The following tips will help you to keep your computer and therefore your Habbo account, secure: Keep your
system updatedWindows often release service packs and patches which update the security of your system. Make sure
that you check Windows Update http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com/ frequently to download the latest patches. Use
a firewall programA firewall is a program which acts as a barrier between your computer and the Internet; it allows
connections which are safe and blocks those which are not. Some free firewall programs include:Zone Alarm Personal Firewall Comodo Personal FirewallInstall anti-virusEveryone who has a computer should have anti-virus software, but it's not enough to simply
install the software and forget about it. If you don't regularly update the virus signatures of your software it will be become
less and less efficient and will start letting nasty files through to your computer. Most anti-virus programs have an auto-update
function, so it's usually just a case of making sure you enable it! You should also set your software to scan as many things
as possible, especially incoming emails and all files you receive. It's always a good idea to scan your computer in
Safe Mode as some nasty files bury themselves in your system when it's running normally and even if removed, can reappear
next time you start up your PC. You can get into Safe Mode by rebooting your computer and pressing F5 until you see a menu.
If you're intending to use online scans then you may need to select the 'Safe Mode with Networking' option from the menu which
will enable you to access the Internet. Many people don't realise that no single anti-virus program can detect all Trojans,
viruses and keyloggers. That is why it's always a good idea to have one main program on your computer but to also
do regular checks
Unfortunately, in any online community there will be a minority of people who will
try to scam others. Habbo is no exception so it's important that you are aware of how common scams operate so you can avoid
becoming a victim of a scammer.
Credit scams One common method of scamming is the Credit Code scam. The scammer
will offer a Credit Code in return for furniture and they'll ask that you trade first. If you trade you'll be given a false
Credit Code and will have lost your furniture. The only safe way to trade for Credits is by trading furniture for Habbo Exchange
items (coins, money bags and gold bars) which can be clicked on to redeem Credits.
Some scammers will claim that they
know a special cheat; a way that Staff get Credits. They will tell you to telephone the Credits line and enter in a special
code to receive your free Credits. The code is their Habbo ID and by entering it when you phone the Credits line, you will
be paying to give the scammer Credits. Habbo staff don't get Credits by any of the advertised payment methods so anyone claiming
to have a staff Credit cheat is scamming.
Furni scams There are many ways scammers will try to cheat you
of your furniture, some are very easy to spot and some more difficult. Here are some of the common things scammers try:
*
Double your furniture. There is absolutely no way to have furniture doubled. Never hand over your items to someone who
says they can.
* Pet trading. Pets cannot be traded or transferred, so never give items to someone who says
they'll buy you a pet as a gift or trade one of their existing pets with you.
* Teleporter trading. It's not
possible to know whether a pair of teleports in a trade window actually link and a common scam is to trade teleports which
don't link. We advise never trading for teleports.
* Decorator scams. A scammer may offer to put wallpaper or
flooring in your room in return for furniture. Never agree to this as it's not possible to place wallpaper, paint or flooring
in another Habbo's room.
* Trophy scams. The trophy scam works by showing you a trophy with a Staff inscription
on it in a room and asking you to trade furniture for it. However the scammer will pick up the trophy and replace it with
an identical looking one in the trade window which does not have the Staff inscription.
* Scripted Items. A
scammer may offer you sticki notes or furniture in colors you've never seen before and tell you that it's a very rare release.
Unfortunately these items are almost always scripted (temporarily altered using a scripting program) and not worth trading
anything for. Always check out lists of known furniture on reputable fansites before considering trading for anything unusual.
*
Paying for room rights. You may be offered rights in a guest room in return for giving the owner furniture. Unfortunately
once you have handed over the furniture you have no guarantee that your rights will be added or, if they are, how long they
will last. Never pay for room rights.
* Pay to Stay. Some players' game rooms will advertise 'pay to stay',
a scheme where you have to pay an item of furniture to stay in the room and play the game. Unfortunately you have no guarantee
once you've given an item that you'll be allowed to stay and play or that you'll win anything in return. Treat 'pay to stay'
in a game the same as giving your item away as a donation and then you won't be disappointed!
* Casino scams. Some
rooms are set up as casinos where you bet items on the outcome of a spin of the dice. Never play such games if the room owner
asks for your bet up front because you have no guarantee that you won't be kicked from the room as soon as you've handed over
your item.
* Shared rooms. You may get friendly with a Habbo who suggests you pool your furniture to make one
big room as a maze, casino or other function that will be popular to other players. Remember that if you give your furniture
to another player to decorate a room they have created, they may decide not to give it back to you!
Scam sites Scam
sites are probably one of the most common ways that players get cheated out of their Habbo password. Scam sites come in many
forms, but here are some main ones to look out for:
* Free furni/Credits. Sites which offer free furniture or
Credits if you sign in to them with your Habbo name and password are always scams. Some may even pretend to be the personal
homepages of Habbo Staff, but don't be fooled, they aren't!
* Spoof hotels. Some sites may look like Habbo,
even down to the layout and graphics on the front page, but unless the website address at the top of the page is www.habbo.xx
it's a scam. A common way for scammers to get you to put your password into such sites is by pretending they are a new Hotel
that's just opened or that it's a beta version of Habbo. Remember that your Habbo name and password will only ever work on
one site, the Hotel you registered it on.
* Reloaders. A player may ask you to take a look at their website
whilst you are playing on Habbo and when you do, your Habbo Hotel session mysteriously disconnects and a window pops up to
log in again. This is a 'reloader' and what it has done is replace your real Habbo session with a fake sign-in screen which
will steal your password if you enter it. If your Habbo session ever disconnects when you are on another site always close
down your browser windows, start your browser up again and go straight to the official Habbo Hotel site to sign back in securely.
*
Scripts and cheats. Some websites may offer you downloads of cool looking cheats or scripts to alter Habbo. Never download
these sorts of files as they often contain keyloggers which record your key presses (eg entering your password) and email
them to the scammer. They could also contain Trojan viruses which allow the scammer to access your computer and steal information
stored there or do other damage.
The following tips will help you keep your password safe. However,
if you believe someone may have your password you should change it immediately by signing in to the Habbo homepage and going
to your account settings.
Create a secure password A good password should include letters and numbers and
not include any personal information such as date of birth, name or anything else which someone could guess by asking you
questions.
Habbo and your password You should only enter your password on the official Habbo website in order
to log in to your account. Habbo staff will never contact you personally asking for your password.
Never share your
password Sharing your password with a friend does not make your Habbo account more secure, in fact it becomes far less
secure since you can't guarantee that your friend's computer will never be infected with a keylogger, nor can you guarantee
that your friend will never share your password with someone else - especially if you fall out!
Don't recycle passwords Never
be tempted to use the same password for different services on the Internet. It may be easy to remember passwords if you only
have a few, however if a password gets stolen it will result in you losing access to lots of your favourite services.
Be
aware of password phishing A common method of stealing passwords is to send an email or instant message that pretends
to be from a member of Habbo staff. Some common signs of a password phishing email or instant message are:
*
Promises of free credits or furni if you reply with your password * Threats that your account will close if you
don't reply with your password * Invitations to participate in secret beta testing which requires you to enter your
Habbo name and password into a website which is not the official Habbo homepage * Promises to make you a Habbo eXpert
or Moderator if you reply with your password or log into a website which is not the official Habbo homepage
Avoid
common password scams There are some common password scams which circulate Habbo and catch out unwary new players all
the time:
* 'Look what happens when I type in my password! *******.' Since passwords are random collections
of letters and digits it would be impossible for Habbo to filter them out of chat. Your password can be seen by everyone if
you type it in the chat box on Habbo or put it in a Console message, Group discussion forum or anywhere else on Habbo other
than the sign-in box on the homepage.
* 'Type your password and press Ctrl + M.' No matter what combination
of keys someone tells you to press after typing your password in the game, the result will be that everyone sees it.
*
'Try this cool cheat! Change your password to "50credits" and you receive 50 Credits!' Never change your password to something
you are told to change it to. There are no cheats and doing this will allow a scammer access to your account.
*
'The Hotel Manager just gave me credts on MSN!' If someone tells you to add a certain contact on MSN because it's a member
of staff who gave them Credits, don't do it. This is a scam: Habbo staff do not communicate with players via instant messenger
and never give out free Credits or furniture in this way.
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