Helping Scam Victims

When someone gets scammed, it not only affects them personally but also harms the reputation of the BHW marketplace. After a bad experience, some users might decide to look elsewhere for solutions. I’ve been thinking about this for weeks, trying to figure out how we can prevent such situations or at least find ways to support those who have been affected. I just wanted to share these thoughts with you and see if we can explore possible solutions together.

Right now, when someone gets scammed, they file a dispute and our moderator bans the scammer if they are found guilty. But I think we need to take things a step further. Not just punish the scammer, but also try to support the person who got scammed.

How can we do that? By helping them get the product or service they originally paid for.

I know this might sound unrealistic, but let me explain.

For example, if someone bought "Facebook Accounts" and got scammed, what if another seller who offers the same service could voluntarily provide it for free? Of course, this won't be possible for every product or service, but even helping a few victims could make a positive impact.

Now you might ask, what would be the benefit for the seller who gives it away for free? When you help someone in need, there is a high chance they will return as a paying customer in the future if they need the same service again. It also helps build trust and reputation.

Here’s two possible way to implement this idea:
1)We can create a new section called "Victims". Once the scammer is banned, the affected user can post what service or product they were scammed on. If another seller provides that same service and is willing to help, they can reach out and offer it for FREE.

2) When a marketplace thread is under review, and it’s related to a product or service that someone was scammed on, we could offer the FRC to the person who got scammed. This way, they at least receive what they initially intended to buy.

This could be a small but meaningful step to restore trust in the marketplace.

For anyone reading this, I'm going to keep this open another day. I'd like to see some of the seller's opinions on this.

RK said:

When a marketplace thread is under review, and it’s related to a product or service that someone was scammed on, we could offer the FRC to the person who got scammed. This way, they at least receive what they initially intended to buy.

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this suggestion is great, as he is the most eligible person to review it.

Really nice thought as because of scams, genuine sellers are definitely getting hurt.

If it can be moderated, this may be a great solution otherwise it may also lead to fake victim scams!

Sellers can pitch in for their opinions as it's their call whether they want to be part of this initiative or not.

Nice one,

Still, the most effective solution would be implementing an escrow system. It eliminates the need for trust by putting a structure in place that protects both buyers and sellers. I mean, even on the dark web, people buy all kinds of things with crypto and stay safe. Thanks to escrow technology.

awsguy said:

he is the most eligible person to review it.

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Exactly. He’ll not only receive the product or service he originally paid for but also be able to leave an honest review. I understand this won’t help every scam victim, but it can definitely make a difference for some.

jerrilaw said:

Really nice thought as because of scams, genuine sellers are definitely getting hurt.

If it can be moderated, this may be a great solution otherwise it may also lead to fake victim scams!

Sellers can pitch in for their opinions as it's their call whether they want to be part of this initiative or not.

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This should be completely voluntary, with the sole intention of helping scam victims. And if the product is something the buyer would consider purchasing again in the future, it ultimately benefits the seller too, as the buyer will likely choose a trusted source next time.

RoboTech said:

Nice one,

Still, the most effective solution would be implementing an escrow system. It eliminates the need for trust by putting a structure in place that protects both buyers and sellers. I mean, even on the dark web, people buy all kinds of things with crypto and stay safe. Thanks to escrow technology.

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Escrow would definitely be the best solution, but until that becomes available, we should still try to do something to help scam victims.

Nice suggestion; I liked it, and I’m ready to participate in it.

I provide seo backlinks services but very few people here complaint against such services since not everyone here promise results. Still i second the idea and ready to volunteer. Anyone can @ me whenever there is a victim. I will be more than willing to help.

Another marketplace attempted a similar approach but ultimately closed it after a couple of years.

It got exploited.

I can already see different ways this getting exploited here due to Jr.VIP farms running rampant.

Example:

Let's take AWS accounts. A couple of scammers are behind the scheme, ripping off members, particularly with these accounts.

Someone gets scammed for $1000 - the Jr.VIP knows their accounts gets banned, already preparing for another one, to sell new AWS accs.

Then those 50 post victims suddenly start popping up, claiming to be victims too. Create a couple more 'victims' and you have a pool of accounts that could receive the FRC from the scammer's next JR.VIP account.

They praise the scammer for giving them a working AWS account, the BST gets approved, and the scammer can resume their operations.

Or they could just get free stuff from legit sellers for not being victims in the first place.

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RK said:

This could be a small but meaningful step to restore trust in the marketplace.

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But props to you for at least thinking of ways to make things better. The marketplace has lost trust, but certain individuals always try to downplay this.

I have different opinion

The goal should be reducing the scams,making the marketplace filled with legit sellers, making all possible way to get refund if the service / goods is not delivered as advertised

If we make an alternate without fixing the above process the marketplace will be same

Deposit amount if seller profile is risky / Escrow policy / Clear terms for sellers with minimum warranty / Restriction or Pre sales instruction to buyer who have no technical knowledge may improve the marketplace

This is a good idea and takes the sting out of being scammed

PetraAnn said:

For anyone reading this, I'm going to keep this open another day. I'd like to see some of the seller's opinions on this.

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I really respect the intention behind this — building trust is key for all of us. As a seller, I’d definitely consider helping out a scammed user if I offer the same service. It’s not just about goodwill; it shows that some of us actually care about quality and reputation. That said, I’d love to see clear guidelines in place, so no one takes unfair advantage of the system. But yeah, this could be a great community move if done right.

Its a good idea in principle however open to abuse.

Also, it seems slightly unjust that other members (that have been more diligent and cautious) could miss out on the opportunity for FRCs

I don't think it calls for another section, as users are already offerting that every now and then (@ContentExpert , for example).

Maybe a simpler ideas would be to edit the template for the dispute resolution conclusion to call for members that want to assist the accuser.
But there must be clear rules for that.
Are non upgraded members allowed to do that? If yes, are they allowed to sell afterwards?
Should everything be disclosed via DM or publicly in the thread? Are providers allowed to reach out to users who have been scammed via DM? This opens a can of worms IMO.

rajiced said:

I have different opinion

The goal should be reducing the scams,making the marketplace filled with legit sellers, making all possible way to get refund if the service / goods is not delivered as advertised

If we make an alternate without fixing the above process the marketplace will be same

Deposit amount if seller profile is risky / Escrow policy / Clear terms for sellers with minimum warranty / Restriction or Pre sales instruction to buyer who have no technical knowledge may improve the marketplace

Click to expand...

There are legal obstacles with deposits and escrow. It would work, but it always comes down to how much effort the company needs to put into implementing those things. They haven't done it, not because it can't be done, but rather they don't think the situation is so critical that it has to be done now... it takes too much effort, so it is not considered. Plus, the MP2 supposedly already has sort of an escrow, according to the team's announcements.

The easiest solution (which I have mentioned before) is pushing the seller fees to $750. That would be the easiest fix for the vast majority of the problems here. You can't be a seller if you don't pay $750, and that's it.

No legal requirements, no infrastructure change... just a price change and the end of the story. It takes mere minutes to solve the issue, and the rest of the marketplace sorts itself out on its own. The services get better, and the majority of the scammers would disappear.

INCC said:

The easiest solution (which I have mentioned before) is pushing the seller fees to $750

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as a fellow seller this is suggestion is great, it will reduce the sellers but the quality sellers on the forum, if the MP2 is no coming in next 1-2 years then rising the seller fees can be great idea.

awsguy said:

as a fellow seller this is suggestion is great, it will reduce the sellers but the quality sellers on the forum, if the MP2 is no coming in next 1-2 years then rising the seller fees can be great idea.

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They need to raise the fees NOW and not in 1-2 years...

...and the existing sellers should pay the price change too, not just the new sellers.

The Jr.VIP farms will be cleaned automatically.

INCC said:

They need to raise the fees NOW and not in 1-2 years...

...and the existing sellers should pay the price change too, not just the new sellers.

The Jr.VIP farms will be cleaned automatically.

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What I mean to say is that if MP2 is not planned for the next 1-2 years, then this fee should be implemented in the coming days or months.

and yes existing sellers also should pay the price change + sales thread fee.

I agree, scams hurt everyone here. Helping victims get what they paid for is a great way to rebuild trust. Even small help can mean a lot, and sellers who do this might gain loyal customers. Would love to see how this could work in real life!

INCC said:

There are legal obstacles with deposits and escrow. It would work, but it always comes down to how much effort the company needs to put into implementing those things. They haven't done it, not because it can't be done, but rather they don't think the situation is so critical that it has to be done now... it takes too much effort, so it is not considered. Plus, the MP2 supposedly already has sort of an escrow, according to the team's announcements.

The easiest solution (which I have mentioned before) is pushing the seller fees to $750. That would be the easiest fix for the vast majority of the problems here. You can't be a seller if you don't pay $750, and that's it.

No legal requirements, no infrastructure change... just a price change and the end of the story. It takes mere minutes to solve the issue, and the rest of the marketplace sorts itself out on its own. The services get better, and the majority of the scammers would disappear.

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Yes I understand the escrow issue while handling the deposit sometimes it requires financial service license or a separate entity registered to handle them.

I don't think increasing the price create a barrier for scammer diving into the market, it also affect the newbie also $750 is too much for a newbie who want to sell here from global perspective