# 📃 How we operate We aim to follow three principles: > [!quote] _Furry Assisted Scam Tracking will be [[#Transparent]], [[#Specific]], and [[#Fair]]._ # Transparent We aim to be as transparent and open with how we operate and the info we have on scammer as we practically can. You will find the info and evidence we have gathered on specific scammers and networks of scammers in the [Listings](https://t.me/scamtrackinglist) group. A topic is made for each account we are tracking, which contains information about the account and evidence that furries have collected about that account. ## Linked or networked accounts We use hashtags to link accounts together, so if you find a hashtag in a topic, you can click on it to see other linked accounts. These may be alternate accounts of the same user, part of the same network, or using a similar tactic. ## Technical data gathering We cannot reveal the full technical details of how we gather the data about each account, as we do not want scammers to discover how we might be detecting them and for them to develop countermeasures. However, while we do use that initial data to start our investigations, we rely heavily on getting evidence from a range of Telegram users to confirm that the account in question is actively trying to scam furries. Some accounts have been in the tracker for a while and were ported into the current system, or are newly added to the tracker. These accounts may not have lots of evidence compiled yet. We always welcome more evidence, either of an accounts genuine intentions or scamming activities. This can be sent directly into the topic about the account in the [Listings](https://t.me/scamtrackinglist). ## More info about an account If anyone has any queries about a specific account in the [Listings](https://t.me/scamtrackinglist), ping the admins in the topic for the account (admin details are in the pinned message in the pinned topic) and we will try to investigate further for you. # Specific If FAST had too broad of a scope, it would become more difficult and time consuming to monitor existing accounts being tracked, and increase the workload of investigating and adding new accounts. We are all volunteers, after all. Therefore we specifically target our efforts where we think we can be most effective, and so we define the kinds of scammers we add to the tracker quite narrowly: [[🦹‍♂️How we define a scammer]]. ## Single issue focus We want to keep this resource tightly-focussed on a single issue - _**scammers**_ who appear to be _**furries**_ that are preying on the _**furry community on Telegram**_. ### Scammers-only We do not add users who are doing other kinds of malicious, unethical, or illegal activities. We are only interested in scammers and scams. Some examples of the kinds of scams we see regularly are here: [[👁️ Types of scam that we see often]]. If we started to add other kinds of accounts, not only would it mean we were less able to focus on scammers, but it would require completely different tactics, processes, and policies. Other resources would be better suited to this than FAST. ### Furries-only We are only interested in scammers who appear to be furries. Generally, we are good at noticing scammers who are humans, it's the ones pretending to be furs that blend in. More info on this is here: [[🦊 Furries only]]. We also do not make a distinction between those who are not real furries, and those who are, because: - It can often be difficult to determine - It takes more effort, time, and evidence to determine if they are a real furry or not - The ultimate effect that non-furry vs real furry scammers have is broadly the same: furries are getting financially and emotionally hurt by them As such, we don't think it is worth determining whether a particular account is a real furry or a fake furry for the purposes of their entry on the scammer list. We may do some investigation to work this out to help in other related investigations, but we do not make a fundamental distinction between them during initial investigations. Our stance on AI art is related to this, and is explained here: [[🎨 AI art]]. ### Telegram-only Telegram is perhaps the most widely-used text-based communication tool for the furry community. As such, we build our social connections, our lives, even our romances around connecting with other furries via Telegram. However that means it provides a large pool of potential victims for scammers. But on the flip side, it means we can help protect a large number of furries by working on a single platform. Because adoption of Telegram is so high among furries, it means that if we can move the needle on scammers on Telegram, the only other major platform they could swap to is Discord, which already has a plethora of firstand third-party moderation tools. If we can show that the furry community on Telegram isn't an easy target, maybe they will leave us alone. We only accept scammer submissions for scammers who are active on Telegram. If they are active elsewhere, then we will note that down for future reference, but if they're only active on e.g. Discord, we can't add them to a list that tracks Telegram scammers. # Fair We try to be as fair as we can when investigating potential scammers. ## Investigation stage When initially investigating a potential scammer account we use data and evidence gathered from multiple sources, but we rely primarily on regular furries submitting initial reports, messages, and screenshots of scammers in the wild. We need evidence (in the form of forwarded messages and screenshots that put them in context) that the account is misleading people into doing actions we define as scamming: [[🦹‍♂️How we define a scammer]] We try to find alternative explanations for their behaviour, such as: - Being a non-native English speaker, and so may not understand rules or messages in English, or may have trouble communicating clearly - Being new to the fandom, and so unfamiliar with our social customs - Being shy, anxious, or [neurodivergent](https://furscience.com/autism-in-the-fandom/) - all are common in the fandom. We also look for [[🔎 How to spot a scammer 101|common patterns]] we see in scammers, and check if their behaviour matches with other known scammers. Only when we have sufficient evidence is an account manually added to the list - there is no automated process for adding or removing scammers. Notifications of all additions, name changes, and removals go into the[@scamtracking Channel](https://t.me/scamtracking) and full details on the account are maintained in the [Listings](https://t.me/scamtrackinglist). ## Ongoing tracking Our tools will monitor any account in the tracker for changes to their username, to allow us to see if they are trying to impersonate another account or to reveal account use changes which can be useful for detecting scammers. For example if an account's username goes from _**@JanetBaker**_ to _**@CryptoBro420**_ to _**@WolfieSnugglesArt**_, that is clearly suspicious behaviour and not indicative of a real furry using the account. Once an account is added to the tracker, it will also be automatically blocked and kicked from any chat which is protected by our [@CountersignBot](https://t.me/CountersignBot). More info about how the bot works is here: [[🤖 Intro to the Countersign bot]]. Accounts will not be notified of this action, but will get an error message if they try to join a chat protected by the Countersign Bot, with a link to the [@scamtracking Channel](https://t.me/scamtracking) where they can contact us to dispute their entry on the list if they wish. ## Removal from the list of scammers We have a separate article about how scammers can appeal their inclusion on the FAST list of scammers, available here: [[🗑️ How to request removal from the scammer list]] Links to this removal process are available in the Countersign bot info, and in the [pinned message in the @scamtracking Channel](https://t.me/scamtracking). We believe that these are the main locations that someone who has been added to our list of scammers might look for how to get themselves removed. They are all publicly-accessible. We have previously had accounts come into the [Listings](https://t.me/scamtrackinglist) to discuss removal from the tracker. [Here is an example of an account](https://t.me/scamtrackinglist/650) that was removed after a lengthy investigation, but re-added due to suspicious actions immediately after the removal. Anyone who comes to us asking to be removed will be looked at a second time. We want the FAST list to be accurate, and that includes removing any and all false positives that we are aware of. Any such errors are detrimental to trust, and trust is vital for a project like this to work. Accounts should be listed based solely on provable history of attempting to scam furries, or if they have clear links to other accounts already known to us. We use hashtags to mark linked accounts within the [Listings](https://t.me/scamtrackinglist), so if you see a hashtag used, it is likely because there is a cluster or network of accounts all acting similarly. ## Scambaiting We have a clear policy against aggressive and hostile [[🧌 Scambaiting]]. We will reject any investigation or evidence that includes insults, slurs, or aggressive behaviour against scammers or suspected scammers. While many of us working on this project have been personally impacted by the actions of scammers, it is important that we do not let our emotions cloud our judgement or motivate our actions. We are doing this to reduce the number of scammers preying on furries, and being aggressive and hostile to them does not serve that goal. We don't need to be mean to them. Also, it is quite possible that many of the scammers we talk to are forced into this against their own free-will, so we need to keep in mind that they may be victims of a larger scamming operation too. Here is a video about that topic: