Given what I have learned in my Information Systems 101 class, I felt that it was pertinent to write a blog post about scamming. This post is not because it is required for the grade on this assignment, no – it is to inform the internet of the scams that are out there.

Like many video games, CS:GO has in-game cosmetics which can be purchased using real money. However, these cosmetics, referred to as “skins”, can be traded between users and exchanged for real-world money in turn. As such, fellows online will try to scam other users out of their skins and then exchange them for actual money.

Usually these guys will contact you through Steam, the website/application that you launch CS:GO from. Usually, they’ll have lots of trading information and fancy profiles with cool graphics and all that. You can usually tell right away if they’re legitimate or not by seeing whether their profile inventory is public. People who trade skins regularly will always show their inventories, since otherwise you can’t send trade offers to other people. Additionally, they’ll always try to strike up conversation instead of getting to the point, and they’ll always try to avoid actually trading through Steam. Stay clear of these guys if they try to get your stuff!