What's with these "bogus" discoveries of my coins????

January 9, 2020

4 minutes ago, TriciaG said:

That's what happens when it's in someone's "collection". It's been that way for years.

I was going to say " don't quote me on this, but ...", thanks for confirming that for me.

January 9, 2020

Kudos to those at HQ who are responsible for the archival of the bogus logs on our coins. We appreciate the amount of work that must have been created by this nightmare of bogus logs. Even more so, we appreciate the speed with which you responded. As an owner of over 1,700 activated trackables your efforts are greatly appreciated. Thank you for your diligence in protecting a big part of this game we have come to love.

Happy Caching!!!

squishypets

13.8k · January 9, 2020

3 hours ago, Goldenwattle said:

I don't know how they did it, as I was not interesting in finding this out, but I have come upon a discover only TB, so this is apparently possible now. I picked up the TB, then later (I log at home on my computer) couldn't visit it to any of the caches I had found that day. I had taken photographs to share of its journey and I wasn't impressed I couldn't add these, except in the one 'Discover' log I could do. I couldn't do a drop off log either; it was only 'Discover'. So I dumped the TB in the next cache I could, as I wasn't interested in this game. But for those who do prefer this game, that feature (Discover only) must exist already. It would have been nice to have had a note with this TB saying it was discover only, and then I wouldn't have taken it. (Likely not have discovered it either, as I rarely bother to only Discover TBs these days. I am not interested in how many TBs I can find.) It's possible of course that it did leave home with a note saying it was discover only, but that has become lost.

IIRC collectible preferences were around '11 or so.

People have been pushing buttons and messing up that "preference" function ever since, so it could be that it's simply yet-another error by a TO.

Or, they might have wanted their trackable to be a "Discover Me" Virtual trackable, and, like you say, maybe the accompanying card saying so got lost.

Odd though that a Travel Bug would have that, it's used mostly in coin collections.

Most we know use their Discover-only coins at events, or meeting someone on the trail. Sort of like the vehicle decals we see.

- You don't make your car Discover-only, and you know some joker's gonna think it's funny to put it in a pill bottle.

Placing a Discover-only trackable (as you now know...) doesn't work for cache-to-cache...

January 10, 2020

On 1/8/2020 at 1:56 PM, igator210 said:

I can confirm that this isn't the case for the two coins I've gotten logs on. Both of which are sitting on a shelf in my office at work.

Ok, just thought someone might have noted down numbers at a dealer's booth already. On the other side, guessing numbers isn't a big deal, technically. If not done yet, contact GS, send a proof that you do have that specific coin and ask for a deactivation.

January 10, 2020

On 1/8/2020 at 10:09 PM, GEOrgCACHING said:

There are no (more) logs on your TB/coin, they might be all deleted,. at least for the coin/TB that I've discovered. The last log (your log excluded) was"... placed it in Blick ins Kirnautal".

Your warning (If you discover my geocoin from lists placed on facebook I will log a Found and a Needs Maintenance on each and every cache of you. Why? Well, just like you saw my geocoin number on “the internet”, I have also seen your cache on “the internet” and I will log it too. Sounds fair right…) was not really nice and helpful in this matter.

Yes, I'm one of the bad guys (you can put me on the list too), but I never thought that it will make so much trouble. What is the problem, is the price of the coin falling with these logs? Do they have too many calories? Okay, it's always the same, but isn't it easier to ignore them then to be angry about them? To log the bogus-discoverer's caches is disproportionate and elaborate. By the way: I won't look in the logbook whether you're in it. Geocaching has several facets, if this is yours, than you have to live with it, I only have to live with my mistakes.

Sorry volunteer Sivota!

The "problem" is that most people want to play according to the rules and they dislike "cachers" like you are. Fake logging isn't what we believe should happen at all. I'd bet most of your lab cache logs also are complete fake. 1700 lab caches, but attended just below 40 events with possible lab caches. I don't think you did so many new Adventure Labs already. Plus "Team Account". Smells like fake logging there, too. I personally wouldn't believe a single find of you in person. Ok, possibly the (few) ones with a picture in front of the cache...

Why are you doing such crap? Must be cool to show off at events or such, I don't know...

January 10, 2020

On 1/8/2020 at 9:09 PM, GEOrgCACHING said:

There are no (more) logs on your TB/coin, they might be all deleted,. at least for the coin/TB that I've discovered. The last log (your log excluded) was"... placed it in Blick ins Kirnautal".

Your warning (If you discover my geocoin from lists placed on facebook I will log a Found and a Needs Maintenance on each and every cache of you. Why? Well, just like you saw my geocoin number on “the internet”, I have also seen your cache on “the internet” and I will log it too. Sounds fair right…) was not really nice and helpful in this matter.

Sounds entirely fair to me . As 'not nice' as the lying TB logs themselves.

On 1/8/2020 at 9:09 PM, GEOrgCACHING said:

Yes, I'm one of the bad guys (you can put me on the list too), but I never thought that it will make so much trouble. What is the problem, is the price of the coin falling with these logs? Do they have too many calories? Okay, it's always the same, but isn't it easier to ignore them then to be angry about them? To log the bogus-discoverer's caches is disproportionate and elaborate. By the way: I won't look in the logbook whether you're in it. Geocaching has several facets, if this is yours, than you have to live with it, I only have to live with my mistakes.

Sorry volunteer Sivota!

If lying discovery of TBs is no kind of problem, easily ignored, why not get your trackables put on the list ? I see you own over a hundred, almost as many as the discoveries you've logged in the last few days. What possible justification could you have for discovering trackables you've never been on the same continent as, whilst keeping your own codes secret ?

9.1k · January 10, 2020

TB Codes aren't what's intended to be discovered. They are identifiers for the actual trackable items to which the Discovered log applies.

Discover the item, not the code.

January 19, 2020

On 1/8/2020 at 11:52 PM, steben6 said:

Does anybody have actual evidence of this happening related to this new page? I haven't been able to corroborate that. (It is my big fear, though, as I have several hundred in my collection that are not activated.

You can search in the messages on that Facebook page for your trackable number (Click messages and use the search edit box).

Yesterday we received a fake log from Rocky1210, checked the FB page, and 2 hours before that, the trackable number showed up on there.

13.8k · January 19, 2020

On 1/6/2020 at 11:08 AM, igator210 said:

There are reports of unactivated codes being activated to. Looks like someone is just using a random number generator to see if codes are valid.

On 1/8/2020 at 5:52 PM, steben6 said:

Does anybody have actual evidence of this happening related to this new page? I haven't been able to corroborate that. (It is my big fear, though, as I have several hundred in my collection that are not activated.

14 hours ago, CarSim97 said:

You can search in the messages on that Facebook page for your trackable number (Click messages and use the search edit box).

Yesterday we received a fake log from Rocky1210, checked the FB page, and 2 hours before that, the trackable number showed up on there.

CarSim97, are you saying you had an unactivated trackable activated by one of these weasels ? Thanks.

January 21, 2020

On 1/19/2020 at 11:17 PM, cerberus1 said:

CarSim97, are you saying you had an unactivated trackable activated by one of these weasels ? Thanks.

No, it was one of our activated geocoins which has never left the house which had a discovered log. We checked the FB group and two hours before the discover log it was posted in that group. Never had any logs before on that coin. I was only referencing the part of the quote of 8 January about the relation to the FB page which is used to discover trackables in general.

Although as a result, I'll be activating our unactivated trackables I guess to prevent possible activation of the codes.

13.8k · January 21, 2020

26 minutes ago, CarSim97 said:

No, it was one of our activated geocoins which has never left the house which had a discovered log. We checked the FB group and two hours before the discover log it was posted in that group. Never had any logs before on that coin. I was only referencing the part of the quote of 8 January about the relation to the FB page which is used to discover trackables in general.

Although as a result, I'll be activating our unactivated trackables I guess to prevent possible activation of the codes.

Thanks. The person you replied to asked if there is evidence that unactivated trackables were being activated.

They have a lot of unactivated trackables, and were worried about that. We do too (over a hundred).

I've been putting unactivated signature coins in caches as swag (caches we liked), rather than just have them swiped, often by the first drop.

9.1k · January 21, 2020

Can we not link the group please

ETA: For context, prior comment has been removed ?

Edited January 22, 2020 by thebruce0

January 21, 2020

I guess there was another EU event this past weekend. New bogus logs from................

Babushka_Qc
ærødk
Palarunca

January 26, 2020

Angelorum

This person from Lithuania has just logged one of my coins that they have never seen

January 26, 2020

1 hour ago, N0hope said:

Angelorum

This person from Lithuania has just logged one of my coins that they have never seen

Yes, same here along with Baroudeurs14 and TEAM CBO. Coin now locked and logs deleted.

January 26, 2020

Looks like a trend. Just had Angelorum, Baraouders14 and TEAM CBO log one of the coins in my personal collection as well that has not been shown to anyone since March of 2015. Sure would be nice to see these folks respect the game. Deleted their logs and locked the coin.

Edited January 27, 2020 by kyotmoon

February 4, 2020

And two more teams logging a tb from us, which they can't have seen: TheBinily and Raubritter.

February 5, 2020

On 2/4/2020 at 6:14 AM, CarSim97 said:

And two more teams logging a tb from us, which they can't have seen: TheBinily and Raubritter.

They each tagged one of our coins also, a coin that has never been in circulation or shared with anyone. Got another hit from somebody in Colorado.

February 6, 2020

12 hours ago, JASTA 11 said:

They each tagged one of our coins also, a coin that has never been in circulation or shared with anyone. Got another hit from somebody in Colorado.

I deleted the logs and locked the tb, that way no one can log it again.
Our tb was never shown to anyone as well. At least they admitted eventually that they got the code from the Facebook group, well after I pointed that out to them, because first they said they had it from a list on an event.

February 6, 2020

In the past two days I've had two people log discoveries of a coin I've had at home with me for years--same coin, one of many.

I looked at the logs of that coin and don't see either one--does that mean HQ has already deleted them? I'd like to delete them--and based on the info I just learned I am going to lock that coin and many others.

13.8k · February 6, 2020

15 minutes ago, rosebud55112 said:

In the past two days I've had two people log discoveries of a coin I've had at home with me for years--same coin, one of many.

I looked at the logs of that coin and don't see either one--does that mean HQ has already deleted them?

I'd like to delete them--and based on the info I just learned I am going to lock that coin and many others.

IIRC, HQ mentioned deleting a bunch en masse. I feel they have to show some effort in safeguarding a cash-cow.

Good idea. The other 2/3rds was thinking of locking only the ones getting fake logs, but so far they're few enough that she hasn't bothered.

February 6, 2020

When the first one came through and I didn't see a log on the trackable's history page, I assumed that the logger had simply mistyped the code for a different trackable, and then after posting, realized what had happened and deleted the log. But the second one on the same coin raised my curiosity, and led me to this thread.

If HQ is autodeleting these, good for them, and thank you.

5.8k · February 7, 2020

19 hours ago, rosebud55112 said:

If HQ is autodeleting these, good for them, and thank you.

It's not automatic, but yes, HQ is aware of the issue and the problem children.

March 2, 2020

And an other log on one of our activated tb's for which the code was published on the Facebook group on 29 February apparently (I discovered that after checking there). TB hasn't been in out in public. Locked tb and deleted log. Bogus log from: Goldfisch29

March 2, 2020

A way for TO's to bulk lock and unlock Trackables would be helpful

3.8k · March 2, 2020

Perhaps Groundspeak can send an official request to Facebook to delete this group?

Obviously it violates the Grundspeak rules so they might be interested in doing so.

Have you asked them to do it?

4k · March 2, 2020

I have over 4000 activated trackables...I show some of the binders i keep the coins in at events around the country. to lock them all because of few weasels seems unfair. Does geocaching/Groundspeak have a definitive stance on virtual logging of geocoins without the owner's permission?

March 2, 2020

18 minutes ago, drneal said:

I have over 4000 activated trackables...I show some of the binders i keep the coins in at events around the country. to lock them all because of few weasels seems unfair. Does geocaching/Groundspeak have a definitive stance on virtual logging of geocoins without the owner's permission?

Yes they do, from the boilerplate I received after my last complaint about bogus discoveries, "Trackables "discovered" without the logger physically interacting with them is discouraged by Geocaching.com". :mad:

13.8k · March 2, 2020

2 hours ago, drneal said:

I have over 4000 activated trackables...I show some of the binders i keep the coins in at events around the country. to lock them all because of few weasels seems unfair. Does geocaching/Groundspeak have a definitive stance on virtual logging of geocoins without the owner's permission?

I'm not sure it's absolute, since "encouraged" is used, but right in the Trackable Guidelines, it says:

"Virtual trackables with virtual logs are not encouraged. It is up to the trackable owner to state if they allow this."

March 11, 2020

Today received an other log on one of our coins. Needless to say, we haven't shared the code, and again it was posted on the Facebook group. Deleted the log and locked the tb. Bogus log from: °WUSEL°

4.5k · March 11, 2020

Look at all these false logs this one is getting from Germany. TB21CR7 This trackable is in my TB Hotel here in Canberra. 11 false logs so far.

In this case I am suspicious that the TB owner might be behind it, but I don't understand what those non discoverers get out of it. And the number of discovers some of them have makes one think they log false logs regularly.

Edited March 11, 2020 by Goldenwattle

March 11, 2020

They just replied to my message saying I deleted their log and reported them to GCHQ (here). Basically they don't care: if they see a list with tb-codes (on FB or anywhere), they log it. They play the game their way and I should just remove their log if I don't want it. Apparently it doesn't matter if the tb owner gave permission to be on the list with their tb(s) or not and has work on it removing any unwanted logs. :mad:

7.5k · March 11, 2020

49 minutes ago, CarSim97 said:

They play the game their way

This is why it irks me when people say that what they like about geocaching is that 'everyone can play the game their own way', as if it has no negative repercussive effect.

Edited March 11, 2020 by L0ne.R
sentence structure

13.8k · March 11, 2020

8 hours ago, Goldenwattle said:

Look at all these false logs this one is getting from Germany. TB21CR7 This trackable is in my TB Hotel here in Canberra. 11 false logs so far.

In this case I am suspicious that the TB owner might be behind it, but I don't understand what those non discoverers get out of it.

And the number of discovers some of them have makes one think they log false logs regularly.

I couldn't find anything in the goal wording to support that. Curious where you're seeing this. Thanks.

13.8k · March 11, 2020

6 hours ago, CarSim97 said:

They just replied to my message saying I deleted their log and reported them to GCHQ (here).

Basically they don't care: if they see a list with tb-codes (on FB or anywhere), they log it.

They play the game their way and I should just remove their log if I don't want it.

Apparently it doesn't matter if the tb owner gave permission to be on the list with their tb(s) or not and has work on it removing any unwanted logs.

Odd isn't it, that some have such cavalier, almost arrogant disregard for others ?

4.5k · March 11, 2020

2 hours ago, cerberus1 said:

I couldn't find anything in the goal wording to support that. Curious where you're seeing this. Thanks.

"Gesehen beim "5. Grilling Me Softly..."
Danke liebe (TB owner) für's Zeigen :-)"

Translated:

Seen at the "5th Grilling Me Softly ..."
Thank you dear (TB owner) for showing :-)

Those 11 false logs are only those that have been logged since the TB was placed in my TB Hotel. I haven't checked earlier logs.

The TB's number seems to be passed around at lots of events:

"Seen at the lido event in Mannheim."

"I was able to discover these wonderful coins today at Zwerga."

"Seen at the 1st lunch in Worms"

"Seen this today at the event number games 2020-01 by MiMoM0"

"Seen at the numbers game event in Edigheim / Ludwigshafen. Lg goreng17"

"Seen at the event mini golf in winter (3)"

"Seen as part of the "Sun, Moon and Stars" event in the House of Astronomy on the Königstuhl."

"Discovered these codes at CITO on the owner's cachemobile today." (Only their own TB numbers, or was it longer)

And then this, which to be fair, might only be the TB owners own TBs:

"Oh, the (TB owner) has a nice TB list, how cool is that."

March 31, 2020

They're at it again: balozu burvis logged one of our coins, which again (s)he can't have seen. Code was posted two days ago on the infamous FB group, which still exists. Deleted log and locked tb.

March 31, 2020

2 hours ago, CarSim97 said:

They're at it again: balozu burvis logged one of our coins, which again (s)he can't have seen. Code was posted two days ago on the infamous FB group, which still exists. Deleted log and locked tb.

This same account just logged one of my coins that they had never seen with a log that just says "Check"

4.5k · March 31, 2020

Not bad:

balozu burvis

322 Caches Found

10719 Trackables Logged

They should have all their TB logs deleted. That might make them stop it.

4.6k · March 31, 2020

On 1/6/2020 at 11:46 PM, squishypets said:

Here's the list of cachers that have logged some of our coins that have never been out of house.

...

Perhaps an e-mail from HQ might get them to stop with the bogus logs.

A few look familiar (as in "local") and I've seen bogus logs (as in virtuals in countries they haven't visited).

March 31, 2020

On 3/11/2020 at 1:16 PM, Goldenwattle said:

Look at all these false logs this one is getting from Germany. TB21CR7 This trackable is in my TB Hotel here in Canberra. 11 false logs so far.

In this case I am suspicious that the TB owner might be behind it, but I don't understand what those non discoverers get out of it. And the number of discovers some of them have makes one think they log false logs regularly.

Well, I do happen to know the owner of this trackable quite good.

She's a very active geocacher who is very keen on coins and visits events frequently.

As most of the discoverers names are among her geofriends I believe she has given her consent for logging this trackable.

March 31, 2020

6 hours ago, Crazedllama said:

This same account just logged one of my coins that they had never seen with a log that just says "Check"

We had the same log from them. Seems HQ is deleting the logs, since logs keep on added and then the count drops again. The account is also locked.

Edit: and they just logged another one, posted on the FB group on 21 March. :mad:

Edited March 31, 2020 by CarSim97
update

4.5k · March 31, 2020

4 hours ago, xtqx1 said:

Well, I do happen to know the owner of this trackable quite good.

She's a very active geocacher who is very keen on coins and visits events frequently.

As most of the discoverers names are among her geofriends I believe she has given her consent for logging this trackable.

That might be the case (and I did suspect that), but obviously these cachers are up for logging coins they haven't found. It's not something I would do. And after checking the percentage of TB finds to cache finds, I can only conclude that some of these loggers (not all of them) get a lot of their TB finds from lists. So they are up for this and not blameless.

March 31, 2020

I just sent a message to a logger asking where they discovered my Geocoin. I don't know where they got the # from as I have never released it, or posted a photo of it.

No surprise, I got no reply. I had deleted the log entry and posted this message on the coin page.

==========================

" SPOILER ALERT!!!

All log entries will be deleted that don't show proof of contact.

Seeing a photo is NOT discovering, and I find it truly sad that people would cheat in such a manor just to build up their counts.

That is like seeing a photo of Wayne Gretzky and claiming you met him.

I don't understand the thinking behind lying about such a menial thing as finding a Travel Bug or Geocoin when you didn't.

Are you truly that pathetic that you need to cheat at a leisure activity?

WOW ! ! ! "

=============================

I went back to check the offender's acct and they have deleted all their discoveries, no longer accept messages, and the acct is locked.

5.8k · April 1, 2020

13 hours ago, kruzrrr said:

I went back to check the offender's acct and they have deleted all their discoveries

It'd be nice if the user had actually corrected themselves, but no. Groundspeak deleted them all.

April 1, 2020

One more coin of mine fell victim today to a false discovery. Groundspeak must have caught it before I woke up and have already deleted the log.

It was Paintballvet18.

April 3, 2020

On 3/31/2020 at 9:14 AM, Goldenwattle said:

Not bad:

balozu burvis

322 Caches Found

10719 Trackables Logged

They should have all their TB logs deleted. That might make them stop it.

It looks like that is what happened.

We had a cool coin in our watchlist since 2008. It went missing in 2010, so I was surprised to see it had been 'discovered'.

Then I wasn't so surprised when I read the log entry was "check".

Today, their profile shows no trackables logged and the account has been locked.

Additionally, a look at one of their owned caches shows that the townspeople were gathering at the gate with torches and pitchforks...

s1200_Simpsons_angry_mob_pitchfork_torches.jpg.66c47495b2f2d38dd52631cf19b97c64.jpg

4.5k · April 3, 2020

7 hours ago, JASTA 11 said:

It looks like that is what happened.

We had a cool coin in our watchlist since 2008. It went missing in 2010, so I was surprised to see it had been 'discovered'.

Then I wasn't so surprised when I read the log entry was "check".

Today, their profile shows no trackables logged and the account has been locked.

Additionally, a look at one of their owned caches shows that the townspeople were gathering at the gate with torches and pitchforks...

I checked one of their finds too, and I'm suspicious that might be an armchair find too.

April 24, 2020

Yet another false discovery today that said they discovered my trackable online. It was drdrkxz.

I had to lock the trackable.

11.7k · April 24, 2020

1 hour ago, Crazedllama said:

Yet another false discovery today that said they discovered my trackable online. It was drdrkxz.

I had to lock the trackable.

I got one of those discoveries on one of mine, a Geocoin that I lost along a trail a couple years ago (far from where I guess the cacher is). That guy’s account is locked now, and the log seems to have been erased.

What's with these "bogus" discoveries of my coins????

Recommended Posts

Angelorum

Angelorum

balozu burvis

balozu burvis

Join the conversation