Current Events > Do you think there is a black market for buying old and/or high karma accounts?

(+) Yeah! (+)

Seems kinda fishy.
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No. Because

(1) Who is selling them? Why would anyone think to sell them?
(2) Where are they being bought, then?
(3) Who is sad enough to pay for an account when it's easier to just hold onto alts for years and keep their stuff in a Notepad file somewhere?

It makes no sense.
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Then where do all these old high karma accounts with no AMP come from?
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The more likely answer is, since they're abandoned accounts, the passwords are probably easily crackable. LUE-accessible and space accounts might be worth something but I doubt it's a market so much as a few people selling to each other.

My question is what happened to cold storage being a thing.
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yeah probably, people used to buy and sell low ICQ numbers and AIM names

back in 2002 people were bidding five figures for the AIM name "Satan": https://www.metafilter.com/19474/AIM-screen-name-satan-going-for-15k
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glitteringfairy posted...

Then where do all these old high karma accounts with no AMP come from?

Eevee-Trainer posted...

it's easier to just hold onto alts for years and keep their stuff in a Notepad file somewhere

Occam's Razor: this involves the least assumptions, so until someone pins down where the market is for old accounts (both who is selling and where and why), this is the most reasonable assumption.

Of course, high Karma + no AMP doesn't mean anything on its own. Someone could go inactive for months for genuine reasons.
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Which is bitterly ironic now because AIM is completely shut down, so all you'd have left from your insane purchase is the email address "[email protected]"

which actually is a pretty funny address
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SmidgeIsntBack posted...

The more likely answer is, since they're abandoned accounts, the passwords are probably easily crackable. LUE-accessible and space accounts might be worth something but I doubt it's a market so much as a few people selling to each other.

Hell, even this is more likely than "buying accounts." >_>
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ohnoitschris posted...

yeah probably, people used to buy and sell low ICQ numbers and AIM names

back in 2002 people were bidding five figures for the AIM name "Satan": https://www.metafilter.com/19474/AIM-screen-name-satan-going-for-15k

Google OG Users, this practice is alive and well and makes a lot of money if you're good at it.
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SmidgeIsntBack posted...

ohnoitschris posted...

yeah probably, people used to buy and sell low ICQ numbers and AIM names

back in 2002 people were bidding five figures for the AIM name "Satan": https://www.metafilter.com/19474/AIM-screen-name-satan-going-for-15k

Google OG Users, this practice is alive and well and makes a lot of money if you're good at it.

Holy moly, I shoulda figured there'd be something like that out there. That makes sense that that exists, I've always wondered who registers accounts with common names like that
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Reply All, an Internet journalism podcast, had a real good episode on the practice while tracking down a stolen Snapchat account.

https://www.gimletmedia.com/reply-all/130-lizard

The notes also have a lot of great info on preventing your identity from being stolen by more than just script kiddies.
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But yeah, I always figured I could sell my gfaqs account since someone would probably pay at least a hundred bucks for an account registered in 2000. Never will do it though.

Also, maybe a lot of older users are returning? Considering social media killed most other forums, and Reddit and Twitter took over most internet discourse. And you need a full body radiation suit if ever you dare to get within a kilometer of those places
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It just seems like to big a coincidence for all these accounts to be popping up in the last months for it to all be individual people that decided to log back on and troll. Maybe they are be hacked by somebody or a small group and not actually sold.

Also interesting about the AIM and Google accounts. Didn't know that
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they are being sold in bulk, i've seen it
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With a forum as old as GameFAQs, there are likely tons and tons of abandoned accounts with very simple passwords. And with how many services you need to make an account with, and how often random places get hacked, and how often people tend to reuse passwords... yeah, I could see a lot of valuable accounts getting stolen and reused here. Though an old GameFAQs account doesn't really let you have access to anything more than a few dead novelty boards, so it'd only really benefit someone looking to troll
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ohnoitschris posted...

With a forum as old as GameFAQs, there are likely tons and tons of abandoned accounts with very simple passwords. And with how many services you need to make an account with, and how often random places get hacked, and how often people tend to reuse passwords... yeah, I could see a lot of valuable accounts getting stolen and reused here. Though an old GameFAQs account doesn't really let you have access to anything more than a few dead novelty boards, so it'd only really benefit someone looking to troll

Well the benefit to having an old high karma account is its trolling ability. It is much less likely for it to be banned as opposed to new accounts with 3 karma. It's a pretty valuable weapon.
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Roxborough4Ever posted...

they are being sold in bulk, i've seen it

Crazy conspiracy man, but if there is money to made from this, bulk form is the most likely.

I like that old usernames are regularly purged though. Not much chance of a black market when anyone can register the usernames *plugs in random suggestions*...PSX, Vita, and 360.
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You could probably only get away with selling CJayC's account by itself (and even then you've only got maybe an hour to let loose).
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Where can I get a 1000+ karma accnt?

Never been that high before

SmidgeIsntBack posted...

You could probably only get away with selling CJayC's account by itself (and even then you've only got maybe an hour to let loose).

cjayc's account is closed
also, who?
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@Orlando_Jordan

Tell us where you bought your account
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Tinfoil hat society.

ohnoitschris posted...

yeah probably, people used to buy and sell low ICQ numbers and AIM names

back in 2002 people were bidding five figures for the AIM name "Satan": https://www.metafilter.com/19474/AIM-screen-name-satan-going-for-15k

Wait really?

I still remember my ICQ # from like 2000 and its only 8 digits. Worth anything? >____>
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Bump for day CE
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No it's against the ToS
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Space_Man posted...

No it's against the ToS

Well thanks for clearing that up

Pack it up boys we're done here
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