Welcome to Gaia! ::

I am getting sick and tired of People getting Hacked!!!

So Here: Now you don't have to click the little Blue letters at the bottom of the Page that say "Safety Tips"
(Please don't use "Hacked" to beg either)

The Basics:
1.) Gaia never asks for your Password, not to mention your Username. Believe it or not Gaia's Staff doesn't need your puny password or your virtual piggiebank.
2.) Change your password and keep it hard. I would change it often and have it something very hard to guess even if they know you better than you know yourself. Make it Random and change it randomly from like 3 days to 3 weeks. If you play volley ball and your number is 14 don't make your password "volleyball14". (I recommended using your own awesome never used gibberish to use as a password).
3.) If you run into issues, want more generic tips, or have a run in with a hacker then scroll to the bottom of your page and find the pretty blue words "Safety Tips" (so often ignored).

Cheshire's Shortcuts in recognizing scams:
1.) Grammar. Real notifications from Gaia should have correct grammar. Gaia is a company that makes money legally (because you can buy those little G cash cards in legal stores, not the black market). So Gaia should at least be able to know the right form of words, like plurals and such.
2.) Uh oh. When you get a notification that tells you all this dang technical junk that makes you dizzy like your spinning in those fancy spinning chairs. It isn't Gaia. Gaia strives to be user friendly, thats why they make things pretty with a purple boarder, warning symbols (the triangular yellow thing), and an "Uh oh".
3.) Making sure you're human. Gaia does not need you to type in your username and password to "make sure you are human", and if you post a lot and really fast; Gaia makes you type squiggly words (that look like a kid in kindergarten wrote then) from a picture into a box (if you made an account you should know). I mean how does typing in a username and password to verify you are human work out? Robots can put in a username and password but they can't read kindergarten handwriting!
4.) Even if you have bad internet you should still be logged into the server. You only get logged out when you hit "Logout" or your connection times out (trust me I go and read Shakespeare online for an hour, come back, and I'm logged out). Even ZOMG doesn't need you to sign back in if you have bad connection you just need to reconnect.
5.) In General if it seems shady or suspicious and like an easy way to get your gold or items don't follow it.

For those who need it broken down:
Username and password=access to your gold and Items
Bad grammar=not Gaia
Not polished and pretty=not Gaia
Username not in Red or Orange=not Gaian Staff
Too Complicated and Confusing=Not GAIA

Key: Not Gaia (asking for a password and username)=Hacker

If you already knew this then keep smiling like a Cheshire...

i Feel stupid coz giving my Id and Password
T____T

dont fill in the request.. it a fake
if u do it.. change your password fast
dont end up like me... i feel like an Idiot

This is a PM I just received.


Hackers Name: Love_me_babe_x

Obviously as you can see, this person is NOT an Admin Lead. rolleyes

To reiterate what Cheshire Butterfly said...
NEVER, NEVER, NEVER give out your password!!!!!!!

This is the first one I have ever gotten. I thought it was a good example to show people of what to avoid.

I do get a little shocked when I hear about people who fall for these because to me they are very obvious. I mean really does Love_me_babe_x even sound like any kind mod or admin?

Warning signs of a fake Mod/Admin;
Random noobish name
Wrong colored name
Noob Avi- no cool items - starter stuff - naked Avi
Blank Profile!

Biggest clue? A real admin or mod does not need your password to do anything to your account. They can do anything they want to your account without your password.
I really don't understand how so many people can fall for these. sweatdrop
*sorry for ranting*

Yes they do need to make it more clear and repeat it many more times in many places on the site. I'm glad Cheshire Butterfly made this thread, threads/posts like this should be everywhere.
And Omalored Sartol, this is my first one and I hope I don't have to deal with too many more.
-idea- I am going to post on my pro that I report password phishers, maybe that will deter them a little. Probably not though.