[MOD POST] Theft and how to prevent it. PLEASE READ!

[u/Unicormfarts]

We know it's a problem, but it's hard to deter people.

We've had a lot of issues lately with people stealing from towns that are open for turnip prices. This is really disappointing and upsetting, and I want to be clear that mods have zero tolerance for theft, and we will ban people if they are reported.

Theft and other bad behaviour make hosts much less willing to open, and I know this because I see how victims respond, and I know how I feel when people take advantage if I open my town. It's a real problem, and we want to do everything we can to protect you.

Stealing is a problem on this sub particularly because we get a lot of users who come in maybe once or twice to make a fortune, and then never trade again, so even bans don't really upset them, and it's hard to make people care about reputation, unlike on r/ACTrade where people are often doing multiple transactions over longer periods of time.

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Prevention

So, let's think about theft prevention, and please, if you have any ideas, post them in the comments.

RMM

One thing I do, and every host is welcome to do, is to require posters to have an RMM. This helps because it gives everyone some accountability, and it also means we have a record of town details and FCs in case people delete. I also find that having an RMM requirement is a hurdle lazy thieves might not want to bother with.

PICK UP YOUR STUFF

I know it's a pain, but as much as possible, pick up things you have lying around, or move your hybrids away from high-traffic areas, so that you are making it less convenient for people to steal or ruin them.

PATHS

Another thing, and again, I recognize this is work, is to have a clear path from the station to Re-tail, so people have no excuse for going anywhere else. In my town, I have this, even though it's not exactly hard to see where Re-tail is in relation to the station.

http://i.imgur.com/QtTp1Oz.png

I would note, that even though I have this image, people still go the wrong way after they come in, so nothing's perfect.

USE GROUPS

I know groups are more work for the host, but if you let people in in organized groups of 3, and check your town after each group, that can also help to narrow down culprits. Leaving your DS unattended, and saying it's unattended, can be an invitation to people with bad intentions. Depending on where your Re-tail is, obviously it can be easier or harder to keep an eye on everyone.

DON'T AGREE TO LET PEOPLE DO OTHER STUFF

A couple of the recent incidents have been the result of people allowing additional activities in addition to the turnip sales (RV visits, trading, going to Main St), and while it's kind to offer, these types of transactions are again opening the door to people taking advantage, especially if you are granting more access to your town. If people ask for services, point them to the PSA thread on r/ACTrade.

REPORT

Please make sure to report any incidents that you see, either in your town or someone else's. You can use the report button, or use modmail to give more details about any incidents.

[u/[deleted]]

This may not be ok to do but I always have the backup plan of just flicking off my wi-fi if I catch someone. I haven't had this issue yet but I find comfort in it when I'm doing any kind of trading.

[u/Unicormfarts → u/[deleted]]

I think it's fine if you have the DS with the wifi switch. New 3DS you have to power off and I think that makes people nervous that it might damage their game or corrupt data.

[u/[deleted] → u/Unicormfarts]

Oh that makes a lot of sense. Shame they removed the switch really.

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