No matter what the situation, if an offer sounds too good to be true, it usually is.
There are a lot of scammers in the Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) community, more than most trading communities, and many of them specifically prey on this forum, so I've decided to write up a quick PSA about scammers and what to look out for. If you get scammed, Steam Support will not return any of your items. It's my hope, as a SteamRep admin, that this information helps make you aware of the scams before someone tries it on you. I can't stress enough just how widespread scamming is in CS:GO trading, so it's really important to know what to look for before it happens.

Below are some of the more common scams to look out for. If anyone tries something listed below, I recommend you block them and move on. This is not a complete list of scams, just the most common. If you want to learn more you should check out SteamRep's Safe Trading Practices guide.[forums.steamrep.com]

Impersonation

This usually comes in 1 of 2 forms. You need to understand both.

Admin/Middleman impersonation

ANY time someone says they're from Valve or SteamRep, follow these 3 easy steps to verify them before you do anything else: https://steamrep.com/tips/pretrade
Never trust links or screenshots the other trader provides - in chat, profile, or anywhere.


If I had a penny for everyone who fell for this, I might have enough to cover the cost of your knife. Next to phishing, this is probably the most common trick there is. The scammer will either offer to pay you real-world money, or request "trade assistance" from some kind of "admin" to "check your items". Either way, they will invite you into a multi-person chat room in Steam, with someone they claim is a SteamRep admin, SteamRep middleman, or Valve/Steam admin, requesting "both traders" send their items to the admin. What actually happens is the scammer will copy the real admin's profile from another account they're running at the same time to look just like him, and invite that. Once you trade your items to the fake middleman, the scammer will kick you out of chat, and your items are gone.

Note: There are real legit middlemen[steamrep.com], who will hold items during real-world money trades, but most requests involving one will end up with a fake copy, especially if they originated from these forums. If you ever get a request from someone claiming to be an admin or middleman, don't trust any links or screenshots they send you but confirm their identity yourself.[steamrep.com] SteamRep is not affiliated with Valve and not a part of Steam, so nobody there will "ban" your account for not cooperating. Additionally, nobody from Valve will add you, trade with you, or get involved with your trade in any fashion. If someone acts threatening or sketchy, lording their position over you to make you trade your items for nothing, they're probably fake.

For those who are unaware, SteamRep[steamrep.com] is a non-profit anti-scammer watchdog group, completely unaffiliated with Valve or Steam. Their mission consists of user education and awareness (hence this PSA) and a public database of known scammers, reported by members of the community like you. Select community admins and trusted "middlemen" who hold onto items during trades which involve components outside the trade window also have green "trusted" tags, and are widely subject to impersonation by scammers, so while dealing with one of them is pretty safe, it's extremely important you verify that's who you're actually dealing with[steamrep.com] multiple times, right up until you click the "Confirm trade" button. Don't ever trust or follow a link they send you, but check their identity for yourself.


Because SteamRep is not affiliated with Valve, SteamRep status is not displayed on Steam profiles. You need to look up the profile of whomever you're speaking to on steamrep.com. If, when checking someone's SteamRep status, you find they are trade banned, on trade probation, or marked with a BANNED or CAUTION status, there is a very high chance they will scam you.

Trusted Friend

If someone says they need you to trade your item(s) to a trusted friend before trading them, for any reason, don't do it!

Someone adds you as a friend, and says they want to trade for your items. They're willing to offer pretty much whatever you want, but they insist you send your items to a "trusted friend". Common excuses include "check for dupes", "glitch", "make sure you're serious about trading", or "prove you're trustworthy". Whatever excuse they give, there is no reason to perform multiple trades. If you follow through, here's what you have to look forward to:

The scammer will ask for a link to your friend's profile to "watch". From another account, he will copy your friend's profile piece by piece, then invite you into a multi-person chat with your "friend". You may even be talking to your real life friend, but once you trade, the scammer will block and remove you.

Don't try to mess with someone attempting this scam. They'll often still end up with your items if you try to waste their time.

Sometimes people like to troll scammers. If you're dealing with this particular scam, do NOT try to mess with the scammer. If you don't fall for the scam, the scammer will add and impersonate you to your friend. You, the experienced trader, may know how the scam works, but more often than not your friend won't. When trying to send your items back, your friend will end up trading them to the scammer's other alt that's copying your profile. I've seen scammers do this repeatedly, and effectively steal from 2 people at once, leaving both friends confused and their friendship ruined.

Cash Scammers

PayPal and Bitcoin:

Anyone jumping straight into cash trading, insisting on only trading money outside the trade window, is probably trying to scam you.

If someone says they want to trade for Steam Wallet codes, PayPal, Bitcoin, or anything else outside the trade window, there is a good chance they're trying to scam you. SteamRep, a non-profit fraud awareness program, has a comprehensive guide to common scam types[forums.steamrep.com] which delves into what you'd need to look for with these types of scams. If you don't know what you're doing with this type of trade when you're approached, don't do it!

About trading for codes:

Both Valve and SteamRep recommend never trading for codes of any kind. There are numerous ways trading for codes can and will go wrong.

If someone offers you a game activation code, Steam Wallet, gift card, or similar activation code for your items there is an especially high chance they will try to scam you. More often than not, if you send your items for the key first, you will be scammed. Sometimes the scammer will go first, but the game will be purchased on a stolen credit card. The game or Steam Wallet will disappear from your account at a later date, when the credit card owner disputes the charge, and you'll be out the money, your items long gone, and potentially you'll get your account suspended. Sometimes the scammer will offer "half" the code as a show of good faith, but no real code exists. Sometimes the code will be for something completely different from what the scammer said. There are countless ways trading for codes can go wrong, and unless you are 100% sure of what you're doing, and you understand all the risks (which include having your Steam account banned), don't do it!

Steam Wallet:

There is no reason to make arrangements for Steam Wallet trades for CS:GO items unless it's to scam you.

Almost every item in CS:GO is marketable. This means you can simply go into your inventory, click the green "Sell" button, set a price, and wait for someone to pay money for it. There is NO reason for anyone to buy your skins in any other way. Additionally, it's not possible to send Steam Wallet in a trade offer. Any trade offer that claims funds will be added to your account after the trade is an attempt to scam you.

If someone asks you to list some cheap item on the Steam Community Market, promising to buy it with their Steam Wallet, in return for sending them your items, don't do it. They are a scammer and you should block them. They may offer to go first, and you may even see the money appear in your account, but they will buy from a different disposable Steam account using a stolen credit card. Once the credit card's owner disputes the charge with their bank, your account will be implicated for fraud and money laundering. When that happens, not only are those items you traded to the scammer gone, but you'll also lose access to all of your games. And you might never get your account back.
Trust Scammers

Borrowing and Lending Items

If you don't know someone, don't trust them with your items. No matter what they say, there is no guarantee they'll return them, and nothing you can do about it if they decide not to. Even if they give you something to hold in return.

A common trend among newbie traders is lending items. The scammer will ask if he can "borrow", or "inspect" your items, or maybe even offer to broker some expensive knife for you. With rare exceptions, such as someone you know in real life, you should not trust someone with this. Once someone has your items, there is nothing you can do to get them back, and nothing you can use to hold them accountable. In CS:GO, you can "drop" your skins or knives in a trade server for someone else to pick up and inspect, while still keeping them in your inventory, so there's really no reason to "borrow" them to try something out.

Sometimes scammers will try to present themselves as more trustworthy than they actually are. They may try to befriend you, they may claim to know some famous streamer or website owner. They may put a lot of emphasis on their "+rep" comments, Steam level, ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ reputation score, or other factors. Unless you know someone in person, you should not trust them. It's very easy to run away on the internet, and once you trade your items, they're gone. Unless that person voluntarily returns your items, you won't get them back.

Fake Reputation

Profile comments saying "+rep", Steam profile level, and ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ reputation score mean nothing. If someone puts emphasis on "having more +rep" as a reason to trust them or go first, then 9/10 times they will scam you.

The idea that "+rep" comments on someone's profile mean you should go first or someone is trustworthy/reputable is an old and widely perpetuated myth, which began in the early years of Team Fortress 2 with scammers trying to appear legitimate. It has since taken on a new life of its own in CS:GO, with a larger and less patient userbase, leading to the mass of scammers we see today. The truth is, it doesn't matter how many +rep's someone has - even 100 pages - it doesn't make them even the slightest bit more trustworthy or reputable. Anyone can post those, and more often than not, they're fake. Because the myth is so widespread, scammers are often quick to point out they "have more +rep", and it's a common sign you're dealing with a scammer.

What's so wrong with +rep? The first and most obvious issue is that any negative feedback posted on someone's profile will be deleted. Of course you'll only see the positive stuff, because nobody with half a brain is going to present a bunch of "-rep he scammed my knife" comments. The second issue is that "+rep" comments are usually fake. Scammers will usually multiple post "+rep" comments on their own profiles from smurf accounts. There are numerous "rep 4 rep" Steam groups dedicated to helping scammers look legitimate. People sometimes even cheap trade items for such comments. I once handled a SteamRep report of a Steamworks developer getting paid $20 to post a comment on a scammer's profile about a cash trade that never happened stating "As a Steamworks developer, I promise this is one of the most trustworthy people you will meet in Steam" just to help the scammer steal items from people who didn't know better.

So how do you become reputable? First off, if you're not trading for something outside the Steam window, like real-world money, you probably don't need reputation. Trust and reputation are very difficult to come by on the internet. That's because what's easy for you to establish, is also easy for a scammer to fake. An old guide from a SteamRep admin talks about what constitutes reputation[forums.steamrep.com] and is a good read. When deciding whether someone is reputable, think about how easy it would be for a scammer to fake this. Remember: A single stolen knife on the community market will pay for that Level 100 Steam profile. A lot of people in CS:GO trading rely on the CSGORep group as a 3rd party and neutral ground for assertions of reputation, but unless you're familiar with cash trading and gauging reputation, you should probably avoid it.

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