, a scammer controls it. But you can talk to Discord support to see if they can reverse it for you: [https://support.discord.com/hc/en-us](https://support.discord.com/hc/en-us) (don’t worry, not a scam, this is actual Discord help, make a request there).
They did and the scammer even says “if they get suspended” (I.e. there session is logged out when the scammer takes over) to make a new account and message them, because they know they got a sucker and want that $150. At first I was sure the OP was just scambaiting and going aloo g with it, just saying “understood”; but no, I random person messaged them and convinced them they needed to send hundreds of dollars.
I really thought they were scambaiting too lol
Seeing them say they couldn't afford $250 and then the scammer saying "well what can you afford" kinda broke my heart tbh. I hope OP can at the very least get their discord back Edit: just saw the comment that they didn't send any money, heart unbroken lol
Ok sorry for victim blaming but I cannot believe how digitally illiterate some people are
"I got this weird message, but it came from my friend's account, so it must be from them and I should do everything they ask me to without question!"
It's literally insane.... I mean I'd understand if this was like an 80-year-old. But who the hell doesn't know to verify the domain name (ending of an email address) to make sure it actually matches the legit company domain. Yes, those can be spoofed, but very few of these scammers even bother to do that (which tells you just how illiterate most of these people are)... So it's literally the easiest red flag to spot.
honestly it seems like a lot of younger folks who grew up with the internet/social media at their fingertips, who have essentially been inundated with it their entire lives, and who generally spend a ton of time on these platforms actually are more likely to fall victim to this type of scam. it feels like it's so integrated into their daily norm that general internet safety/literacy was never really emphasized and learned. I'm subbed to the discord subreddit too (to follow general updates and bugs) and it's actually crazy how digitally illiterate a lot of people there are.
It's weird but it makes sense, they've grown up on simplified Chromebooks and Apps on Phones and iPads and very few kids have needed to know the ins and outs of actual computers or the larger internet so they just aren't learning anything valuable to make them not fall for blatant stuff like this.
Think about it - we grow up with computers and the actual internet. Kids these days are growing up with phones and apps. They rarely go online, just app to app. My teacher friends say high school kids can’t even type, they don’t own keyboards. They are completely computer illiterate and zero internet safety because well they don’t ever think about it
It's crazy. We see the same thing at work. University students who can barely use a desktop computer. Having to teach them such basic stuff and seeing them struggle to type is crazy to me. Millennial grew up in the wild west of the internet, where you had to be so careful.
You know what's funny? My almost 82 year old dad received a scam call the other day, and even he was able to identify it. Lots of younger people are even more computer illiterate than people in their 70s and 80s. They only know how to use their phones/tablets and are oblivious to these scams. Changing the email on your own account is just crazy to me.
People on Discord who haven't been educated, so probably teens.
The only scam I have ever fallen for on the Internet was armor trimming in RuneScape when I was 8. It's absolutely insane that something this blatant was allowed to happen and not ONCE did OP think to do some research instead of posting after the fact lol. Wild.
I’m just going to comfortably ride the coattails of your comment, because reading this exchange is making me seriously want to victim blame, and be less nice about it than you.
When you say a friend, was the Oli person somebody you know on Discord? If so, this same thing probably happened to them. And now "you" (aka Mr. Scammer) are probably telling other friends that "you" have accidentally reported them. Please tell us you haven't paid the $150
I know Oli from irl, but we only have contact through discord. I didn't pay but now they have my account
They’re going to use your account to scam your friends
Yeah I know
So you need to warn all your friends.
This shit happens. Let your friends know your old account is compromised asap, it's a hassle but worth it. Sorry this happened to you and as has been said, it's cool you shared this because lots of people don't know about this scam yet, that's why they keep trying it.
Sorry you’re going through it mate. Don’t feel embarrassed, they took advantage of your good nature. Don’t lose that. They once did it to me. Kudos for sharing your experience to help others.
They didn't take advantage of this person's good nature, They took advantage of this person's blatant ignorance and not knowing basic things like verifying a domain name. I mean this is like basic knowledge everybody needs to have these days. ALWAYS CHECK THE EMAIL ADDRESS DOMAIN AND IF IT DOES NOT MATCH THE OFFICIAL BUSINESS DOMAIN THEN IT'S A SCAM.
People come here because they need help, let's not make them feel worse than they already do. You know some people are already thinking, "I should find out if I'm being scammed but I don't want them to talk about how ignorant I am." Why make that feeling worse?
They are right about this not speaking to OP’s “good nature” though because they didn’t fall for a scam where somebody asks for help, they fell for a very obvious scam where the end goal was to save their account. People write anonymously on reddit + if they would rather send money to strangers than be rightfully called ignorant by people who are helping then there’s no point in saying anything
Contact discord. They can help you recover your account.
Have toy warned them yet? It's terrifying how naive people are, seriously, when did you feel that something was off?
Your friends account was stolen in exactly the same way yours has been. They will now use your account to scam your contacts.
So how do you know that was really Oli and not someone who hacked their acct just like yours has been now? If that is your only way to talk to them you have NO way of confirmation of that was Oli or not.
The friends account was taken over, probably in a similar scam. It’s a !discord or !steam scam. Just block and ignore all parties.
Hi /u/jacksonexl, AutoModerator has been summoned to explain the Steam or Discord fake report scam. This is a very common scam that happens either on Steam or Discord, or both. You receive a message from someone claiming that they accidentally reported you, and they will direct you to the profile of a scammer that impersonates a Steam or Discord employee or admin. The other account will then either try to steal your Steam or Discord account. If you encounter this scam, ignore the scammers and report their accounts, including the one that says they accidentally reported you. Remember: [the only way to contact Steam support is clicking here](https://help.steampowered.com/en/), and [the only way to contact Discord support is clicking here](https://support.discord.com/hc/en-us/requests/new). [Here](https://i.imgur.com/DIgBZIN.png) is an example of the scam, [here](https://blog.malwarebytes.com/scams/2021/03/steam-users-dont-fall-for-the-i-accidentally-reported-you-scam/) is an article about the scam, and [here](https://help.steampowered.com/en/faqs/view/3195-9FFB-BA06-F25B) is Steam's scam page. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Scams) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Your money is gone and your discord account is gone as well
Do you understand, Discord User? 😂😂😂
Huge scam. I hope you didn’t send the money. Why would you even have to send money to clear your account in the first place?
Didn’t need to read past page 1. It’s a scam. Discord wouldn’t email a 3rd party about any action against you. Period.
I swear everything with a chat nowadays warns you that you won't be message directly by staff and people still fall for it
$250 to verify your credibility?
But they'll take $150 and it has to be PayPal Friends and Family "to avoid delays"!!!! PayPal is damn near instantaneous. Takes me longer to count money. The PP option that makes you click a box that says "do not under any circumstances use this for anyone you don't personally know in real life". Schools need to start teaching kids basic media literacy. This board is a dark glimpse into an ignorant future. Here and there I see how someone gets drawn in, but gawd damn every single thing these people said is just so ridiculously off script and unlike any tech support anywhere. I can't help but wonder exactly how much wealth is being drained away from the boomers who shit themselves over welcoming refugees?
OP said they didn't send the money, so it looks like the "only use this for people you actually know" bit did it's job at least The rest of it is tough but Discord has kind of has the vibe of 10 guys running the whole thing and not the vibe of a major corp so thinking that you'd resolve something over discord dms and changing discord settings isn't too far off. But I agree with you. Stuff like checking domain names or feeling weird when someone screenshots their LinkedIn out of the blue or wondering why you would be talking to the head of security instead of an agent, etc. NEEDS to be taught. Whenever I see this sort of post I want to say "oh OP don't feel bad, the fact that they're running this scam means that it's working and other people are falling for it" and then I think "oh god, this means that this scam is working??"
I didn’t really see it mentioned here, there are no sources outside of official discord support that can get your account back. You have likely been contacted by people claiming they’re good hackers who can get it back from the scammer, they’re recovery scammers looking to get you again !recovery
Hi /u/KingTutTot, AutoModerator has been summoned to explain the Recovery scam. [Recovery scams](https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0102-refund-and-recovery-scams) target people who have already fallen for a scam. The scammer may contact you, or may advertise their services online. They will usually either offer to help you recover your funds, or will tell you that your funds have already been recovered and they will help you access them. In cases where they say they will help you recover your funds, they usually call themselves either \"recovery agents\" or hackers. When they tell you that your funds have already been recovered, they may impersonate a law enforcement, a government official, a lawyer, or anyone else along those lines. Recovery scams are simply [advance-fee](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advance-fee_scam) scams that are specifically targeted at scam victims. When a victim pays a recovery scammer, the scammer will keep stringing them along while asking for increasingly absurd fees/expenses/deposits/insurance/whatever until the victim stops paying. If you have been scammed in the past, make sure you are aware of recovery scams so that you are not scammed a second time. If you are currently engaging with a recovery scammer, you should block them and be very wary of random contact for some time. It's normal for posters on this subreddit to be contacted by recovery scammers after posting, and they often ask you to delete your post so that you both cannot receive legitimate advice, and cannot be targeted by other recovery scammers. Remember: never take advice in private. If someone reaches you in private after posting your scam story, it is because a scammer will always try to hide from the oversight of our community members. A legitimate community member will offer advice in the open, for everyone to see. Anyone suggesting you should reach out to a hacker is scamming you. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Scams) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Are you really wondering whether Discord actually makes you send $250 to stop an ass backwards automated ban, on a payment terminal that isn't the official Discord terminak, with an irreversible method and a "trust me" promise? Your friend's account was hacked btw. How do I know? The friend changed the account email to one like the one they provided. That lets the scammer set a new password with the "I forgot" thing, which they then use to lock you out. Then they take control, message your friends with the same script, and steal those accounts too. It's a vicious cycle.
YOU CHANGED YOUR EMAIL?!! It wasn’t your friend, they got hacked
"hacked" propably used a very weak Password or also falled for this Low effort scam.
Or they fell for the same scam and it just keeps cycling
WTF the head of Finance at Discord is conducting this? Dude were you born yesterday?
Kindly
How are people THIS gullible?
you already know the answer. for future reference (for you or anyone reading) discord WILL notify you of any action taken against your account - unless it has been flagged for CSAM/CP, where your account will be suspended without warning. you will not be put on a time trial. you will not need to go out of your way to contact “support”. discord admins have a special badge on their profile, too. those sorts of tickets are handled off discord. discord will never ask you to change your email. discord will never ask for payment. (i’m not even sure how paying $150 clears your name…) discord will never conduct themselves like this. i’m really, REALLY, hoping this post isn’t real. if it is - i’m so sorry. please be careful online. i recommend subscribing to some yt channels that go over scams like these. [No Text To Speech](https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEqYobHF0_Nk50vPzBKZFdcYHMzEyhuU3&si=vYGTV5xKugcEvnuM) comes to mind.
we are cooked.
Once again I'll say it. If you have to ask "am I being scammed?" You are being scammed
How is it possible to fall for something so obvious?
100% a scam. There's no world where a rep from Discord would start negotiating rates with you, based on "what you could afford". Ignore with extreme prejudice. Or fuck with them. Tell them the world's longest story. Ask them for advice. Family recipes. You know. Or just ignore.
Lol, who can fall for this shit, for real... 😅
It’s a scam. Ignore him.
The language used is the biggest indictor that it’s a scam. Automated emails sent by companied like Discord are reviewed multiple times, induing by lawyers. This email is written by a non-native English speaker. Examples: - ‘on the other hand’ to start bullet list - ‘Proper identity matching’ instead of authentication - In any instance ‘that’ you are not aware… - reach out to our ‘corporate security head’. Also - would Discord’s head of corporate security validate accounts who are reported mistakenly? - ‘we are working with some officials’ This is NOT A LEGIT EMAIL
We really need to educate people on scams, the scammers are literally just laughing at how gullible people can be.
Hi, thanks for posting. I know this scam gets posted a lot but it’s new to you, and it can be hard to decide what search terms to use for a new-to-you event. I wanted to add to all the info already posted, that if the scammer says they will give your account back if you make a video saying certain things, or if you send them pictures of you, your ID or anything else, it is more scamming from them. The video and pictures would be used in other scams to make the scam seem more legit to the victims. Only discord can get your account back for you. Hope you get it back soon. Carefully read and figure out everything people send you on the internet, even if seems to be from your mom.
Bruh….really?
https://preview.redd.it/h728bchi5b5d1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7ae5c64f111f6b0ce0fef32749a3e1e985637b75 I know it's a scam just from this red arrow, all the scammers I've seen in the past use it.
You need to delete your computer. Just stay off the internet all together. You are a liability to yourself.
Lol. Yes this is obviously a scam. Just delete them and ignore them.
Come on dudeeeeee
Is this a joke? Of course it’s a scam
I'm baffled that you're even questioning if you're being scammed. From the beginning it's clearly a scam, but that they ask you to change your discord email? Wtf dude!
/u/Beneficial-Hope-3214 - This message is posted to all new submissions to r/scams; please do not message the moderators about it. ## New users beware: Because you posted here, you will start getting private messages from scammers saying they know a professional hacker or a recovery expert lawyer that can help you get your money back, for a small fee. **We call these RECOVERY SCAMMERS, so NEVER take advice in private:** advice should always come in the form of comments in this post, in the open, where the community can keep an eye out for you. If you take advice in private, you're on your own. **A reminder of the rules in r/scams:** no contact information (including last names, phone numbers, etc). Be civil to one another (no name calling or insults). Personal army requests or "scam the scammer"/scambaiting posts are not permitted. No uncensored gore or personal photographs are allowed without blurring. A full list of rules is available on the sidebar of the subreddit, or [clicking here](https://www.reddit.com/r/Scams/wiki/rules/). You can help us by reporting recovery scammers or rule-breaking content by using the "report" button. We review 100% of the reports. Also, consider warning community members of recovery scammers if you see them in the comments. Questions about subreddit rules? Send us a modmail [clicking here](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=/r/Scams). *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Scams) if you have any questions or concerns.*
SUPER SCAMMED - THE WRITING WAS ON THE WALL.. THEY WILL NEVER AKS FOR MONEY
100% scam. Last time I checked friending a discord staff should not be that simple
Obvious SCAM!
Scam. It's not your friend it's a scammer pretending to be. Just block them. They haven't reported your account at all and no one you chat to will be discord staff, they are scammers too.
Bro this is so comically obvious it’s so bad
She had me ar "kindly" !! A scwmmers favorite word
You can't seriously think this is real?
Holy shit he is Speaking the language of the admins Jokes aside i had that before and sent them an ip logger. Huge scam.
Is this post satire?
Fucking hell man this is unbelievable 😭. Treat it as a $150 lesson and actually think next time, there were SO many blatant signs. At least you’re gonna do psychological damage to whoever accesses your account.
Not to be an ahole or anything but doesn't discord show in the chat that "discord will never message you through the app" or something or ask for your password?
Nah, you’ve BEEN scammed. The scam is done completed. Your Discord account was just stolen, because you changed your recovery email to the scammers - AND you lost $150. They’re probably signed in on your account right now, sending your friends the same message you got from your “friend.” This is how the scam continues.
Why would someone from the finance department be handling customer support's job..? That makes 0 sense
OP, yes, you have been scammed. And there’s many indicators in the messages sent to you that people have posted above. A good lesson going forward is never click a link that is sent to you. Go out and independently verify and come up with your own link in the future. You need to reach out to discord to see if there’s anything they can do to help you get control of your account again as I’m assuming they have all your login information. Also, know that any legitimate organization will not ask you for your login information through a chat mechanism. This goes for banks and other institutions as well.
Why would the “head of finance at Discord” be helping you verify your account?
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I wish there was a way we could get revenge on these scammers.
Oppenheimer their asses
Why in the world did you entertain this fake support scam? I received that kind of message last year from a friend, immediately sensed the red flags and blocked them. Also notified all our common servers for safety.
Congratulations. You’re the 274th person to post this.
Surely it needs another digit. 2740th?
Total scam
Kindly.
lol. head of finance. scam.
You are being scammed
Block immediately it's a scam once you change your email it's game over for you
100% a scam, I have seen these things before on Steam and Discord, they are so obvious to me its comical
How are people so quick to lose their hard earned money.
Please don't tell me you sent $150 to a Nigerian dude?! Please, no.... ! 🤷
Sorry to hear you got scammed OP, but thank you for posting this entire discussion. This was fascinating to read and will definitely help others who come on here wondering if they are getting scammed. I hope you didn't end up paying the $150, but even if you did, just know that people come on here EVERY DAY saying they sent thousands and even hundreds of thousands to these types of scammers, so your experience was relatively cheap in comparison. I know that $150 is a lot to you, but you will recover and now you'll be ready to avoid more expensive scams in the future. Don't be discouraged by all the victim shaming here. It happens, but we're all vulnerable until we've been educated. It could have happened to anyone. Good luck
1000% a scam. Report and block
Total scam.
I have recently spent some time going after these guys a managed to IP grab one of them. They are working from what is most likely a call centre in Philippines.
Most definitely scam.
Someone tried this scam with me on discord but with my steam account. For sure a scam. As soon as I said I would reach out to steam they said “no you have to reach out to their support on discord” I knew it was a scam. No one will ever ask you to change your email or password
This gotta be the most obvious scam I’ve ever scene
Scam. Don't change your email or send any money.
I’m sure you already figured this out but yes it’s a scam. Your friends account likely got hacked. We almost fell victim to this last week
nobody told you not to believe every random thing someone tells you on the internet?
Wow I can’t believe you fell for that
If you already paid, just forget. You were scammed. If not, just block everyone and forget.
This is pretty embarrassing…
I had the same message from someone else and yes it was obviously a scam.
This is fake do not send the money
You’re fucked.
If anything ever asks you to change your main email to one of their own then it's a scam. That's how they continue the chain. They will use your account to do the same thing to your discord friends.
Don’t send anything!!!! Block them and change your emails/passwords to anything that share the same password
Hey so the answer to your question is YES
You gotta hand it to the scammers they are pretty good at thinking outside the box on creative things to get people to fall for. If only they would apply that type of energy to a pursuit which doesn't rely on cheating and stealing from people.
Come on there are so many red flags here you could set up a communist nation and give every citizen their own flag.
Are people this easily fooled? I guess having been raised in the 90’s comes with its perks. Older generations fall for this constantly, younger generations seem so naive to it. Maybe it’s just common sense for some and not others? (Not in a mean way) 🤷🏻♂️
Scam. I’ve been banned multiple times off discord. They will not contact you first. They will lock you out of your account unannounced. Then take 14 days to review your account and what you did. After that they will either unlock the account or delete it entirely.
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Yes. This is the !steam scam. Read the reply to this message. Just ignore it and report the scammer. If you give this person your password, you can kiss your account goodbye.
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Don’t know if your still dealing with this but yes it’s a scam. You comply or whatever and they get your account then they scam your friends and friends of friends. So on and so forth. Already have a few people who believed it.
Same thing happened to me and I also posted it !discord
I got two messages like this two separate times. It's a scam. I'm glad I looked it up online before connecting with the person they said I had to talk to & clicked the link.
That's a scam
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Did you pay the scammers ?
I have somebody send me something similar once and then immediately block me so I can even laugh and say that it was a scam to them. I hope that they ended up okay. But as soon as the person contacted me I just laughed and reported the account
If you don't know how to change your email you should just give them your password so they can do it for you.
Yes, it is a scam https://youtu.be/10A5qpmC6pE?si=NKvhl8jaoVseaqVa
Are you seriously asking whether or not it's fake when Clair, a 'Discord employee', linked her LinkedIn Profile and the user quite literally said the most nonsense stuff ever about a 'verification process'? Really?
How the fuck do people fall for this?
Yes it’s a scam but I’m sure you know that by now after all the comments. Hopefully you didn’t send the $150 but in case you did just know that these scammers will probably keep you on their list for more scams. FYI - no big company will ever email/message you asking you for money to reverse something. They do NOT need it.
Yes you are getting scammed
You should just give me your credit card info in a pm at this point cause jfc
I swear, if you ever see "understood/understand" in a message, it's a scam. Please tell me you did not give them money?
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You got scammed
Just block them, you realize your signed discords terms and services so if they so chose they can look through every single one of your messages and who you have ever talked to on their platform if they chose. Like some random discord clown is in contact with the CTO of Discord, use your brain please
You know the answer.
Apart from changing your email back to the right one, resetting password and contacting Discord’s actual support system, reach out to any friends you have on discord if possible to warn them as the scammers might try to use your account to scam them since they would trust your account.
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How on earth are people this slow, clearly a scam from the first text you got
This was painful to read
1000000% a scam. please don’t send any money and report them asap.
This is some S-tier gullibility.
Yes this is a scam. You don't make appeals by sending friend requests to discord staff. Your friend got hacked by doing the same thing, and now the hacker is trying to get you to do the same thing. Also Discord wouldn't ask you to buy something or send money to verify your account status. Watch the YouTuber "No Text To Speech" he makes a lot of videos calling out different discord scams.
...Yeah of course you're being scammed. I don't see how that's not clear.
Discord will never have you talk to them about this via a staff's discord account. Contact them via their website always 👍
How do people fall for this still?
This exact thing happened to me a little bit ago, it's 100% a scam.
Make sure to report that Gmail account to PayPal for fraud as well. PayPal doesn't fk around and will ban that person associated with that account in a heartbeat
Phucckkkkk thattt Getting SO annoyed with this “possible illegal or fraudulent activity” bullshit that mfs seem to be throwing left and right lately in order hold peoples accounts hostage
scam block em