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Somer Blink is a variant on the "Penny Auction" scam that CCP fell for hook line and Golde

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Xaen
Telepathic Death Mimes
#1 - 2013-09-26 23:06:59 UTC
Dear CCP,

You have been scammed by Somer Blink. They are taking you for billions, if not trillions of ISK if you count the uniquely special and uniquely effective vouchsafing PR, that you already gave them for free. This is called favoritism. Just like when T20 gave BoB T2 BPOs, except worse, because you do not even realize you got scammed.

Let me reiterate: You already got scammed, and publicly announced that you're going to continue falling for it.

Since apparently half the EVE playerbase including CCP had either never heard of this particular scam, allow me to enlighten you:

http://www.fraud.org/penny-auctions

I never made a big deal of it before because I simply assumed that most other EVE players realized it was a scam and just liked blowing ISK on it. I have never given them 0.01 ISK and never will because Somer Blink is just another EVE scam!

I, and every other player that knows a penny auction scam when they see it has been denied access to new ships. Yay, favoritism because CCP fell for a scam!

That was a super important paragraph sentence, so please read it again.

Let me reiterate, since CCP is apparently rather thick: CCP fell for an in game scam, and fell so hard that they planned to resurrect a part of in game history and give to them for their exclusive profit.

And since I refuse to become a SomerSucker™ I am effectively denied even the chance to get one of these ships because I am more scam resistant than CCP Navigator and the rest of the devs who are too gullible to figure out that Somer Blink is a just another penny auction scam with a couple of insignificant twists on it to further obscure the scam. To say nothing of the people who have been banned from Somer Blink, the result of which is CCP treating even more of their customers unfairly with respect to Somer Blink.

But it is still a scam.

The only way to fix this is to stop pimping Somer Blink revoke any special privileges that they scammed you out of, publicly admit Somer Blink is just another EVE scam, stop falling for it, and never use them again.

If you're thinking "Xaen cannot possibly be correct!" Read below, then read this post again. Keep reading it until you get it through your thick skulls that Somer Blink is just a penny auction scam, EVE style, that CCP fell for hook, line, and Golden Magnate.

It's easier to fool people than to convince them that they have been fooled.

—Mark Twain

I get shouty crackers a lot. Deal with it.
Doc Fury
Furious Enterprises
#2 - 2013-09-26 23:09:30 UTC

The only winning move is not to play.


☼

There's a million angry citizens looking down their tubes..at me.
Xaen
Telepathic Death Mimes
#3 - 2013-09-26 23:12:53 UTC
Doc Fury wrote:

The only winning move is not to play.


Precisely.

I get shouty crackers a lot. Deal with it.
mechtech
Ice Liberation Army
#4 - 2013-09-26 23:13:53 UTC  |  Edited by: mechtech
Blink and Penny Auctions are entirely different models. Blink is closer to a slot machine.

Blink isn't a "scam", it's a casino. The amount you win over a long enough time frame is guaranteed to be lower than the input isk. Extra devious is the bit where players are "better off" if they redeem more blink credit and keep grinding their isk away in the Blink system until it's gone.

Without any scamming component, they can still make trillions and trillions by running things legitimately. If I were running blink and trying to extract as much profit as possible, I wouldn't scam their beautiful business model or loyal customers in any way, shape, or form. Only if Blink was suddenly put out of business somehow would I take the deposits. Simply put, they don't need to scam, they make the most profit with the casino model.
Domanique Altares
Rifterlings
#5 - 2013-09-26 23:15:02 UTC
I find it amusing that you assume they got 'scammed.' I'm more inclined to think that CCP doesn't give a ****.
Cierra Royce
The Scope
Gallente Federation
#6 - 2013-09-26 23:15:59 UTC
Xaen wrote:
Dear CCP,

You have been scammed by Somer Blink. They are taking you for billions, if not trillions of ISK if you count the uniquely special and uniquely effective vouchsafing PR, that you already gave them for free. This is called favoritism. Just like when T20 gave BoB T2 BPOs, except worse, because you do not even realize you got scammed.

Let me reiterate: You already got scammed, and publicly announced that you're going to continue falling for it.

Since apparently half the EVE playerbase including CCP had either never heard of this particular scam, allow me to enlighten you:

http://www.fraud.org/penny-auctions

I never made a big deal of it before because I simply assumed that most other EVE players realized it was a scam and just liked blowing ISK on it. I have never given them 0.01 ISK and never will because Somer Blink is just another EVE scam!

I, and every other player that knows a penny auction scam when they see it has been denied access to new ships. Yay, favoritism because CCP fell for a scam!

That was a super important paragraph sentence, so please read it again.

Let me reiterate, since CCP is apparently rather thick: CCP fell for an in game scam, and fell so hard that they planned to resurrect a part of in game history and give to them for their exclusive profit.

And since I refuse to become a SomerSucker™ I am effectively denied even the chance to get one of these ships because I am more scam resistant than CCP Navigator and the rest of the devs who are too gullible to figure out that Somer Blink is a just another penny auction scam with a couple of insignificant twists on it to further obscure the scam. To say nothing of the people who have been banned from Somer Blink, the result of which is CCP treating even more of their customers unfairly with respect to Somer Blink.

But it is still a scam.

The only way to fix this is to stop pimping Somer Blink revoke any special privileges that they scammed you out of, publicly admit Somer Blink is just another EVE scam, stop falling for it, and never use them again.

If you're thinking "Xaen cannot possibly be correct!" Read below, then read this post again. Keep reading it until you get it through your thick skulls that Somer Blink is just a penny auction scam, EVE style, that CCP fell for hook, line, and Golden Magnate.

It's easier to fool people than to convince them that they have been fooled.

—Mark Twain


Read this folks and let it sink in, both Xaen and Mark Twain are spot on the money here. Blink is a cleverly designed variation on the penny auction system, and CCP has no business directly enriching and vouching for the honesty of Player organisations.
Posting From Underbridge
Doomheim
#7 - 2013-09-26 23:18:07 UTC
Just because some people fail to understand a system does not make it a scam.
Cierra Royce
The Scope
Gallente Federation
#8 - 2013-09-26 23:18:29 UTC
mechtech wrote:
Blink and Penny Auctions are entirely different models. Blink is closer to a slot machine.

Blink isn't a "scam", it's a casino. The amount you win over a long enough time frame is guaranteed to be lower than the input isk. Extra devious is the bit where players are "better off" if they redeem more blink credit and keep grinding their isk away in the Blink system until it's gone.

Without any scamming component, they can still make trillions and trillions by running things legitimately. If I were running blink and trying to extract as much profit as possible, I wouldn't scam their beautiful business model or loyal customers in any way, shape, or form. Only if Blink was suddenly put out of business somehow would I take the deposits. Simply put, they don't need to scam, they make the most profit with the casino model.


Penny auction scheme are casino like, they are not Scams in the Victor Lustig sense but certainly are in the P. T. Barnum sense.
Xaen
Telepathic Death Mimes
#9 - 2013-09-26 23:26:16 UTC
Posting From Underbridge wrote:
Just because some people fail to understand a system does not make it a scam.

Added you to my list of EasyMarks™

I get shouty crackers a lot. Deal with it.
Amhra Rho
Accujac Elimination
#10 - 2013-09-26 23:31:16 UTC
Doc Fury wrote:

The only winning move is not to play.

I don't intent to play. My time is better spent actually earning isk. Might be a scam - might not. Either way, I'll never know.

There's real reasons why your Eve character doesn't do /dance.
Xaen
Telepathic Death Mimes
#11 - 2013-09-26 23:34:23 UTC
Amhra Rho wrote:
Doc Fury wrote:

The only winning move is not to play.

I don't intent to play. My time is better spent actually earning isk. Might be a scam - might not. Either way, I'll never know.
You win by not playing Somer Blink. You lose by playing Somer blink.

Congrats, you're winning right along side me!

You don't even have to do anything!

I get shouty crackers a lot. Deal with it.
Solstice Project's Alt
Doomheim
#12 - 2013-09-26 23:40:22 UTC
I fail to see the issue.

Everybody knows it's a lottery/casino and some think it's a scam,
as one could consider casino/lottery as scams.

I find it weird to see you think CCP doesn't know who they are dealing with.
I also find it weird that you believe that CCP doesn't know what they are doing.
Obviously they knew beforehand that SOMER will let players gamble for these items.

Obviously they knew they'll that SOMER will profit from that, too.


The fact that they did this in the first place, though ... well, i have no idea.

You neither.

Hopefully they have.


*shrugs*

Buy Solstice Project for PLEX4GOOD ! https://forums.eveonline.com/default.aspx?g=posts&find=unread&t=301266 (this alt-character will get deleted once the sale is done, on 6th of december)
PotatoOverdose
School of Applied Knowledge
Caldari State
#13 - 2013-09-26 23:41:32 UTC
Welp, CCP got scammed by a player organization. It was bound to happen eventually I suppose.
Solstice Project's Alt
Doomheim
#14 - 2013-09-26 23:42:28 UTC
Oh and i'd like to point out that most of those who complain about favouritism
wouldn't have done so if it was them receiving free stuff to make profit off.

Oh my, how can i think so badly about you ...

Buy Solstice Project for PLEX4GOOD ! https://forums.eveonline.com/default.aspx?g=posts&find=unread&t=301266 (this alt-character will get deleted once the sale is done, on 6th of december)
Solstice Project's Alt
Doomheim
#15 - 2013-09-26 23:42:58 UTC
PotatoOverdose wrote:
Welp, CCP got scammed by a player organization. It was bound to happen eventually I suppose.
Do you have any proof that CCP didn't actually know what they were doing
and didn't actually approach SOMER by themself?

Buy Solstice Project for PLEX4GOOD ! https://forums.eveonline.com/default.aspx?g=posts&find=unread&t=301266 (this alt-character will get deleted once the sale is done, on 6th of december)
45thtiger 0109
Pan-Intergalatic Business Community
#16 - 2013-09-26 23:47:17 UTC
Cierra Royce wrote:
Xaen wrote:
Dear CCP,

You have been scammed by Somer Blink. They are taking you for billions, if not trillions of ISK if you count the uniquely special and uniquely effective vouchsafing PR, that you already gave them for free. This is called favoritism. Just like when T20 gave BoB T2 BPOs, except worse, because you do not even realize you got scammed.

Let me reiterate: You already got scammed, and publicly announced that you're going to continue falling for it.

Since apparently half the EVE playerbase including CCP had either never heard of this particular scam, allow me to enlighten you:

http://www.fraud.org/penny-auctions

I never made a big deal of it before because I simply assumed that most other EVE players realized it was a scam and just liked blowing ISK on it. I have never given them 0.01 ISK and never will because Somer Blink is just another EVE scam!

I, and every other player that knows a penny auction scam when they see it has been denied access to new ships. Yay, favoritism because CCP fell for a scam!

That was a super important paragraph sentence, so please read it again.

Let me reiterate, since CCP is apparently rather thick: CCP fell for an in game scam, and fell so hard that they planned to resurrect a part of in game history and give to them for their exclusive profit.

And since I refuse to become a SomerSucker™ I am effectively denied even the chance to get one of these ships because I am more scam resistant than CCP Navigator and the rest of the devs who are too gullible to figure out that Somer Blink is a just another penny auction scam with a couple of insignificant twists on it to further obscure the scam. To say nothing of the people who have been banned from Somer Blink, the result of which is CCP treating even more of their customers unfairly with respect to Somer Blink.

But it is still a scam.

The only way to fix this is to stop pimping Somer Blink revoke any special privileges that they scammed you out of, publicly admit Somer Blink is just another EVE scam, stop falling for it, and never use them again.

If you're thinking "Xaen cannot possibly be correct!" Read below, then read this post again. Keep reading it until you get it through your thick skulls that Somer Blink is just a penny auction scam, EVE style, that CCP fell for hook, line, and Golden Magnate.

It's easier to fool people than to convince them that they have been fooled.

—Mark Twain


Read this folks and let it sink in, both Xaen and Mark Twain are spot on the money here. Blink is a cleverly designed variation on the penny auction system, and CCP has no business directly enriching and vouching for the honesty of Player organisations.


How the hell can Somer Blink scam when people invest ISK not RL money.

I have won more sub caps in somer blink than I have invested isk which I am ahead.

You better get the facts right before you get into trouble either by CCP or Somer Blink.

Because you are faming CCP & Somer Blink

Thats my two cents worth.


**You Have to take the good with the bad and the bad with the good.

Welcome to EvE OnLiNe**
Xaen
Telepathic Death Mimes
#17 - 2013-09-26 23:50:17 UTC
45thtiger 0109 wrote:
Cierra Royce wrote:
Xaen wrote:
Dear CCP,

You have been scammed by Somer Blink. They are taking you for billions, if not trillions of ISK if you count the uniquely special and uniquely effective vouchsafing PR, that you already gave them for free. This is called favoritism. Just like when T20 gave BoB T2 BPOs, except worse, because you do not even realize you got scammed.

Let me reiterate: You already got scammed, and publicly announced that you're going to continue falling for it.

Since apparently half the EVE playerbase including CCP had either never heard of this particular scam, allow me to enlighten you:

http://www.fraud.org/penny-auctions

I never made a big deal of it before because I simply assumed that most other EVE players realized it was a scam and just liked blowing ISK on it. I have never given them 0.01 ISK and never will because Somer Blink is just another EVE scam!

I, and every other player that knows a penny auction scam when they see it has been denied access to new ships. Yay, favoritism because CCP fell for a scam!

That was a super important paragraph sentence, so please read it again.

Let me reiterate, since CCP is apparently rather thick: CCP fell for an in game scam, and fell so hard that they planned to resurrect a part of in game history and give to them for their exclusive profit.

And since I refuse to become a SomerSucker™ I am effectively denied even the chance to get one of these ships because I am more scam resistant than CCP Navigator and the rest of the devs who are too gullible to figure out that Somer Blink is a just another penny auction scam with a couple of insignificant twists on it to further obscure the scam. To say nothing of the people who have been banned from Somer Blink, the result of which is CCP treating even more of their customers unfairly with respect to Somer Blink.

But it is still a scam.

The only way to fix this is to stop pimping Somer Blink revoke any special privileges that they scammed you out of, publicly admit Somer Blink is just another EVE scam, stop falling for it, and never use them again.

If you're thinking "Xaen cannot possibly be correct!" Read below, then read this post again. Keep reading it until you get it through your thick skulls that Somer Blink is just a penny auction scam, EVE style, that CCP fell for hook, line, and Golden Magnate.

It's easier to fool people than to convince them that they have been fooled.

—Mark Twain


Read this folks and let it sink in, both Xaen and Mark Twain are spot on the money here. Blink is a cleverly designed variation on the penny auction system, and CCP has no business directly enriching and vouching for the honesty of Player organisations.


How the hell can Somer Blink scam when people invest ISK not RL money.

I have won more sub caps in somer blink than I have invested isk which I am ahead.

You better get the facts right before you get into trouble either by CCP or Somer Blink.

Because you are faming CCP & Somer Blink

Thats my two cents worth.




Read the quote again.

You're in my list of easy marks now.

Fly "safe"!

I get shouty crackers a lot. Deal with it.
PotatoOverdose
School of Applied Knowledge
Caldari State
#18 - 2013-09-26 23:51:39 UTC  |  Edited by: PotatoOverdose
Look, CCP has a record of doing pants on head stupid things every now and then.

Some examples:
Incarna
:18 Months:
Nex Store
$1000 Jeans
T20

When CCP makes a mistake, you have to jam it down their throats, because they will stand by their stupidity to the last. Don't believe me? Google: eve $1000 jeans. Look at all of the statements by CCP Zulu. Hell, here's the first thing that pops up.

The last time things got :CCP: stupid, Eve lost a ton of subscribers and has only recently recovered. Personally, I don't want eve to go down that road again.

Solstice Project's Alt wrote:
Oh and i'd like to point out that most of those who complain about favouritism
wouldn't have done so if it was them receiving free stuff to make profit off.

Oh my, how can i think so badly about you ...

That's actually kinda the whole point. You're so close to getting it, and yet...
Trii Seo
Goonswarm Federation
#19 - 2013-09-26 23:55:42 UTC
The universal truth about casinos is that they're all, in a way, a "scam".

That's because in the end the house always wins. If it didn't, nobody would run them as a business, since they wouldn't turn a profit.

The winning move isn't not to play, is to know when to cash out. If, by the end your wallet has more than you invested - congratulations, you've made the good move. The significant difference between blink and a penny auction is the fact that blink is a lottery.

In an auction, there's a necessity to outbid to win at all. If you don't do that, you are guaranteed to lose, and in this case - lose money already invested. In a lottery, investment merely increases your odds of success when the numbers are drawn. It's a simple game of chance and your entry ticket will not be rendered void by someone putting more money on the line.

Now I'm not saying SOMER.Blink is 100% legitimate, since it's not transparent to the public. They could be rigging the lottery, they could be using shills - not like anyone's going to investigate.

Proud pilot of the Imperium

Arek'Jaalan: Heliograph
ACE McFACE
Federal Navy Academy
Gallente Federation
#20 - 2013-09-27 00:09:15 UTC  |  Edited by: ACE McFACE
So what your saying is all casinos in the world are scams?

And even if Somer Blink did just take the ships for themselves it would:
1. Be terrible for business
2. CCP would probably shrug it off and say "Scams are a part of EVE, plus the ships are now part of the EVE universe again."

Now, more than ever, we need a dislike button.
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