Big guilds are naturally protected from the wolf seeking n00bs to prey upon by way of the application process and what I’m assuming are, and should be, strict rules about access to the guild bank. The smaller guilds that invite anyone who’ll join and make the guild bank accessible to members based on their rank are susceptible to this predator.
It is to these smaller guilds, the startups of family and friends who’s members are mostly new to the game, and to those who tend to trust a shiny stranger I tell my cautionary tale.
There we were, the four of us, questing our level 13s in Westfall when one of us received a mysterious whisper.
“Can I join your guild? I like to help people.”
Red Flag #1
Upon further inspection, it became apparent how odd a request this really was. The whisperer was a level 70. None of us knew this character. We had never recruited, nor had we spoken to anyone about our guild as its members were just the 4 of us. This 70 must have been /whoing low levels in guilds.
He tried to convince us he merely wanted to help. He boasted of running people through Deadmines and giving them hundreds of gold.
A genuine saint!
I log off my baby Pally and onto Mama Druid to ensure the guild bank is locked down. Upon learning that there was a 70 in the guild, he wasn’t sure we needed his help anymore. Not entirely clear of his intentions, I left it at that and told him to let us know if he changes his mind.
He changed his mind within a few minutes and we had a new member to the guild.
Why is this a red flag? The fact that a level 70 is sitting around /whoing guilded low levels begs one to wonder at their motivation.
Red Flag #2
Checking the guy’s armory shows us that he’s decked out in PvP gear. Checking Warcraft Realms shows us that he’s a transfer and not much else.
Why are these red flags? What the heck is a PvP geared level 70 transfer want with a small guild who can’t do anything for him in the way of progression?
Ok. Maybe he really is a nice guy and wants to help.
Red Flag #3
Immediately after joining, he remarks at his guild rank.
Five minutes later he’s at the guild bank and asking if we have tabs. I know for a fact he can see that we have tabs, but he can’t see the contents.
Maybe now that guild banks have been introduced it’s customary and expected for a new member to check it out right away. But why ask dumb questions?
We don’t have any gold in the bank, he comments on that and deposits 200g. We invited him to our party and he let us know about his deposit in party chat. He then follows up his announcement with, “Oops, I meant to say that in guild chat.” (minor red flag here) I reminded him that it’s just the 4 of us in the guild, so we all heard it in party chat.
Why was that a minor red flag? Because he meant to let the whole guild know about his deposit. In our case, it didn’t apply. But if we were a larger guild, then members who were not in our party would have learned of Mr. Shiny’s helpful gesture and been keenly impressed. What’s wrong with being impressed? Remember wolves in sheep’s clothing may appear to be soft and cuddly, endearing you to them.
I wasn’t ready to be endeared to Mr. Shiny.
Red Flag #4
The next night, he agrees to run us through Deadmines. Again, he asks about bank tabs.
Either he has a bad memory, because his arse was sitting right there at the bank the night before, or The Hubby may be right in suspecting more than one person plays Mr. Shiny.
After the run through, he leaves the party, immediately proceeds to the bank, and sees that we haven’t spent his 200g.
I explain to him that we don’t use the guild bank to store gold as we share it with each other when necessary. I let him know that if he’d like it back, we can certainly give it back to him.
His response:
Apparently we weren’t n00bish enough for this guy.
The red flag here? His “bad memory.” Also, I can only suspect that if we had spent his gold it would have been some sort of “in” for him.
Then again, he really could have been the helpful type.
Red Flag #5
About five or ten minutes later I see him in the bank, standing in front of the guild vault and notice he’s in a new guild.
An hour later he’s in another guild.
Why is this a red flag? Seriously?
Guard Your Banks!
Maybe Mr. Shiny Guy was a genuine saint. But my instincts, and the red flags I shared above, tell me otherwise. It’s always best to err on the side of caution (but not to the point where you don’t venture outside!).
So please please please do not trust shiny strangers. Use your guild ranks wisely and whether or not it’s a 70, they should always start out at your lowest rank with access to nothing. Any new member should have a trial period, regardless of their boasts of helpfulness.
Tags:
Bank,
Gold,
Guild,
n00bs
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