Board & Tabletop Gaming scams are all around us these days. While some are more obvious than the others, most of the scams come from either scalpers or third-party sellers who aren't licensed to do so.
So whenever you come across one of these scams, you can either be smart and avoid it or there's not much you can do if you fall for it, except maybe take the responsible party to court if you mange to find them, that is.
Gamers who don't bother with online games but instead play board or card games they buy from stores like Gamenerdz.com, for example, don't have to worry about stuff like that. Gamenerdz is an online retailer of board games, card games, dice games, role-playing games or toys, miniatures & action figures, collectibles, and gaming accessories. They have been providing gamers what they need at the best competitive prices since 2005, combined with, speedy delivery and great customer service.
After all, legitimate wholesellers have policies in place that insure both them and their games, as well as their customers. So with that in mind, let's have a look at the few of the most common types of gaming scams that drive gamers crazy.
Phishing scams
Everything is digital nowadays, which isn't all that bad, especially when you consider all the convenience it brings. However, when you buy board games, you have an opportunity to subscribe to either seller's or game manufacturer's newsletters for any future updates, sales and other promotions.
That said, there's nothing that scammers love more than to try to lure board game enthusiasts into giving up their sensitive and financial information using phishing scams. They do so by pretending to be sellers or manufactures and they send out phishing emails with links that lead towards bogus offers or websites.
Gamers who click on the link, basically give access to their personal information to scammers.Most phishing scams are quite obvious while others are socially engineered to seem as real as possible. That's why one can never be to careful and delete suspicious emails right away.
Fake reviews
Another thing scammers like to do is create fake reviews for board games making them appear more interesting or valuable than they actually are. The often flood review sites and other sources with their own content, thus convincing many gamers that they should by that particular board game and not something else.
By the time gamers catch on about what's going on and that the game they bought is worthless, the scammers are long gone. That's why you should always fact-check any review you come across before opting in so you don't end up falling for such a scam. When in doubt, ask friends or someone you trust about a specific board game before you start trusting online reviews.
Overcharging for shipping
Scammers are getting crafty each year, you got to give them that much. When one strategy fails, they will quickly move on to the next. More often than not, they will pose as legitimate sellers until the point where you left your guard down for the moment, which is exactly when they take advantage of you.
One of the most common strategies scammers use is to overcharge for shipping and delivery fees. Blissfully unaware gamers will often fall for their pitch and actually pay insanely high shipping costs and fees only to get their hands on the board game they wanted so long.
By the time you figure out what's going on, scammers will inform you that their return policy doesn't cover any refunds. Therefore, check and double-check everything before you make a purchase so you don't end up paying way more for something when you don't have to.
Counterfeit or defective products
Counterfeit and defective products is another methods scammers use to cheat on potential victims. They will often post personal ads on forums and trading platforms using the real product.
However, once you make a purchase, they'll send you a bogus one or a cheap copy that has nothing to do with the real thing. Of course, once you open the product and you find out what's wrong, it's too late and the only thing you can do is go into full out blood rage. So in order to avoid such inconveniences, to say the least, always buy board games from legitimate sellers.
You can also try buying a gift card and purchase board games from retailers who accept those. That means that the retailer in question has a deal with the seller or manufacturer so you don't have to worry about being scammed.
Scams that redirect players to shady sites or phishing scams that are after your account details fail in comparison to some of the strategies scammers use to cheat unaware gamers. That's why so many gamers are frustrated as they are giving money to people who are robbing them while smiling right back at their face.
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