Both new and old users should read this information on how to prevent from getting scammed. Remember, if it's true good to be true, it probably is!

Trade Scams
This one is simple, just don't trade ANYTHING unless you use the trading post. The post will ensure all trades are completed fairly, and both parties go away happy, but be careful there are scams lurking at the trading post just waiting to get at your hard earned np's and items. Do not even consider on offering on a lot which is generally 1 junk item like a bottle of sand and says in its wish list: I'm leaving NeoPets, so the best offer in 3 mins gets my account with 6.2 million nps! I'm seriously not joking! If I lie, you can report me! You offer a couple of thousand nps and all you'll be getting is that bottle of sand. Another scam is sort of the reverse of the scam before, you see a baby paint brush and in the wish list the scam says: FREE if you offer on my other lot. The other lot is junky sand and again if you offer nps thinking it's for the baby paint brush all you are gonna get is that sand. There are scam lots which tell you to go to their shop for 1np faerie's and codestones, oh no watch out! you've just found another fake login page. Report that shop! A newer scam of late at the Trading Post is called the switch-a-roo where the lot is something like a battle potato for example, they are asking for a really low price you think you are offering on it they quickly close the lot and switch it with a raw potato that is worthless, you quickly bid again because you can't believe your luck and the items look identical, they accept and you got yourself a raw potato that cost you 100k. Always know what the items you are offering on before you make any offer just because the lots wish list says its an unbuyable hidden tower item, it could very well be a hunk of worthless junk and if in doubt always do a shop wiz to double check those prices.

Fake Login Pages
Ok here is the scenario. You are looking for a rather expensive item up on the shop wizard, and wow you see a fish negg for 100 NP's! So you go to that shop and sure enough you see a fish negg priced at 100NP's, your excited at this point so you click on it, and uh oh it takes you to the NeoPets login screen. You very quickly type in your user name and password, cause you don't wanna miss out on that great deal of a lifetime. Then you notice that the negg you tried to buy is no where to be found in your inventory. Hmm what happened? Well what you probably just did was log into a fake login page. You say "But it looked just like the NeoPets page!" Well that's the whole point of the scam, before you get carried away and fall for this scam, run your mouse over the item you want to buy, if the URL (web site address does not start with http://www.NeoPets.com, DO not attempt to buy it. You will most likely see an address http://www.geocities.com/neologin or something along those lines. What this person has done is copied the HTML code from the official NeoPets login page, and re created it on to their site. So when you type in your user name and password, the information is sent directly to them. They now have access to your account, and you will most likely never see your NeoPets,money & items ever again. If you do happen to fall for this scam , and your account is taken over, our only suggestion to you is to write abuse@NeoPets.com and explain your situation to the staff. You should take note of what you have in your account. Example, how much money you have in the bank, the names of some of your neofriends, what are some of the neomails you have in your in box, stuff in your deposit box ect. This will help the staff determine if that account is really yours or not, cause they really have no other way of telling. Make sure to report these types of shop scams by using the shop abuse report located in each shop at the top of the page. Or again write to them with email.

NeoPets Money Maker Programs
There are a few scams like this going around as well. You see these mainly advertised on chat boards or get them through neomail. These people will say "Oh wow I made a million neopoints in a day by using this program! You should try it too, they give you a URL to go to and low and behold again it says something like "In order to get the neopoint maker, fill out the form below with your user name and pass, and we will fill up your account with neopoints!" Nope this isn't true. There are no such things as a neopoint money maker. What you have just done is given all your info to the scammer who now has access to your account and everything in it. The only way to get neopoints is to work hard yourself and play the game properly.

Neositting
One of the oldest scams around Neopia. Someone neomails you and says "I will watch your account and NeoPets for you if you ever go away, I will feed them and play with them and make sure they are well taken care of until you return" You think Oh great! I don't have to worry about my babies while I am gone" So you give them your user name and pass, thinking they are gonna take care of everything, and when you get back Doh! you can't get into your account. What happened! Well, that was a scam. You don't need anyone to take care of your NeoPets if you need to go away for vacation or something. First of all NeoPets don't ever die. They only say they are dying if you do not feed them for awhile, but that's all. If you really want to make sure they are fed, please use the Neolodge that is provided for you by NeoPets. They will make sure your NeoPet is fed and groomed and played with safely until your return.

NeoPets Staff Impersonators
These people crack me up. Their neomails are so poorly written half the time, you know right away its a scam. They will have usernames like The_Neo_petz_Team99 or NeoPetsTeamRules stuff like that. They want you to fall for their scams which consist of all sorts of things. I have received neomails saying that "We have to clean up our database, to make the site run faster, in order for this to happen we need your password to keep safe, incase it gets deleted during the clean up, Or "WOW CONGRATS! You are the winner in the NeoPets Best Citizen Award, to claim your prize we need your password." None of this is true. The official NeoPets user name is theNeoPetsteam, which can be found by doing a user lookup here http://www.NeoPets.com/search.phtml?selected_type=user&string=theNeoPetsteam. Only neomails from them are legit, and they will NEVER EVER ask you for your password, as if they really needed it, they already have it in their records.


To some people who have said contests are allowed, we bring you the following,perceive it as you wish...

Fake Shop Contests and Fake Guild Contests: If you look in NeoPets TOS (Terms of Service) it states,on #6, that 6. You understand and agree that you will not post any:
Any kind of promotions offering prizes of any sort anywhere on our site. Promotions could include contests, raffles, lotteries or any kind of giveaway. Anywhere on our site would mean anywhere a user could post, including our messaging areas, NeoPet homepages, shop fronts or guilds.

There are many guilds who do contests that don't require anyone purchasing things with their own money, which is a nice thought, but you might want to check it over with NeoPets, before you go ahead and do it.


You be the judge of what kind of activities you run in your guild, if your not clear on what NeoPets allows as far as contests go, email one of the staff members such as iris@NeoPets.com felicia@NeoPets.com



Selling Accounts and Pets
This is against NeoPets terms of service. But there are still the odd people who attempt it anyway's. They will post things on the chat board like "I am leaving NeoPets for ever, and I am selling my account, bid now!" Ummm hello if your leaving NeoPets for good, why would you want people to bid on it with money and items.

Please be careful, Baby N doesn't want to see anyone fall into these traps, NeoPets is mostly a fun safe environment, but as with everything there comes caution, always keep your good judgment alert, and you should be fine. He hopes this has made everyone a little more aware of their surroundings.