Halloween Hack Update

Howdy all, this is a short follow-up to the Agent Insights that we published earlier in the week. As you may have heard by now, there have been rumors flying around about the game being "hacked" on Halloween and because of that, you should not log on to the game on October 31st.

We are pleased to let you all know that earlier, "AstroSquad", the "hacking" group linked to the rumors about the game being hacked, posted a video admitting that the whole thing was a load of malarkey. There is no "Halloween Hack", your account is perfectly safe, there is no need to refrain from logging into Animal Jam today.

In the future, you should always take these kinds of rumors with a generous pinch of salt. You shouldn't be spreading around gossip that has no basis in the truth, you are just going to cause panic.

Have a happy and safe Halloween!

-Danny

Agent Insights Ep 62: Hack Rumors

Hello everyone. Flint here, to talk about something I think should be addressed.

Every so often, I see someone claim that a major hack will occur, which makes people very anxious and generally causes panic. For instance, lately, we've been hearing rumors about a supposed "Halloween Hack", where AJ will apparently be "hacked" on Halloween and because of this you should not play the game on Halloween. There have been other rumors in the past about big hacks that affect lots of players, and even a few that happen to have a grain of truth to them. A lot of "big hacks" are just rumors and panic, though, so I thought it'd be important for you to know about how hacks and hackers work.

First off, hackers aren't magic and are only capable of so much. They can't just magic their way into AJHQ and start messing with stuff. They also can't press a button and see everyone's username and password. As a non-hacker and a non-coder, I know very little about how hacking works, but I do know that it takes effort, and hackers can't just wave their magic hacker wands and instantly gain access to the entirety of Animal Jam. If your mind goes to these scenarios when you hear "hack", you should rest assured that they won't happen.

Second off, hacking is difficult. You need to know how to hack stuff, and also know how to bypass all of the security measures that AJ has implemented. Most people do not know how to do this. If they can "hack" at all, they either mean tricking people into entering their password into a phishing website, or running lines of code they found on the internet somewhere that have limited function. Real hackers do of course exist, but, as I will cover in my next point, they don't usually target online children's games.

Thirdly, actually skilled hackers that are able to breach AJ's defenses are few in number. Of those that hack maliciously, most of them are focused on banks, governmental things, stores, and popular games. Hackers who target sites maliciously will usually go for big, juicy targets, and not a children's game that isn't connected to any real money or interesting information. Hacking is also a serious crime, and any hacker that could hack AJ most likely thinks it isn't worth it to risk going to prison.

You may remember the Agent Insights post that was put out about the hacked AJ Outfitters link a few months ago. Hacks like these can occur, but as far as we know, that hack is the only one of its kind that we've had for a long while. Additionally, this hack was resolved within a few hours and players would only be affected by it if they clicked on the link. You may also have heard of people who have gotten "hacked" without entering their password into a generator. While this can occur, usually hackers only bother with famous people, and if your account was compromised otherwise, it's probably because your password was too easy to guess.

In summary, don't worry about baseless fantastical rumors. Hackers that are both able to hack Animal Jam and actually want to hack Animal Jam are exceedingly rare. On the off-chance that there is some great big "hack" that is going to affect the entire game, it is incredibly unlikely that anyone's individual accounts would be at risk. If you have a good password, don't tell it to anyone, and don't enter it in weird places, you should be fine.

Random Saturday Ep 70: Monday Rares

Hey everyone! Sunny here with a random Saturday post. This week we will be talking about Monday rares in Animal Jam Classic. 

Animal Jam Classic has a thing where one item is made into a rare version, that you can't buy any other day than Monday. The first one was on February 6, 2012. The item was a rare glove for 3,000 gems that was available to both non-members and members.

The Monday rares could be for members or non members, and it could either be a den or a clothing item. However, there hasn't been a rare item for den items available in a long time. The first underwater Monday rare was released on February 27, 2012. The item was a rare lionfish fin armor for 300 gems.

One of the rarest rim, the headdress, was released on October 22, 2012, in the Hot Cocoa Hut. You could buy it for 650 gems. It is unobtainable to get unless you trade for it. You can't earn it in adventures.

Unobtainable items are items that you can only get by trading, and obtainable items are things you can get from adventures and trading. 

Anyways, that concludes this week's episode! Remember to buy the Monday rares every Monday, plus, you will never know when they will become rare!

-Sunny

Agent Insights Ep 61: Pet Scams

Hey all, Jade here with another Agent Insights! Today, we'll be discussing some of the most common scams that are centered around pets, and how to avoid them.

To start us off, we'll look at the fake golden bunny scam.

In this scam, someone will create a completely yellow bunny pet (worth RIMs at most), and try to pass it off as a golden bunny (worth a decent short collar at minimum) in order to take people's rares. Often, they will use the Pet Wash feature on the bunny, so that it sparkles like a golden bunny does. 

However, this scam is very easy to identify if you look closely at the pets. The fake golden bunny (pictured on the right) is very clearly yellow, has black-colored features, and has no rare tag, while the real golden bunny (on the left) is clearly golden, has no colors other than shades of gold, and has a rare tag. So, if you're attempting to trade for a golden bunny, just take some time to look at the pet and make sure it's real. Don't rush into a trade that you haven't inspected first!

Next, a similar scam- the fake galactic firefly scam.

Sometimes, scammers attempt to pass off regular pet fireflies as galactic fireflies in order to get traded more than their firefly is worth. Regular fireflies are worth a good short collar at minimum, while galactic fireflies are worth 3 black long collars at minimum. 

In order to identify whether a firefly is galactic or not, look at the possible features for each on the Animal Jam Wiki. If you are trading for a supposed galactic fly, but it has features that are only available for regular fireflies, then you're getting scammed. When in doubt, you can also ask the opinions of others around you! Additionally, the pet should be marked as "galactic fly" or "firefly" on the pet certificate if it's on someone's trade list- however, sometimes the pet name shows up instead, so it's better to look at the features.

This next scam is a much more recent method- the "unreleased underwater accessories" pet scam.

Each underwater pet in Animal Jam has a set of "unreleased" accessories that are unobtainable in the normal Pet Stop. These are the same kind of accessories that are available for land pets in the Pets Only or Play-As-Your-Pet parties- however, underwater pets cannot access these parties. Pets with these accessories were originally created through the old pet creation mechanism, which had a random chance of giving you an accessory when you bought a certain pet. After the pet creation method was changed, these accessories became "unreleased", and the pets with them became very rare.

However, a glitch has recently been discovered that allows underwater pets to enter the pet parties and get these accessories without any sort of hacking. Due to that, these accessories are no longer rare or desirable. Some people are still trying to pass them off as "unreleased" or "glitched", in attempts to get good trades. So, if you see anyone attempting to trade an underwater pet with special accessories, don't trade anything too good for it! They're quite easy to get, if you know how.

Now, we'll look at a couple different types of pet code scams.

Sometimes, you'll see someone attempting to trade away a pet code- a way for a user to make a custom rare pet of a certain type. However, there are a couple different ways that people scam using pet codes. One method involves someone telling you that they'll give you a pet code if you give them your rare items first, but never giving you the pet code (or giving you a fake one) after you trade. Alternatively, they could offer rares for your pet code, but ask for you to give them the code first, and then never trade the rares.

To avoid these scams, you should never trade a pet code itself- rather, you should make the custom pet first, then trade for it/trade it away. This way, the person trading for the pet still gets full customizability, but you can still use the trading system and avoid risking anyone's items.

Finally, we'll discuss the pet accessorizing scam.

This scam involves a member saying that they will dress a non-member's pet for them, as non-members can't access the Pet Stop. The member will trade for the pet, then never trade it back. This scam is often used with rare pets, so that the scammer gains worth by keeping it. 

To avoid this scam, simply don't trust anyone with your items. Never trade an item to someone you don't know and expect to get it back. Additionally, remember that even buddies can scam, so it's smartest to not try this with them either. If you really have to get a pet dressed, have the member trade something fair for it, so that they can't just run off with it without losing their items as well.

Well, I hope this has been helpful! If you have any questions about these scams or how to avoid them, please feel free to leave them in the comments below. Stay safe, everyone, and Jam On!

Agent Insights Ep 60: Item Lookalike Scam

Hey all! Jade here with today’s Agent Insights. Today, we’ll be talking about the item lookalike scam.

In this scam, a scammer will trade away an unrare item that looks like a very rare item, usually glitched or beta. By getting a fair trade for the rare variant of the item, but actually trading an unrare lookalike, they are scamming whoever they trade out of their items. Often, they'll try to convince you that you're getting a great deal by trading them less than the rare variant is worth, but you're actually trading them more than the un-rare variant is worth.

This scam is relatively easy to avoid if you’re careful with trading and know how to spot commonly used lookalikes. Today, we’ll be going over some of the items that are commonly used for this scam and how to identify the differences! (In each of the sections below, the rare item is shown on the left, while the non-rare item is shown on the right.)

First up, cupid wings. There are two types of cupid wings in Animal Jam- glossy and non-glossy. During the first release of the item, it had a bright shine, but on its second release, the old versions were replaced with ones with a duller shine. Glossy cupid wings are worth anywhere from one black long to 70-75 black longs, depending on color. In contrast, non-glossy wings are only worth a den beta each. To tell the differences, look at the color of the shine on the wings. If the shine is white (or light grey in the case of black wings), they’re glossy. If the shine is tinted in the color of the wings (or dark grey in the case of black), they’re non-glossy. 

Next, the beta homemade wings. This item is a lighter coloration of the homemade wings in stores, and the two are very difficult to tell apart. Beta wings are worth two black longs at minimum, while the regular wings can be bought in stores and are therefore worth next to nothing. The difference between the wings is in the color of the green section- beta wings are a lighter and more yellow shade than the storebought ones. However, as it is so difficult to tell the variants apart, it's advisable to simply not trade for this item.

The next item is beta arctic hoods. The beta hood was sold during the beta period of Animal Jam, and not re-released with the rest of the set. Its fake variant is the light blue coloration. The beta hood is worth around 150 black longs, while the light blue is worth only a few RIMs. To tell the difference between these two items, look at the color of the hood fabric. The beta version should have a much more turquoise color, while the fake hood is clearly blue. 

Next, glitched rings. There are three different glitched rings, but the one most commonly used to scam is the second variant. The second glitched ring is worth 3 black longs, while the storebought ring used to stand in for it is available in stores. The difference between the items is that the glitched ring has dark spots on its sides, while the storebought ring has light spots. 

Now, the beta and pearly tiaras. The beta tiara is worth 18 black long collars, and the pearly tiara is priceless- both were sold during the beta testing period. Both look very similar to a storebought variant of the tiara- green with a red gem and white with a blue gem, respectively. To identify the correct versions, look at the gem colors. The true beta tiara will have a purple gem, while the storebought version will have a red gem. The true pearly tiara should have a purple gem, while the storebought one will have a blue gem. Additionally, be very suspicious of any pearly tiaras you see for trade- there are less than five known copies of the item in game, so it’s very unlikely that you'll ever see someone trading one away.

Next up, the beta blanket. This item is worth 25 black longs, while the variant used to stand in for it can be bought in stores. The beta blanket has a light green body with slightly darker patches, while the storebought variant has a dark green body with lighter green patches. 

Next, the yeti face. The glitched yeti face is worth a good short collar, while the blue yeti face is worth a good long wrist. The two look very similar, but the glitched version has a slightly lighter coloration. Since they're relatively close in rarity, it wouldn't be the end of the world to trade for the wrong one, but it's still good to avoid trading for one, since it's so difficult to tell the two variants apart.

The next item is the ornament earrings. The glitched ornament earrings are worth a decent to good long collar, while the regular variant is an annually returning item and only worth a few RIMs. The glitched version has a slightly more blue-tinted left earring, but the colors are still very hard to tell apart, so it's best to not trade for this item.

Next, the jamaaliday branch antlers. The glitched item is worth at least two good long collars, while the regular brown coloration is worth only a few RIMs. The difference in the two can be found in the veins of the branches- the glitched version has a slightly lighter color, while the regular antlers have a more red tint to the veins. This is another item where the variants are very hard to tell apart, so again, it's likely best to not trade for it.

Finally, the surfboard. There is a variant of the original surfboard that is red with bubbles, and is worth two good long collars. The item used to stand in for it is nearly identical, but it is storebought and worth very little. The storebought version has a large bite mark in it, while the rare version is completely whole.

Well, I hope this guide has helped! If you have any questions about how to tell the difference between versions or suggestions for an item that should be added, feel free to put them in the comments! Stay safe out there, everyone, and jam on!

Random Saturday Ep 69: Spooky Party in AJPC

Hey everyone!! Clover here with another Random Saturday. This week, we will be talking about the Spooky Party in Animal Jam Classic.

For Halloween every year, Animal Jam has their "Night of the Phantoms" event. Most years, this includes the Spooky Party, which you can find in the parties tab. It was first introduced in 2012, and was last hosted in October of 2018. This year, they decided to bring it back.

Inside the Spooky Party, there are 4 different shops; Music shop, Furniture shop, Clothing shop, and a Pet shop. You can find the clothing shop by going to the 3rd floor of the party and clicking the brown dresser item.

In it, you can find a few fun items, including the Epic Wizard Hat, Witch Boots, Bat Glasses, and more!

The Music shop is located around the same place, so you just need to click the record player labeled "Sale" and you'll be taken to the shop.

When you click on the shop, it has the Spooky Old Bones music for 100 gems, so be sure to grab that if you haven't already!

To get to the den shop, you have to go downstairs when you're in the manor and click on the furniture labeled "Sale."

In the shop, you can find many fun items, such as the Bat Wallpaper, Spiderweb Floor, Standing Coffin, Haunted TV, and a few more items!

Finally, there's one final "shop" that we need to look at; the pet shop, or bat shop, rather. As opposed to the last 3 shops, this one is hidden. On the 2nd floor of the party, there is a bat in the wallpaper, and if you click it, you will be led to the pet customization menu.

Another part of the Spooky Party I felt like was worth mentioning is the green slime. When you first enter the party, if you move your animal to the right, you can find puddles of green slime. If you sit in them, your animal will turn green, similar to how the mud in Appondale turns your animal brown.

Anyways, that concludes this episode! Be sure to have fun at the Spooky Party, and thank you reading the newest edition of Random Saturdays!

-Clover

Agent Insights Ep 59: Reporting Item Generators

Howdy all, Danny here to talk a little bit about something we have covered before in this series - item generators.

Item generators are sites that claim to be able to generate rare items onto your account if you submit your username and password to the site. In reality, this only results in the person or people in charge of the website going into your account and taking all your stuff. There is no reliable way to "generate" items into someone's account, and even if there was, giving out your password on a random website is never a good idea.

While you may know not to fall for them, there are many players out there who might not, so today we will be discussing how you can effectively take action to get these item generators taken down altogether.

Random Saturday Ep 68: Birthstones & Flowers

Hello! Agent Quacc here with another Random Saturday. This week's post will be about monthly birthstones and flower pots in Animal Jam & Animal Jam Classic!

Animal Jam adds a new birthstone to Epic Wonders in Coral Canyons based on what month it is. They used to be advertised in the Jamaa Journal which shows which month has which gemstones.

The members-only birthstones are based on which gemstone represents the current month or zodiac sign. The gemstones leave at the end of each month and bring new ones at the beginning of the next month. The birthstone for this month (October) is the opal birthstone!

Next month's birthstone will be a topaz birthstone. If you collect all 12 birthstones, you can also show off your collection using a birthstone display which is also available all year long in Epic Wonders. The complete collection looks a little like this.

The birthstones can also be found in Play Wild but they're in Jam Mart Furniture instead of Epic Wonders.

Animal Jam also has monthly birth flowers that can be found in Treetop Gardens in the Sarepia Forest. These bouquets switch at the same time as the birthstones too. The flowers have a member's only bouquet and another non-member version. This month's birth flower is the marigold bouquet.

That's all for today, thanks for reading!