"Virtual" logging of geocoins

[Izzy and the Lizard King]

Apologies if this has been raised elsewhere.

 

This morning we received notification that a long lost geocoin of ours had been "discovered". My first reaction was one of joy that it was not lost after all. However, doubts were beginning to enter my mind and I decided to emailed the "finder", asking where he had discovered it.

I received this reply :-

 

"Hello!

 

I got this Trackingcode from the GC Website. At this morning I want to track an TB and i had a misstake and wrote a wrong alphabetic character.

Hope you understand. I´m from germany and my english is not the best (at this morning)."

 

On further investigation, I find that he has been logging numerous trackables in the same way and is still doing it now, as his trackable count is increasing each time I look! It now exceeds 800 (although I'm sure he could not have logged them all today I have deleted his log for our coin, but I wondered if there was anywhere I should report the matter?

 

In the "great scheme of things", does it matter? Am I stressing over trivialities?

 

Izzy

[+McDeHack]

If I read this correct, it seems like 'armchair geocahing'. These trackables may no longer exist, or are they logging trackables that are active.

I personably cannot see the point. Or is it a numbers game?

[+The Blorenges]

It does matter, in the sense that Groundspeak have been known to lock geocoin listings if they become aware that virtual logging is being (deliberately) allowed by the geocoin's owner.

 

If you know that one of your geocoins has been logged by someone who could not possibly have seen it "in real life" then you're entitled to delete the log.

 

This is why cachers should also be careful not to show the tracking number of any trackable (geocoin or travel bug) in any photograph and tracking numbers shouldn't be mentioned in logs.

 

There are those who scan galleries and listings to find trackable numbers to use for virtual logging to increases their trackable statistics. Also, there are some geocoin owners who give out lists of tracking numbers at events - Nothing wrong with giving them to somebody who's looked through your album of geocoins and enjoyed viewing them but some lists then get shared onwards... and onwards. We all know that numbers are (too) important to some people.

 

MrsB

[Izzy and the Lizard King]

Here is the account in question

 

Trackables moved/Discovered

 

So far, every trackable I have clicked on has been logged by him today!!!!!!

I have noticed that his count has gone down, so others must have deleted some of his logs too.

[+The Blorenges]

If you send the detailed "evidence" in to Groundspeak they may well take action.

 

contact@geocaching.com

 

Just head your email 'Virtual Logging of Trackables'.

 

MrsB

[Izzy and the Lizard King]

If you send the detailed "evidence" in to Groundspeak they may well take action.

 

contact@geocaching.com

 

Just head your email 'Virtual Logging of Trackables'.

 

MrsB

Thanks, Mrs B

email sent

[+Flyfishermanbob]

Apologies if this has been raised elsewhere.

 

This morning we received notification that a long lost geocoin of ours had been "discovered". My first reaction was one of joy that it was not lost after all. However, doubts were beginning to enter my mind and I decided to emailed the "finder", asking where he had discovered it.

I received this reply :-

 

"Hello!

 

I got this Trackingcode from the GC Website. At this morning I want to track an TB and i had a misstake and wrote a wrong alphabetic character.

Hope you understand. I´m from germany and my english is not the best (at this morning)."

 

On further investigation, I find that he has been logging numerous trackables in the same way and is still doing it now, as his trackable count is increasing each time I look! It now exceeds 800 (although I'm sure he could not have logged them all today I have deleted his log for our coin, but I wondered if there was anywhere I should report the matter?

 

In the "great scheme of things", does it matter? Am I stressing over trivialities?

 

Izzy

 

Ditto.....http://coord.info/TL39F9WE

Edited June 11, 2012 by Flyfishermanbob

[Izzy and the Lizard King]

I see his trackable count has gone up to over 1200 now - that's at least another 400 since I reported it. I don't know what the outcome of my contact with Groundspeak will be, but if all his logs are deleted, that's a whole day he has wasted

[+MartyBartfast]

I wonder where he's getting the numbers from, or whether he's just hitting the site randomly?

[+germanybert]

Has anyone thought to send him or her a message to see if his or her finds are legit? He or she might have seen it at event where there were many trackables and just now getting around to logging it. Sometimes it takes me months to log all the trackables I see at events.

 

I still have people logging some of my trackables from the Koln Geocoin Fest from back in October.

Edited June 11, 2012 by Geo Jedimeister

[+MartyBartfast]

Has anyone thought to send him or her a message to see if his or her finds are legit? He or she might have seen it at event where there were many trackables and just now getting around to logging it. Sometimes it takes me months to log all the trackables I see at events.

 

I still have people logging some of my trackables from the Koln Geocoin Fest from back in October.

 

I had a look at a few of the ones they logged and some of them have not been logged for 4 or 5 years, and some of them are still in caches in the UK.

[+germanybert]

Ok....I was just wondering. I did not have time to go through all his or her logs. I also wonder why people log caches and trackables without finding them.

 

When I was as the Koln Geocoin event in October I got lists from people but also took the time to look at the coins. One guy was passing out a list and I asked where the coins were and he said in they were in his car! I decided not to discover his coins.

 

I also give out lists when I attend event with my coins since they are in plastic sleeves and I don't want everyone taking them out.

[Izzy and the Lizard King]

When he "discovered" ours, I did get in touch with him. He said that he was looking for a trackable and made a mistake with the number. That's what alerted me to look into it deeper. Conclusion - he must have made an awful lot of mistakes - potentially over 1200!

[Langy]

I would just let him get on with it, contact the site and after he has spent a few days logging all these I'm sure they would all get wiped out and if they want to take severe action I would expect they may even disable his account.

 

I know numbers can be important but who are you cheating?

 

Just report him and keep the post here going as to the outcome.

 

Paul

[+The Klever Boys]

I had a number of coins "discovered" yesterday that are here with me and have never been released or taken to an event.

It's noticeable that all of my affected coins start with a "PC" prefix on the tracking number and the same looks to apply to those he has logged owned by other people too.

I guess he just types "PC" followed by a random four digits until he hits one. Needless to say the logs were quickly deleted and Groundspeak informed..

[+keewee]

When he "discovered" ours, I did get in touch with him. He said that he was looking for a trackable and made a mistake with the number. That's what alerted me to look into it deeper. Conclusion - he must have made an awful lot of mistakes - potentially over 1200!

 

That is what he is telling everyone who gets in touch with him! The guy is a lair.

 

See the thread in the Geocoin Discussions forum on this same person ->> Bogus Coin Discovering Logs

 

This situation is appalling and everyone who he has virtual logged a coin for needs to contact Groundspeak so that they will listen and take some action against the guy.

[+keewee]

I would just let him get on with it, contact the site and after he has spent a few days logging all these I'm sure they would all get wiped out and if they want to take severe action I would expect they may even disable his account.

 

I know numbers can be important but who are you cheating?

 

Just report him and keep the post here going as to the outcome.

 

Paul

 

See the other thread on this. Seems the Groundspeak dropped reference to Virtual Logging from the rules and guidelines...

 

It really needs everyone to jump up and down to get this sorted of he is going to get away with it - including what looks like the theft of coins by activating tracking numbers he has come across that weren't already activated - at least 4 so far!

[+Delta68]

 

I guess he just types "PC" followed by a random four digits until he hits one.

 

This is quite possible. If I remember rightly, Groundspeak dropped the numeric tracking codes in 2004 because it was too easy to guess the numbers

 

There are simply SO MANY trackables out there now that you stand a pretty good chance of guessing a valid four character alpha-numeric code (to follow 'PC')

 

I suspect that the fact that you only have to enter the code once now has made this sort of thing easier as well.

 

I found an 'unactivated' code last week when I misread a tracking code for a coin I'd picked up and I could have requested an activation code if I wanted to

 

 

Mark

[+keewee]

Update: - Groundspeak are now looking into this

[+Amberel]

Update: - Groundspeak are now looking into this

I'm pleased to have seen this thread - I have a small series of Church Micros, and the final contains unactivated Church Micro geocoins (only plastic ones, nothing fancy). I ask that each group takes only one, and supply the activation codes by email. But I just tried and found the activation codes are available on the Groundspeak site, so an unscrupulous person could help themselves to several and activate them all! Not that I think the vast majority of finders would do that, but we've seen from the subject of the thread that there are a few people who don't play by the "rules".

 

My own fault - I requested that the activation codes for my TOP CACHE coins not be listed, and that was done, and assumed this would also apply to the new series. But it seems the default is to make activation codes easily available unless specifically requested with each order. Hopefully this will loophole will be closed off as soon as Groundspeak arrive at the office today :-)

 

Rgds, Andy

[+HouseOfDragons]

My own fault - I requested that the activation codes for my TOP CACHE coins not be listed, and that was done

 

Rgds, Andy

 

Yes, as you know I fell foul of this last week...

 

As for the visual logging, part of me thinks "so what?" I would delete logs I know to be bogus from any of my trackables but would leave it at that. Logging loads of "virtual" trackable finds seems so pointless to me. Is there some kind of competition with respect to numbers discovered?

[+germanybert]

WOW! The number of trackables he has found is going down!

[+metal-bijou]

Is there some kind of competition with respect to numbers discovered?

 

GSAK macros and other stats tools do allow capture of the number of trackables discovered to be displayed. So I suppose human nature will always be to compete where a stat can be shown. I personally do not understand it for trackables either.

[+The Blorenges]

I understand that there's a challenge cache somewhere in UK where you have to have logged x number of trackables, so no doubt there are similar ones in Europe.

 

MrsB

[+keewee]

I see 4 of the 6 owned trackable have now been removed from Geohirse's profile and they are now not activated! YAY.

 

I am heartened to see things are happening about this. I have faith again.

 

Now, about all those bogus logs...