Nu Vibez and Roleplay Guide Magazine - March 2014 | Page 66

Second Life Marketplace - Who’s Watching the Store? - p5

Jones: It's not up to us to be figh ng
these ba les. Linden Lab provides the
service and they should take
responsibility. They can't just sit back and
say it has nothing to do with them when
they make a percentage profit from sales
on Marketplace. That puts them squarely
in bed with the people conduc ng the
fraud. Perhaps they don't want to make
Marketplace secure because they actually
benefit from the fraud.
Sabra: How much money do you think
you've lost in Marketplace fraud over the
past year, Samantha?
Jones: Between L$60,000 – L$70,000.
Sabra: Have you talked to fellow creators
that have shared your experience? Have
they put a price tag on their losses?
Jones: Yes, I have. I cannot men on the
person's name because I don't have
permission, but in the last week alone,
they were scammed out of over L$40,000
on Marketplace. There are only really a
handful of good mesh people out there.
They really should indicate right on their
Marketplace page, and boldly so, that if
they are not listed as the creator then it's
fake, fraudulent. Many of these scammers
don't change a single thing. They just copy
the picture and the verbiage and re-post it
on Marketplace.
Sabra: So a note to our readers, be sure
the creator name is listed on the market
place lis ng. This is the only thing that a
66- Nu Vibez Magazine - February 2014

scammer can't change. I've actually
started doing this myself a er becoming
awa re o f t h e ra m p a nt , u n p o l i c e d
fraudulent ac vi es on Marketplace.
Sabra: How do you feel when Linden Lab
says Marketplace fraud is not their
problem, that it is a resident-to-resident
issue?
Jones: I' m horrified. I'm not buying a pair
of shoes or a skirt for a L$100. I'm spending
a lot of money on pre-made
mesh—thousands for a single item. A lot
of mesh designers don't have an in-world
presence. So the only way you can buy is on
Marketplace. There has to be some kind of
protec on when you spend big sums of
money on items. Someone needs to do
something about Marketplace fraud.
We have a budget. We support three sims
and several staff members, If I lose this
month's budget due to fake mesh; I won't
be able to make new, exclusive designs to
release in my stores and that in turn affects
my sales. Is that going to stop Linden Lab
from shu ng me down if I can't pay my er
because they fail to make any effort to stop
the increasing illegal ac vi es on
Marketplace? No, of course it isn't.
Sabra: How do you think Linden Lab's
a tude affects the security, or at least the
perceived security, of Marketplace? Do
you feel confident that Marketplace is a
safe place to purchase items? It does seem
as if no one is minding the store.