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How to report a fake user?


Spacemann Spiff

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How do we report a fraudulent user? I've been searching in the Forums & couldn't find an appropriate/active thread. "owlcoconut" is a fake/armchair geocacher & is logging fake finds. Currently at 110 & still rising for today alone. Including caches known to be missing. Thanks.

Edited by Spacemann Spiff
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16 minutes ago, Spacemann Spiff said:

How do we report a fraudulent user? I've been searching in the Forums & couldn't find an appropriate/active thread. "owlcoconut" is a fake/armchair geocacher & is logging fake finds. Currently at 110 & still rising for today alone. Including caches known to be missing. Thanks.

At the bottom of every geocache page is a link to "contact us'. 

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1 hour ago, Spacemann Spiff said:

How do we report a fraudulent user? I've been searching in the Forums & couldn't find an appropriate/active thread. "owlcoconut" is a fake/armchair geocacher & is logging fake finds. Currently at 110 & still rising for today alone. Including caches known to be missing.

 

Curious, is it possible that someone created a new account for one of their kids ?

Granted, most times it's explained somewhere in a log, and back-dated so folks aren't guessing...

 

Odd that their first cache logged says, "Anyone know spaceman spiff he keeps harassing my 11-year-old daughter ..."

How would that person have known of you from their very first cache  logged?   That doesn't seem possible.   Thanks.  :)

 

Edited by cerberus1
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15 hours ago, Spacemann Spiff said:

How do we report a fraudulent user? I've been searching in the Forums & couldn't find an appropriate/active thread. "owlcoconut" is a fake/armchair geocacher & is logging fake finds. Currently at 110 & still rising for today alone. Including caches known to be missing. Thanks.

Could they be a co-finder with the person you continually call a cheater in your logs? Is that what they mean by you harassing their daughter? Their very first Found It  log mentions you! The Contact Us link is on every page. 

Edited by Max and 99
Added Found It log.
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15 hours ago, Max and 99 said:

Could they be a co-finder with the person you continually call a cheater in your logs? Is that what they mean by you harassing their daughter? Their very first Found It  log mentions you! The Contact Us link is on every page. 

 

Gee, it might be 'owlcoconut' hitting the 'Contact Us' button at this rate!

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If the user owlcoconut wouldn't just post single words "awesome" or mostly just smileys (e g. https://www.geocaching.com/seek/log.aspx?LUID=25fc35ce-e968-40d8-a7ad-120f17792281) it might be possible to read from the logs if she/he/they found the cache or not. :-(

 

I think it is easy.

Did they log any cache of you? No? Great, ignore them. If the owners of those caches get active - let them.

Did they log one? Look into the logbook and if you don't find their name you might delete the log. Or report the cacher if you want to but simply deleting the log might work.

 

Have you contacted them yet?

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24 minutes ago, Harry Dolphin said:

Wow!  112 finds in one day!

Especially easy if it's someone just splitting accounts.  I encountered something similar once -- nearly all of my caches found in 1 day by a person who would have had to cover some serious ground.  Turned out to be a shared account that was being split into two accounts.  All re-logs of all of the original finds for the 2nd account. 

 

The problem with frostengel's 'check the log' is that when this happens, the owner of the new account doesn't always make clear the original logging name.  The only solution is to contact the person creating the new logs.

 

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Reads to me as if an 11 year old opened account and has been logging in a silly childish manner. Or, an 11 year used parent's account to log in a silly childish manner.   Either way, said 11 year old has received some messages from the OP that have made parent and child unhappy.

 

It can be hard to reach out to novices when they're logging inappropriately. I've done it over finds on challenges, where "finder" only has 3 logged finds, or "Found it!" on first stage of an 8 mile hiking multi.   I try  to be very gentle, factual, non-judgmental.

It's really tough with kids.   

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Hey, it's what happens when splits occur and the 2nd finder doesn't take the time to use the calendar and properly antedate all of the logs.

Personally, if I was the one playing 'catch up', I'd try to match up the dates, too.  Also makes it clear what the original account was.

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Hello, all.

I am the starter of this thread.

 

To address some of the comments above--

 

Yes, I contacted the person before I ever made the original post.  One single message.  They replied back with multiple, snotty emails, and started the line of crap about "harassing my daughter," etc.  I chose to ignore them.  Not worth getting into a continued argument with an obvious abuser/cheater.

 

And, as TmdAndGG mentioned above, the user went back and added the log that mentions me, AFTER I sent my one-and-only message to them, in an effort to deflect from their cheating.

 

Again, I sent them ONE single message.  Not harassing.  They in turn sent MULTIPLE (harassing) emails to me for having called them out.  Guilty much?

 

At this point, I don't care.  As others have mentioned above, it's not worth the effort to worry about.  Am I annoyed by lazy armchair geocachers who have nothing better to do that cheat at a game?  Yes.  Am I going to worry about it further?  No.  Let them be their pathetic selves.

 

Thanks to those who offered helpful comments.

 

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@Spacemann

Since I've been in a similar situation in the past, please bear with me.

 

Looking back at your original post, and your last one, I would posit that there may be an entirely legitimate reason, already discussed above, for what you saw.

Let's assume that parents + daughter geocached together.

Let's further assume that, as often happens, the kid decides she wants her own account.

Kid starts logging the previously found caches under the new account.

Kid doesn't know to, or doesn't bother to back date the logs when re-logging the caches found together with parents.

Suddenly, you see a flurry of logs by a new finder, including caches that couldn't possibly be found now.

You message the finder regarding your issues.

Daughter makes note of this to parents.  While she is logged in, parents use messaging to reply to you, complaining of harassment.

 

I find the above a perfectly reasonable explanation for what happened.  As I say, I had something similar happen here when a boy chose to break off onto his own account vs. continuing with a 'family' account.

 

This may or may not be the case, but many in this thread, yourself included, seem unwilling to accept that more than one explanation exists, and that one of them includes no 'cheating'.

 

 

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On 7/6/2020 at 2:49 PM, frostengel said:

I think it is easy.

Did they log any cache of you? No? Great, ignore them. If the owners of those caches get active - let them.

Did they log one? Look into the logbook and if you don't find their name you might delete the log. Or report the cacher if you want to but simply deleting the log might work.

 

12 hours ago, Max and 99 said:

spacemanspiff:

My concern is that even IF they are cheating (which there is no evidence of), the content of your logs may get YOU into trouble for harrassment!

 

Looking at the caches that were logged as "Found" on July 5, I see none owned by Spacemann Spiff (unless they are hidden under a different account - but I see several different CO's among the caches found), so I'm puzzled by his concern over the logs on others' caches.  There may be a legitimate reason for the slew of logs in one day, as others have pointed out.

 

I would deal with the logs on my own hides by contacting the finder, and either deleting or letting the log stand, and let the other CO's deal with the logs however they see fit.  Somebody fake logging is not an issue that I would risk harassment charges  - just let it go.

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its impossible to call out fake players on other caches (not your own).  Its a flaw and feature of geocaching.  Many just say they went to the cache location and never opening cache, and no log signed. 

 

1) Have taken to logging the cache myself, and then posting a note after with a photo of my signed log.  The owner can then delete the photo (and over half do) of the log.  If you want to contest and compare to others, then you will need to just accept that there is much lacking in this game for beginners. You can keep your own journal of caches found, with a cross reference to pictures (save pictures to dropbox).

 

2)  you can also create a secret blackbook/ blacklist journal of folks you know have reduced integrity in the games. Easy to test that by just asking them (email note) to describe the log, and cache back to you; as you mixed up the notes about which cache.  You can look at their DNF and if its non existent, you know the truth is out there.  LOL  

 

Most decide its not worth comparing to others, that seem to never get it.   Also need to understand that many play this game by just getting to within ten feet, and never log a DNF.    

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2 hours ago, CAVinoGal said:

I would deal with the logs on my own hides by contacting the finder, and either deleting or letting the log stand, and let the other CO's deal with the logs however they see fit.  Somebody fake logging is not an issue that I would risk harassment charges  - just let it go.

 

Yep.  If mine, I'll fix it if needed.  Others, that's up to them. Simple.   :)

When a cache page starts to turn into an ugly forum, sometimes a few folks might get in a bind. 

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Since none of these are your hides, there's not much to be done other than contacting Groundspeak and leaving it to them to determine what, if any, action to take.

 

In other words, I get to trot out my meme from my favorite urban micro:

 

ab65d6b2-3e56-48d9-89f1-7cbcf432e8f0.jpg

Edited by hzoi
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1 hour ago, hzoi said:

Since none of these are your hides, there's not much to be done other than contacting Groundspeak and leaving it to them to determine what, if any, action to take.

 

In other words, I get to trot out my meme from my favorite urban micro:

 

ab65d6b2-3e56-48d9-89f1-7cbcf432e8f0.jpg

I'm hoping to take my own photo of those vehicles this summer so I can use it when I want to!

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On 7/5/2020 at 8:58 PM, Max and 99 said:

At the bottom of every geocache page is a link to "contact us'. 

Got an inappropriate message from a fake user as well.  Don't see how to delete the message or way to report other than contacting support via email.

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Just now, x10u8tr said:

Got an inappropriate message from a fake user as well.  Don't see how to delete the message or way to report other than contacting support via email.

Click the "Contact us" link at the bottom of every page. That's how you report them.

 

You can block them on GC messaging so you don't see the messages, but otherwise there's nothing you can do except let HQ know.

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