How to spot fake PlayerBay staff in chats
Real PlayerBay staff show a Staff badge and never ask for logins, email changes or payment in chat. Report anyone who does.
PlayerBay staff messages carry a Staff badge under the sender’s picture, and our automated messages come from PlayerBay with our logo. Staff never ask you to change an account’s email, share a login, confirm a payment in chat or pay outside PlayerBay. If someone does, don’t act on it: right-click or long-press the message and choose Report message.
How real PlayerBay messages look
- Staff: a person from our team has a small Staff badge under their profile picture on every message they send.
- Automated messages: order updates and notices come from PlayerBay, shown with the PlayerBay logo.
- Usernames: no member can use PlayerBay or words like Support, Staff, Admin or Moderator in their username or shop name. A name that looks official is not proof of anything; only the badge is.
What staff never ask you to do
- Change the email or password on an account you’re selling or buying.
- Share a login, a recovery code or a two-factor code.
- Deliver because “the payment has been processed” or “the buyer already paid” when there is no order.
- Pay, or take payment, outside PlayerBay.
Questions before an order
When a buyer asks a seller about a listing, the chat opens with a PlayerBay message. It reminds both sides that the chat is not an order and that the other person isn’t PlayerBay staff. Sellers deliver only once an order appears in their Sales.
New accounts wait before they can message sellers, and can start only a few new chats at first. They can buy straight away.
| New accounts | |
|---|---|
| Message sellers | 24 hours after signing up |
| New chats | 3 an hour, 10 a day, until the account is 7 days old |
| After a completed order | No limit |
| Buying | Straight away |
Warnings you may see
- This person is not PlayerBay staff. We show this under a message that claims to be staff or, before any order, claims a payment or asks for an account’s email to be changed. The sender can’t send more messages until our team has reviewed their account.
- Removed by PlayerBay staff. Our team removed a message that broke the rules. The rest of the chat stays as it was.
- This user isn’t PlayerBay staff. We post this when we ban an account that pretended to be staff or tried to scam you.
Report a message
- Right-click the message on a computer, or long-press it on a phone.
- Choose Report message.
- Pick a reason, such as Pretending to be PlayerBay staff or Scam or fake payment.
- Add a note if it helps, then choose Send report.
You can report other people’s messages in your own chats. Our team reviews every report. Reporting a message doesn’t tell the sender.
Veelgestelde vragen
I already changed the email or sent something. What now?+
Stop replying to the sender and contact us straight away with the chat and what you did. The sooner we know, the more we can do.
Can a staff member message me first?+
Yes. Staff join a chat to help with an order or a dispute, and every message they send carries the Staff badge.
Why can't I message a seller yet?+
New accounts wait before they can message sellers, and can start only a few new chats at first. The Ask Seller About This Product button says when you can. You can still buy any listing.
