# A possible scammer or stalker on WOW?...... **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [May 18, 2010, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-possible-scammer-or-stalker-on-wow/539865 "2010-05-18T05:21:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Banquo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Banquo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banquo)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2010, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-possible-scammer-or-stalker-on-wow/539865/1 "2010-05-18T05:21:00Z")
Do you ever have one of those moments where you ask your self "What in the bloody hell did I just do?"I had one of those moments about an hour ago. I will try to keep the description general enough so that non WoW players will know what i’m talking about. I have been playing Wow for a several months now. I had the habit of getting into random conversations with people, some of whom were later added to my friends list. A few months back, I wound up talking to this one girl and every now and then said “hi”. I ran into her again a week or so ago. We chatted a bit, dropping the occasional personal anecdote, and jokes. Now, I am a level 60 warlock. I cannot attain higher level right now because I don’t have the burning crusades expansion. Since I don’t have much going on with that toon on account of not being able to level, I offered to help her level. She is at level 35. So for the past week we have been running around, having a fun ol’ time and she comments that if I keep helping her, she will catch up to me. I replied by saying " I’m sure you will. I can’t level any higher" after explaining to her that i can’t splurge on much these days, She offers to buy me a copy of BC and mail it to me. Now, my mind starts to attack this. Is this a trick? Is she into me and is trying to make a gesture of trust? Has this person misrepresented herself? What the deuce?! I then figure “well, she has never said anything shady in the past. I offered to help her, she didn’t ask for me to pal around with her to try and ‘win my trust’ like a scam artist would.” And this is the point where my lapse in good judgment was made. I managed to convince myself that I was just being paranoid and that she was just a nice girl who is really cool. So, despite my gut telling me something doesn’t smell right, I gave her my addy… with a fake last name, for what good measure I can’t seem to remember now :smack: She then says she must get up for work tomorrow, cya and logs off. That is when the sinking feeling in my gut began, and I started to reexamined what had just happened, and what might happen… So how much hot water could I have potentially got myself into? this is really not something that I would normally do… I could chalk it up to not enough sleep I suppose. Anyway, it was a total Beavis moment and now I’m thinking damage control ---
**Author:** ![Autolycus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/22d042/32.png) [@Autolycus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Autolycus)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2010, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-possible-scammer-or-stalker-on-wow/539865/2 "2010-05-18T06:09:50Z")
I played FFXI, and I had tons of online friends who would do something similar. If anything, it sounds like she has a virtual crush on you. I’d relax and enjoy your package. ---
**Author:** ![PopeJewish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@PopeJewish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PopeJewish)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2010, 6:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-possible-scammer-or-stalker-on-wow/539865/3 "2010-05-18T06:16:09Z")
I agree, doesn’t sound like too much. You can get someone’s address with their IP these days, anyway, if you really want. Not like you gave her CC info or any ability to access any of your money. The worst she could do is send you drugs in the mail 😉 ---
**Author:** ![peekercpa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8baadc/32.png) [@peekercpa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peekercpa)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2010, 7:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-possible-scammer-or-stalker-on-wow/539865/4 "2010-05-18T07:18:38Z")
> [@Autolycus](#): > > I played FFXI, and I had tons of online friends who would do something similar. If anything, it sounds like she has a virtual crush on you. I’d relax and enjoy your package. [beavis on] uh huh huh huh. he said package. [/beavis off] ---
**Author:** ![appleciders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85f322/32.png) [@appleciders](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/appleciders)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2010, 7:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-possible-scammer-or-stalker-on-wow/539865/5 "2010-05-18T07:30:25Z")
That’s a pretty minimal slip. If there’s no correct personal information, then she hasn’t learned anything she couldn’t by randomly selecting addresses on a map anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Lunchy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Lunchy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lunchy)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2010, 8:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-possible-scammer-or-stalker-on-wow/539865/6 "2010-05-18T08:13:33Z")
My advice is, when you get the package, have some on else open it. From 40 feet. ---
**Author:** ![PsyXe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/54ee81/32.png) [@PsyXe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PsyXe)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2010, 10:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-possible-scammer-or-stalker-on-wow/539865/7 "2010-05-18T10:45:49Z")
Yeah, like some others have said, it’s quite possible she’s on the level. Now please don’t disappear and leave us hanging as to whether the package arrived! ---
**Author:** ![Drain\_Bead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e47774/32.png) [@Drain\_Bead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drain_Bead)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2010, 10:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-possible-scammer-or-stalker-on-wow/539865/8 "2010-05-18T10:57:51Z")
She may not really be a girl, but there’s no reason to think she’s anything other than a friendly gamer. ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2010, 11:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-possible-scammer-or-stalker-on-wow/539865/9 "2010-05-18T11:24:54Z")
Maybe I’m also naive, but I’d assume s/he just enjoys your company and wants to keep leveling with you once she hits 60. I’ve had a couple of good questing buddies like that, one of whom also happened to be female (her husband also played and we’d often make it a 3 some). ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2010, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-possible-scammer-or-stalker-on-wow/539865/10 "2010-05-18T13:38:02Z")
It doesn’t sound shady to me, but you shouldn’t assume she’s a girl just because her character is. But you’ve been helping her level, and she wants to thank you by buying the expansion for you. She just sounds nice. ---
**Author:** ![GoodOmens](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d26b3c/32.png) [@GoodOmens](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GoodOmens)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2010, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-possible-scammer-or-stalker-on-wow/539865/11 "2010-05-18T13:38:09Z")
I tend to agree that it’s no threat. Despite the horror stories, most people who play WOW are not scammers and gold farmers. Most are obsessive and often friendly geeks who want to share their obsession with others. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2010, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-possible-scammer-or-stalker-on-wow/539865/12 "2010-05-18T13:49:53Z")
Don’t worry - I have made a number of friends in game [EQ, WOW and EVE Online] and have mailed off packages to them. Usually it is because we have compared candy/junk foods, so we agree to exchange packages of our favorite junk foods. So far I have traded potato chips and candy with a brit, sent a housewarming gift of tervis insulated tumblers to another brit, and innumerable packages of maple candy to assorted germans, french, brits, aussies, romanians and a russian =) I have gotten bitters, mugs, shot glasses, chips and candy, and a matrushka =) ---
**Author:** ![Darkhold](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@Darkhold](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darkhold)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2010, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-possible-scammer-or-stalker-on-wow/539865/13 "2010-05-18T19:07:24Z")
Yeah if she started asking for username/password worry then. Sending you a package in the mail? Nothing to worry about. ---
**Author:** ![Palooka](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/palooka/32/2902_2.png) [@Palooka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Palooka)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2010, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-possible-scammer-or-stalker-on-wow/539865/14 "2010-05-18T21:05:12Z")
She’s sharding your purples right now. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2010, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-possible-scammer-or-stalker-on-wow/539865/15 "2010-05-18T22:20:35Z")
All of the most likely explanations I can come up with boil down to “she’s friendly”. The only questions are precisely how friendly, and how you want to respond to that, but that will become clear in due course. But all you really have now is “You were nice to someone online, and she’s being nice to you now”. That’s nothing to worry about; people being nice to each other is how the world is supposed to work. ---
**Author:** ![Shark\_Sandwich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f04885/32.png) [@Shark\_Sandwich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shark_Sandwich)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2010, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-possible-scammer-or-stalker-on-wow/539865/16 "2010-05-18T23:11:01Z")
> [@Palooka](#): > > She’s sharding your purples right now. I don’t play WoW, and I don’t know have any idea what this comment means. But, MAN, did it get me a-gigglin’. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2010, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-possible-scammer-or-stalker-on-wow/539865/17 "2010-05-18T23:27:21Z")
> [@Shark\_Sandwich](#): > > I don’t play WoW, and I don’t know have any idea what this comment means. But, MAN, did it get me a-gigglin’. Disenchanting his magical gear to get ‘shards’ which can be sold at the auction house =) ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2010, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-possible-scammer-or-stalker-on-wow/539865/18 "2010-05-19T04:51:51Z")
Specifically, his really good magical gear, right? Purples are better than “ordinary” magic which is just blue? ---
**Author:** ![AClockworkMelon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aclockworkmelon/32/10803_2.png) [@AClockworkMelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AClockworkMelon)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2010, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-possible-scammer-or-stalker-on-wow/539865/19 "2010-05-19T05:01:28Z")
You’re overreacting. Enjoy your game, you charmer you. ---
**Author:** ![tr0psn4j](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/958977/32.png) [@tr0psn4j](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tr0psn4j)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2010, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-possible-scammer-or-stalker-on-wow/539865/20 "2010-05-19T05:23:11Z")
Sounds like you got a free game. 🙂 I know you hear tons of horror stories but there are actually a lot of nice people online. I’ve given and received games and other items. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-possible-scammer-or-stalker-on-wow/539865.md?page=2)