Something really needs to be done immediately about the growing problem of a handful of players spamming chat offering Credits to Ref link clicks, this problem was bad but now and especially with the Cartel Market Sales it gotten outta hand! You cant play 5 minutes without a few people bombing chat nonstop about this. The whole point of this was to bring in NEW players, and it has failed miserably, now all there is is people paying players who are already subscribed to click. Its abuse of the system and its a problem that has become worse than credit vendors advertising on fleet.

Actually I believe the whole point is getting friends, regardless of their previous/current account status, to play, hence the name "Refer a Friend". But yeah, I doubt most people fishing in fleet and trade chat are hoping their friends are the ones that will use the link. Nothing's going to be done about it though. More people playing is beneficial to Bioware, regardless of why/what makes them play.

Yes agreed, I make a point out of reporting them for spam, so hopefully Bioware sees it's unwanted.

 

Nothing's going to be done about it though. More people playing is beneficial to Bioware, regardless of why/what makes them play.

 

I'd argue the opposite, someone clicking a ref link isn't gonna make them play more, if anything people spamming the links in general is gonna make people more likely to leave general, which means less likely to join a group for something and in turn likely to play less.

The RAF system is a huge part why I'm still subbed. I rarely log in the games there isn't much to do other than old content. Except when something gets released of course.

I report them each time it's spam and really is abusing the system that was put in place and then the dumb people that click peoples links don't get paid they get ripped off.

The Gen chat spammers are annoying no matter what they "spam" You can report them, but it isn't going to go away forever.

The other day in chat someone was spamming their referral stuff and my question in chat was 'can anyone other than the guy selling his referral claim to have a positive experience with these sellers'

 

*crickets*

 

It doesn't matter where you are, what planet or stronghold they're all over the place. Annoying as hell. I really wish it was against the terms just like it is against the rules to pimp it within the message body of a forum post. Seriously.

There will always be spamming something on the chat channels though.. so simply going after one group of spammers serves no productive purpose. It's an endless game of whack-a-mole. So players also need to use the tools given to them to mitigate the effects as well.. beginning with your most powerful tool (or at least it should be)... your MIND. Your mind is a fantastic filter if you actually allow it to do so.

 

You know what I do? I simply ignore spammers completely. Heck I ignore the non-guild chat channels for the most part when I play.... but even if I am paying attention (sometimes there is actually some good entertainment going on) when I see an obvious spammer I simply use my mind and ignore what they have to say.

 

About the only time I report a spammer anymore is when some clown decides to spam junk text just to make the channel scroll endlessly. Since I generally ignore open chat channels, I'm sure I miss a lot of these as well.

I report them each time it's spam and really is abusing the system that was put in place and then the dumb people that click peoples links don't get paid they get ripped off.

 

Good to know that you are abusing the reporting system, great job!

Good to know that you are abusing the reporting system, great job!

 

Kinda like the people abusing the RAF spamming it like a telemarketer with a grudge?

Referral scammers are worse than gold farmers cuz they try and sweet-talk and trick people that don't know any better into clicking their link so they can get Cartel Coins and buy packs and make zillions on the GTN.

 

Here's what I do:

 

1) In chat type: PSA - DON'T FALL FOR REFERRAL SCAMS

2) Laugh at how the scammer rages and cries trying to defend their scam, saying it's legit and Bioware allows it (which they don't, cuz I get them banhammered all the time), a few will agree, but most will tell the scammer to get lost

3) Send in a ticket for "Inappropriate Player Behavior"

4) /friend the scammer with 'Referral Scammer' as a comment (this is so you can see they're gone after a few days and if they *do* make it back they aren't scamming any longer)

5) Profit

 

Isn't it funny how the scammers never mention how hard they benefit from your click with Cartel Coins? Yep, funny how they always leave that part out.

Edited April 11, 2018 by PetFish

I personally think a limit of say 5-10 people should be imposed, this will keep the system alive for people who use it properly, and limit the benefit for those who abuse it. In its current form it supports the gold farming community mostly, and greedy players who don't really support the game. In both instances they get fee items to re-sell this puts control of the GTN in a few peoples hands, it doesn't support the game (no money coming in), it degrades the quality of the game via chat, it does not bring new players in as the offer is X million if your a current sub (meaning they already play and pay) and people profit from this physically you can go on ebay and buy credits from players. I know more people who have quit or on the verge of leaving because of the constant annoyance of this.

I personally think a limit of say 5-10 people should be imposed, this will keep the system alive for people who use it properly, and limit the benefit for those who abuse it. In its current form it supports the gold farming community mostly, and greedy players who don't really support the game. In both instances they get fee items to re-sell this puts control of the GTN in a few peoples hands, it doesn't support the game (no money coming in), it degrades the quality of the game via chat, it does not bring new players in as the offer is X million if your a current sub (meaning they already play and pay) and people profit from this physically you can go on ebay and buy credits from players. I know more people who have quit or on the verge of leaving because of the constant annoyance of this.

 

They could just disable chat? If they're willing to go as far as quitting due to RAF spam, turning off general chat or whatever shouldn't be that bad.

Maybe it's just me, but I don't see RAF all that often. I certainly do see them, but it isn't as bad as some people claim it to be.

And then it's still mainly in DK as an imp player and sometimes the fleet.

 

Maybe I'm just blind!!

I'm going to bombard my eyes with 100 sivert next time I see one just to avoid these *********** spammers. Though I would die by that dose.

They could just disable chat? If they're willing to go as far as quitting due to RAF spam, turning off general chat or whatever shouldn't be that bad.

Maybe it's just me, but I don't see RAF all that often. I certainly do see them, but it isn't as bad as some people claim it to be.

And then it's still mainly in DK as an imp player and sometimes the fleet.

 

Maybe I'm just blind!!

 

When levelling on a planet, it rarely happens in my experience and is entirely negligible. Fleet is worse than DK imo, I would say at least one message every 1-2 minutes during peak times. It can be mildly irritating to me, but if someone says they're willing to quit over a couple of messages, I'd think they have bigger issues with the game rather than just the RAF.

I agree it is annoying and I hate it, however, Bioware's silence on this issue has led me to the conclusion they do not care about it all that much. I just report em and put em on ignore.

Mostly confined to starter planets, home planets, fleet.

 

Yes, annoying. Any spamming is annoying. I'd appreciate it if BW addressed, but preferably not with another overreaction (ex: turning off all forms of F2P communication till L25).

They could just disable chat?

I also wonder just how big the chat window is for some of these people. In my case, I play at 1920x1080 (1080p) and I have more of a problem with not noticing when someone chats during group content such as an FP, because the text is quite small and the chat window isn't very big.

 

If the chat is bothering you, I'd suggest you look into the Interface Editor to reduce the size of the chat window and the text.

 

There is a small triangle in the bottom-right of the chat window (always, not just in the Interface Editor) which you can click & drag to change the size of the chat window - much like re-sizing a window in Windows.

You can also go into the Interface Editor and adjust the scale factor of the chat window to change the size of the text.

Edited April 13, 2018 by JediQuaker

I also wonder just how big the chat window is for some of these people. In my case, I play at 1920x1080 (1080p) and I have more of a problem with not noticing when someone chats during group content such as an FP, because the text is quite small and the chat window isn't very big.

Might be the same kind of people who insist they have to play female characters because most of the time is spent looking on their characters' butts? The visual priorities of some are truly mind-boggling.

And then it's still mainly in DK as an imp player and sometimes the fleet.

 

Maybe I'm just blind!!

 

Won't say you're blind but I've run into them on every planet thus far while leveling my characters. The only places I haven't have been the most recent expansions. DK, Coruscant and Fleet are the worst.. But that still doesn't change the fact that I personally find them as annoying as credit sellers and think it should be banned from chat.

Won't say you're blind but I've run into them on every planet thus far while leveling my characters. The only places I haven't have been the most recent expansions. DK, Coruscant and Fleet are the worst.. But that still doesn't change the fact that I personally find them as annoying as credit sellers and think it should be banned from chat.

 

Even Quesh? 😱

Even Quesh? 😱

 

Saw one last night at 3am when there was me and five others questing there.

 

But seriously, if you're going to mull over something, let's at least mull over something worthwhile. It is annoying yes, but like Andryah said on the first page, is it truly that hard to just, you know, ignore them?

Edited April 13, 2018 by silenthc

Saw one last night at 3am when there was me and five others questing there.

 

But seriously, if you're going to mull over something, let's at least mull over something worthwhile. It is annoying yes, but like Andryah said on the first page, is it truly that hard to just, you know, ignore them?

 

Well it must be pretty serious if it's on Quesh. I do agree with the ignore part, it works just fine.🎅

There is no such thing as ref link spamming that is an issue. It's a trade offer just like any other. If someone is posting their messages too often so they clog the chat just report them. Otherwise there is nothing wrong with referral link ads. By your logic something should be done with Guild ad spammers and other trade spammers.

 

I received message from CS rep telling me it's all fine to advertise your referral links as long as you don't spam and post your messages at reasonable intervals and are honest about the process with potential clickers. Stop your sad crusade because it just really feels that you are feeling jealous over people getting free cartel coins.

Edited April 13, 2018 by Alec_Fortescue

It's great that you can personally attack me and call me names, yet the scammers who prey on people who don't know any better or are new to the game are A-OK in your book. It's awesome that you're fine with people gaming the program to make billions.

 

 

Ways it's a scam:

 

1) The scammer isn't honest as they never say that they are the ones who truly benefit with Cartel Coins every month. Yet, they're happy to say how many amazing "goodies" you get, which are mostly trash anyway, and love to say "go read the ToS" or "go read the Referral Program to see what it's all about" but somehow never want to just say "By the way, I get Cartel Coins every month as long as you're subscribed, so I can make billions on the GTN with all the packs I buy, which is why I can afford to bribe people who don't know any better with (chump change) 5 million credits", but they never want to put that part in for some reason.

 

2) They don't pay, then they put the unfortunate clicker on /ignore, and there are plenty of posts and complaints from people who have been scammed like that.

 

3) I doubt the referral program was ever meant to be abused in this manner which is why they "take care" of the scammers very quickly.

 

 

I know that it's not allowed or else my own /friend list wouldn't be full of referral scammers that, hmmmm, I never see online again within a few days of reporting their scam. Go figure.

 

If this really *were* allowed then wouldn't chat be flooded with referral spam? The fact that it isn't says a lot.

Thankfully, at least on Satele Shan, I don't see them very often any longer and certainly they're gone soon after reporting their scam.

 

TL;DR - Go ahead, keep fighting the good fight for the scammers who take advantage of people, real noble work.