They will add you and say that they want to trade for your item. When you check their inventory they may not have any item worth anything near to your item's value. If that's the case then they are either going to offer real money or they will say that they have their items stored in another account to prevent being scammed. Both of which are obviously not true.

They will tell you to check their other account, which will probably have the same profile picture and name. This account will have lots of items worth a lot of money. You can ask them to add you from the other account and they will refuse or make excuses.


Here's an example of a real scammer who contacted me:

VatsalS: hi
James Bond {LINK FJERNET}*csgo-house.com: yes
James Bond {LINK FJERNET}*csgo-house.com: knife trade right?
VatsalS: yeah
VatsalS: your offer?
James Bond {LINK FJERNET}*csgo-house.com: what do you hve in mind?
VatsalS: fine with pretty much anything
James Bond {LINK FJERNET}*csgo-house.com: can you please check on my profile? i have my items on my other account to keep them safe and avoid hijackers.
VatsalS: you dont have anything in your inventory worth trading for
VatsalS: send me link for your other account
James Bond {LINK FJERNET}*csgo-house.com: dude i told you i have my items on my other acc atm right?
James Bond {LINK FJERNET}*csgo-house.com: http://steamproxy.net/profiles/76561198140790591/inventory/
VatsalS: yeah so show me those items
James Bond {LINK FJERNET}*csgo-house.com: its here
James Bond {LINK FJERNET}*csgo-house.com: you can check
VatsalS: mmhmm
VatsalS: add me from that account then
VatsalS: you there?
James Bond {LINK FJERNET}*csgo-house.com: im here
James Bond {LINK FJERNET}*csgo-house.com: we dont even have the deal yet and you want me to add you
James Bond {LINK FJERNET}*csgo-house.com: this is my official trading acc

Here's the scammer's account. Link- http://steamproxy.net/profiles/76561198060896846/


The link he sent is of an account with items worth thousands of dollars. He had the same name and profile picture as the other account. Link- http://steamproxy.net/profiles/76561198140790591/

After convincing you that the other account is theirs they will ask you for an offer. They'll say yes to pretty much anything you offer. After the items to be traded have been decided the scammer will now ask you if you know what buggy items are. If you say no then they will explain it to you and say that they need to make sure your item isn't buggy.

If you ask them to add you from the other account first or make any other requests to try to verify their claims they may get angry to intimidate you.

Here's the continuation of my chat with the scammer:
James Bond {LINK FJERNET}*csgo-house.com: have you check on my other acc?
James Bond {LINK FJERNET}*csgo-house.com: how about my bayonet doppler?
VatsalS: i'll trade for your bayonet slaughter mw
James Bond {LINK FJERNET}*csgo-house.com: you mean like 1;1?
VatsalS: yeah
James Bond {LINK FJERNET}*csgo-house.com: yes ok go but first of all I want to check the item first if its clean or not one of the bugged items that is existing now im sure youve heard of it, are you new to trading?
VatsalS: i see
VatsalS: what's a buggy item?
James Bond {LINK FJERNET}*csgo-house.com: bugging or glitched or duped item that disappears when traded on other inventory
VatsalS: ok
James Bond {LINK FJERNET}*csgo-house.com: clean meaning not came from dupe or scammed items, Dont want to risk traces of scammed items on my inventory to avoid trade banned..Dont want to risk losing all my investment in this trade.. You get me dude?
VatsalS: mmhmm
VatsalS: you gotta add me from your other account first tho
James Bond {LINK FJERNET}*csgo-house.com: for?
James Bond {LINK FJERNET}*csgo-house.com: you dont trust me?
James Bond {LINK FJERNET}*csgo-house.com: you can remove me anyway
James Bond {LINK FJERNET}*csgo-house.com: honestly
James Bond {LINK FJERNET}*csgo-house.com: i dont like ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ traders who dont trust me
VatsalS: how can you expect anyone to trust you for no reason mate
James Bond {LINK FJERNET}*csgo-house.com: i will send my knife here okay? relax
VatsalS: just send me a friend request from the other account and i'll happily give you my knife to check
James Bond {LINK FJERNET}*csgo-house.com: LOL
James Bond {LINK FJERNET}*csgo-house.com: DID I ASK FOR YOUR KNIFE FIRST?
VatsalS: thats what you said
James Bond {LINK FJERNET}*csgo-house.com: where?
VatsalS: you wanted to check my knife
James Bond {LINK FJERNET}*csgo-house.com: listen bro
VatsalS: how else can you check my knife
James Bond {LINK FJERNET}*csgo-house.com: yes and due to the flactuation of fraud items in steam community, we will hire one of the steam community administrator to help over our transaction. so that we check and prove both of our items are clean and legit. if you dont want im sorry i cant go for this trade. i want a fair and secure trade.

Steamrep.com is a website that helps you find legitimate middlemen for trades. The website does not take any responsibility for these middlemen so hire them at your own risk.


The scammer will either ask for you to go first with your item or introduce you to steamrep.com. They'll tell you what the website is and how middlemen work and then proceed to give you links of accounts that are nearly identical to those of the middlemen on the website. Make sure you add the middlemen only through the website and not the links that the scammer has given you. If you compare both accounts then they'll have a very similar description and the same profile picture and name.


The scammer will tell you to add the users through the links he has provided, which can be his own accounts or accounts of his friends, or he will tell you that he is adding them to ask for help with the trade. He will then tell you that the middleman has accepted his request and will proceed to add the middleman to your chat.


Here's what the scammer told me:

James Bond {LINK FJERNET}*csgo-house.com: we will hire one steam admin from http://steamrep.com/list/M official steam community admin list
James Bond {LINK FJERNET}*csgo-house.com: feel free to check
VatsalS: ok hire
James Bond {LINK FJERNET}*csgo-house.com: these are some of the most active admins, can you help me get one so that we will have a great chance of getting one
James Bond {LINK FJERNET}*csgo-house.com: http://steamproxy.net/id/BBgBangGamers/
http://steamproxy.net/id/Dracowolf/
James Bond {LINK FJERNET}*csgo-house.com: sir big bang and sir garett have you check the admin list?
VatsalS: yea
James Bond {LINK FJERNET}*csgo-house.com: i aded sir big bang he is online
James Bond {LINK FJERNET}*csgo-house.com: http://steamproxy.net/id/BBgBangGamers/
VatsalS: ok
James Bond {LINK FJERNET}*csgo-house.com: add him also and other admins
VatsalS: ok
James Bond {LINK FJERNET}*csgo-house.com: have you added him? lets wait for other admins to respond
VatsalS: add him to the chat if he accepts your request
James Bond {LINK FJERNET}*csgo-house.com: did you add him also?
James Bond {LINK FJERNET}*csgo-house.com: add him also help me get one bro
VatsalS: yea i added draco
James Bond {LINK FJERNET}*csgo-house.com: They are Steamrep admin who helps traders to avoid fraud items and scammed items , they can banned any accounts which they see fit to a discription of any scam attempts..
James Bond {LINK FJERNET}*csgo-house.com: add sir big bang also
James Bond {LINK FJERNET}*csgo-house.com: he is online bro
James Bond {LINK FJERNET}*csgo-house.com: http://steamproxy.net/id/BBgBangGamers/
VatsalS: draco also online
James Bond {LINK FJERNET}*csgo-house.com: sir bigb ang accepted me
VatsalS: add him to our chat
James Bond {LINK FJERNET}*csgo-house.com: im asking him if he can help us
Your chat with James Bond {LINK FJERNET}*csgo-house.com is now a multi-user chat.
[BBG] Big Bang Theory entered chat.


The real account of big bang theory- http://steamproxy.net/profiles/76561197999300294


The impersonator's account- http://steamproxy.net/profiles/76561198063806932/


Both the accounts will look pretty similar but the original account has quite a few noticeable differences if you look for them. The real account has 7 years of service while the impersonator account has 3. The background for the accounts is different. The real account has 10,000+ hours on TF2 while the impersonator does not have any. The real account has a warning about the impersonator but the impersonator doesn't.

You can easily understand who the impersonator is within a minute if you compare both the accounts.

Now the scammer will talk to the impersonator respectfully and may tell you to do the same. The impersonator will ask you and the scammer about your trade and what items are to be traded. After this he will give you his trade link and ask you to send him a trade offer with your item. He will say that the scammer also has to send the offer. The scammer will now either say that he has sent an offer already or there is some problem due to which his offer will be delayed. He will still try to convince you to send your item so that the impersonator can "check" the item in the mean time to make sure it isn't "buggy".

If you refuse to send the item or try to make the middleman prove his identity both he and the scammer will get angry and try to intimidate you again. The impersonator may also say that he is a steam admin and will give you a trade ban if you disrespect him (this actually happened to me once). The impersonator obviously has no power to do so and has no relation to steam whatsoever. A steam admin will never be a middleman for your trade.


Here's my chat with the impersonator and the scammer:

James Bond {LINK FJERNET}*csgo-house.com: hi sir bang
[BBG] Big Bang Theory: Hello traders.
James Bond {LINK FJERNET}*csgo-house.com: yes sir we needed your help for our transaction
[BBG] Big Bang Theory: Sure, Both traders have settled the deal already?
VatsalS: yup
James Bond {LINK FJERNET}*csgo-house.com: ye sir we have talk about it
[BBG] Big Bang Theory: Ok then im recording this and i have your both steam id's noted.
James Bond {LINK FJERNET}*csgo-house.com: ok sir thanks for that
[BBG] Big Bang Theory: Traders can you tell me your items that are invovled in this trade, so i can note it down.
James Bond {LINK FJERNET}*csgo-house.com: ok sir im trading my bayonet slauhgter for his knife
James Bond {LINK FJERNET}*csgo-house.com: btterfky cw
VatsalS: butterfly crimson web ft
[BBG] Big Bang Theory: Is this correct VatalS?
James Bond {LINK FJERNET}*csgo-house.com: butterfly*
VatsalS: yes
[BBG] Big Bang Theory: Are those all the items involved traders?
VatsalS: yes
James Bond {LINK FJERNET}*csgo-house.com: yes sir only 1;1 trade
James Bond {LINK FJERNET}*csgo-house.com: knfie to knife
[BBG] Big Bang Theory: Noted all items involved in this trade.
[BBG] Big Bang Theory: Ok Both traders now ready to proceed now?
VatsalS: yes
James Bond {LINK FJERNET}*csgo-house.com: yes sir ready
[BBG] Big Bang Theory: Ok traders send me your offers here : https://steamproxy.net/tradeoffer/new/?partner=195342503&token=qHaBkpbv
VatsalS: done
[BBG] Big Bang Theory: I will accept both offers at one time so it would be fair and not a one sided trade.
James Bond {LINK FJERNET}*csgo-house.com: ok sir so i send my knife now?
[BBG] Big Bang Theory: Yes james.
[BBG] Big Bang Theory: Inform me when sent traders, so i can clarify on the ones i noted.
James Bond {LINK FJERNET}*csgo-house.com: ok sir sending now
VatsalS: sent
[BBG] Big Bang Theory: Hold on im checking offers now.
James Bond {LINK FJERNET}*csgo-house.com: email confirmation now
James Bond {LINK FJERNET}*csgo-house.com: wait im lagging sir i need to relog
James Bond {LINK FJERNET}*csgo-house.com disconnected.
[BBG] Big Bang Theory: Ok take your time James.
[BBG] Big Bang Theory: Im checking offers now VatalS
[BBG] Big Bang Theory: I dont see your offer.


Side chat with the scammer only:

James Bond {LINK FJERNET}*csgo-house.com: im asking him if he can help us
James Bond {LINK FJERNET}*csgo-house.com: bro tlak in grou cphat
James Bond {LINK FJERNET}*csgo-house.com: we have sir bigb ang
James Bond {LINK FJERNET}*csgo-house.com: im sending to sir bigb ang now
VatsalS: yeah i sent already
James Bond {LINK FJERNET}*csgo-house.com: bro my net messing up
James Bond {LINK FJERNET}*csgo-house.com: have you sent sir big bang already?
James Bond {LINK FJERNET}*csgo-house.com: sir big bang will hold both of our items for checkign bro they work for valve and steam so no worries
James Bond {LINK FJERNET}*csgo-house.com: i swear to my sisters death everythign will be fine
James Bond {LINK FJERNET}*csgo-house.com: WTF?
VatsalS: well that sucks for your sister mate
James Bond {LINK FJERNET}*csgo-house.com: what bb?
James Bond {LINK FJERNET}*csgo-house.com: what are you doing man?
James Bond {LINK FJERNET}*csgo-house.com is now Offline.

Make sure you check the profile of the person you are trading with thoroughly. There are a lot of these scammers who will try to steal your items and the more valuable your items the more scammers you will find. It is better to avoid 'real money' offers and just go for upfront trades. The best way to prevent scams is to ask the other user for a single trade offer with all the items they are offering for your items.


TL;DR- Stay as far away from anyone who mentions 'buggy items'.