Shadowing Practice: Furry Scams Are Getting WAY Too Good - Learn English Speaking with Video
Creating lesson...
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Furries love spending money.
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Art commissions, conventions, fursuits, VR chat avatars.
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We have endless ways to throw money at this fandom.
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Unfortunately, scammers know that too.
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And lately, I've seen some incredibly sophisticated ones.
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Hack sends sending malware, people impersonating artists and faking sketches, and scammers turning creators into money mules.
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So today, let's talk about the scams I'm seeing in the furry fandom right now and how you can avoid them.
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About a month ago, I actually fell for one of these scams.
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There was a furry artist YCH that I'd been eyeing, so I decided to place the opening bid.
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There hadn't been any other activity on it, and about two days later, I got a message on Telegram from who I thought was the artist.
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And everything seemed completely normal.
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They asked for my reference sheet.
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They asked if I had any special request.
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We talked about the commission like you would any other artist.
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And then they sent me a rough sketch of my Sona in the YCH's pose.
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I told them it looked good, asked them where I could send the payment, and forwarded the funds.
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And then, nothing.
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Three days later, I checked on the original YCH and saw that somebody had actually outbid me.
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I went back to Telegram, and the account I had been talking to was gone.
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I had paid an impersonator.
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They had used AI trained off the artist's style to impersonate them, and then sent me an AI-generated sketch that I had missed.
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Since the Telegram account was deleted, the evidence I would have wanted for a PayPal dispute was gone.
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I contacted the real artist and they told me that someone had been impersonating them for a while.
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Then I realized there was literally a warning about the impersonator on their fur affinity profile.
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I just hadn't seen it as it wasn't mentioned on the YCH post.
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So a general rule of thumb, always reach out to the artist on the original platform.
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Don't respond to targeted DMs.
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This is why I really like Vigen.
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You can see an artist reviews and commission history.
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There's active cues to see if it's small.
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There's an actual verification process for artists.
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And the platform is very clearly anti-AI and continues to build tools around protecting artists.
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It also gives buyers more protection than just sending money through a random DM.
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With things like delivery deadlines and payment protections.
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It's not fully scan proof.
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but I feel a lot safer commissioning someone through Vigen than through a random Twitter, Discord, or Telegram message.
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And hey, while you're busy checking out Vigen, please take a moment to subscribe to my channel if you enjoy hearing this furry yap on the internet.
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Okay, this next scam has been hitting my friends on Discord pretty hard.
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Two, er, actually three of my friends now have fallen for it.
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And in one case, the scammer even got into an account that had two-factor authentication enabled.
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The setup is usually something like, hey, I made a game.
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Can you come test it?
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Or hey, can we watch anime in this app?
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Check out lobby number two.
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Not hey, check it out whenever you want to.
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They want you clicking before you stop to think.
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If someone sends you a game or program, especially an executable file like an exe, please don't run it right away.
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Be cautious with unfamiliar download links such as Mediafire or other unfamiliar websites.
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And if you really need to inspect the file, you can scan it with something like VirusTotal online.
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Just remember, even a clean scan doesn't guarantee a file is safe, especially if the malware is new.
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And while more technical users can investigate suspicious files with a virtual machine,
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for most people, the safest option is simply not to run it and don't even download it.
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If the file is from a link they wouldn't use, avoid it.
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And even then, be careful with familiar websites.
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Just be safe and always wonder why is this person sending me something?
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All right this next one is a little bit crazy because
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when we think of scammers we usually think about us sending money to them
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but in this case the scammer wanted to put money into the artist account.
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One of my artist friends had someone repeatedly offered to work
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together by bringing people to their patreon then splitting the money after a withdrawal.
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When my friend said it sounded like a scam they replied
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i don't want any upfront money from you you'll see members you will see money then only you will withdraw and split
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and then the scammer tried to prove it my friend received
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a random 300 ko-fi donation from a completely different account
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which the scammer basically used to justify see i can bring
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people to you you just give me half of what we
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make the scammer is using a stolen account's money to earn your trust
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if those donations or memberships are coming from a fraudulent or compromised payments, which they are, they can later be reversed or charged back,
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potentially after you've already sent the scammer they're halved.
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So if this happens to you, don't touch the money.
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Save screenshots, contact the platform support or fraud team, and do not forward the money somewhere else.
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Nobody legitimate needs your Patreon or Ko-Fi accounts to act as a middleman.
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In general, just don't spend money you get online for a little bit
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because people can always gift subs or give donations and then charge it back later.
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So I recommend waiting about a month personally.
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This next one, I feel like we've all heard of.
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We've all seen the fake Timu fursuits, Etsy listings, and Instagram posts.
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Oftentimes you'll see an amazing looking fursuit for $800.
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And the tough thing is, some of these fursuits are in fact legitimate.
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Oftentimes these are overseas makers or newer makers that are making quality suits and have yet to raise their prices.
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But there are a lot of fake fursuit makers out there.
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Some of these I've seen on Instagram can reach over 20,000 followers on the platform.
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How do they get that following?
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By saving images of other people's suits and stitching together shorts and stolen videos to make it seem like they're legitimate.
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In some instances, there are fursuit makers that aren't on a platform yet.
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So a scammer might swoop in and start posting all of their stuff to emulate the maker themselves.
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If you're an artist, please create and post on accounts on most social media platforms
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or at least have an account to identify yourself as the official one
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so you don't have scammers imitating you and people can find you.
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Another example, I noticed an Instagram maker posted a very good-looking brown fursuit.
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However, I recognize this suit.
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This is a color-shifted suit of fellow content creator Pranzo.
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I suspect we'll see more AI edits in Photoshop's pre-existing suits to appear to be original fursuits, so you got to keep an eye out for that too.
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Ask other people how their experience was with a maker before commissioning them.
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Websites like Fursuit Reviews can also be helpful.
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Some makers, like my fursuit maker, Firmity, have unofficial telegrams for the existing suitors.
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You may be able to ask around to see if you could be added to a group chat to ask these questions.
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These are expensive thousands of dollar purchases sometimes.
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So make sure you are completely confident before you buy a fursuit.
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If someone is rushing you to buy it, there's a good chance you're going to be scammed.
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Just the general tip right there.
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So keep an eye out for stolen fursuit portfolios and too good to be true offers along with unverified fursuit makers.
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Always ask others about their experience before you buy one.
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For example, look at this Reddit thread here.
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I found someone commented on r slash furry asking for advice on fursuit makers.
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And this person posted this fursuit here of the Pranzo suit.
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You got to be careful even with Reddit comments nowadays. Be safe.
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Unintentional scams.
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Not every bad commission is intentionally a scam.
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It could just be that somebody is very bad at business.
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And one of the biggest risks is an artist or maker taking on a cue that becomes completely unmanageable.
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Once you've paid someone hundreds or even thousands of dollars, a lot can happen while you wait.
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One of the most infamous examples of this is Fur The Wind Studios.
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They were an established maker starting around 2011 with a long history of making fursuits.
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But eventually, their queue completely ballooned out of control.
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In 2022, one fursuit review customer described them as having an open queue that never closed for commissions,
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with more than 50 people waiting ahead of them.
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And these weren't just people putting their names on a free waitlist.
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Customers were actually paying into their commissions before work began.
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One reviewer said that after their first payment, communication largely stopped while they waited to find out when their suit would even be started.
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And this is why massive prepaid queues scare me.
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I'm not saying a long queue automatically makes somebody a scammer, but if somebody is taking thousands of dollars for a fursuit they may not even start working on for years,
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you're taking a huge amount of risk.
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People get sick, businesses fail, people leave the fandom, and unfortunately, sometimes people pass away.
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I don't even know if I'll still be in the fandom six years from now.
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And in 2025, Fur The Wind Studios closed.
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Customers reported that the business had gone bankrupt, including people who were still waiting on unfinished commissions after years.
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So here's my personal rules.
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I want to see the queue before I pay.
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Platforms like Vigen are great because you can actually see an artist's work queue.
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Other artists use Trello.
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If I can see somebody consistently completing work and moving through their queue, I'm way more comfortable giving them money.
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If they don't have a public queue, I'll usually ask, hey, where am I in the queue?
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For normal art, if somebody wants payment and they're more than four months away from starting, personally, I'm out.
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Unless it's an incredible artist I've dreamed of working with.
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Otherwise, I'd rather they put my name in the queue and let me pay when they're actually ready to start.
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You could always ask an artist, you know?
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Fursuits are obviously different as they take much longer, but even then, I personally don't want to wait multiple years.
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With my own fursuit, my maker, Furmini, gave me a clear estimate.
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I could see that they were actively completing suits.
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And my wait was around eight months is what they told me.
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That's what I want to see.
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Not just a cue, but a cue that's actually moving.
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How to protect yourself.
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Through the course of this video, we've seen different ways we can get scammed, but let's summarize how you can protect yourself.
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First, if somebody is telling you to pay now, act immediately, or threatening you with something like, the FBI is coming to your door.
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Slow down.
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Take a deep breath.
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The whole point of urgency is to get you to act before you can verify.
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So your brain begins to panic.
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If they claim to be law enforcement, for example, or recently in my case, the IRS or the New York State Tax Authority, for whatever reason, your bank,
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VGen, PayPal, or whatever, go find the real organization yourself and contact them independently.
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Also, I think it's important to have a non-emergency police number on your phone.
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If someone's threatening the FBI or police, just call them real quick on the non-emergency line and say, oh, let me call them real quick to verify.
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Or play dumb and be, hey, let me check with my lawyer.
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I don't actually have one, just so you know.
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Number two, verify through a second channel.
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If someone on Discord claims to be an artist, don't click on the links they send you.
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Open the platform yourself, like on FurAffinity or something, and search for them.
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Find the artist's real profile and then ask them directly on the platform, hey, by the way, is this you?
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Are you hacked?
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You'll have to wait, and that'll help you think more analytically.
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Sometimes that saves you money on spending tons of commissions.
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Number three, use the platforms that protect you.
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Going off platform is not automatically a scam, but if somebody approaches you through VGen and immediately says, hey, let's do this somewhere else so we can save on the fee,
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someone DMs you off platform, such as on Discord saying, hey, I can't access VGen or something, be on alert.
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That is absolutely a reason to be cautious.
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Websites like VGen give you buyer protection, a paper trail, a means to dispute your issues, and in general, protect you.
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If you think anything is sus or just in general, probably take photos of every interaction, so you could always do a chargeback if need be.
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Four, protect your money.
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For expensive commissions, I want clear written terms, documented payments, expected milestones, and deposits instead of blindly funding the art or suit for years in advance.
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You have a right to ask for a queue, and don't be afraid to check in.
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The longer your money is sitting in somebody else's queue, the longer it's at risk.
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And number five, does the person sound like themselves?
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You'll sometimes see scam messages using phrases like, kindly send payment, or I have an inquiry, or I have a query.
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Those phrases themselves do not mean someone is a scammer.
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They're normal English in a lot of places, but what matters is the mismatch.
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If your friend normally messages like, oh my God, Alina, stop being a fucking unk
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and then they send you a fucking meme or some shit and suddenly they're saying, kindly remit payment at your earliest convenience.
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I'm currently stranded at sea and I need money for my boat or I'll sink to the sirens.
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Hey, sirens, you want to tie me up?
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Maybe verify the account before sending them $800.
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Does the person DMing you sound like your friend?
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Or do you even know that person that well?
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Feel free to ignore weird DMs rather than respond.
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Slow down, verify who you're talking to And don't let them convince you to give up the protections you already have.
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Who Will Benefit from This Video?
This video is perfect for intermediate English learners looking to boost their conversational skills, especially those prepping for IELTS speaking practice. The casual, storytelling tone mirrors real-life conversations, making it ideal for practicing listening comprehension and natural speech flow. Whether you’re into pop culture or just want to learn how to discuss everyday risks, the dialogue offers relatable scenarios to mimic—key for mastering the shadowing technique.
Words & Idioms to Add to Your Toolkit
- Throw money at: To spend a lot of money on something, often without careful planning. Example: "Furries throw money at art commissions and conventions."
- Eyeing: Looking at something with interest. Example: "I’d been eyeing a YCH (Your Character Here) commission."
- Money mules: People tricked into moving illegal funds. The video warns scammers use creators as money mules.
- General rule of thumb: A practical, approximate guide. Example: "A general rule of thumb—always message artists on their original platform."
Nailing the Accent & Flow with Shadowing
The speaker’s conversational pace and clear pronunciation make this video great for shadowspeak practice. Focus on mimicking the natural pauses when sharing a personal story (e.g., "And then, nothing. Three days later...") to sound more authentic. Pay attention to stress in phrases like "incredibly sophisticated"—emphasizing "sophisticated" adds impact, a trick useful for IELTS speaking. For tricky words like "malware" (MAL-ware) or "executable" (ek-SEK-yoo-tuh-buhl), repeat them slowly using a shadowing app to match the speaker’s intonation. Remember: shadowing isn’t just about copying—it’s about feeling the rhythm of real English. This video’s mix of storytelling and advice gives you the perfect chance to practice both!
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | I've seen · have fallen · you've already sent |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | was deleted · wasn't mentioned · be reversed |
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.