Steps

1. Watch the second trade screen closely before accepting. Don't just assume good faith in a trade & automatically click on the accept button, as this is the basis of most trade scams. When a person makes a change to their offer, there will be a flashing exclamation mark & a warning label that says "Trade modified!". So if this happens, figure out what the chance was before doing anything else. This change was made in an update to remove and destroy a common scam situation in Runescape. Armor cannot be upgraded through the use of 'secret' high level magic spells as well.
2. Report any trim offers immediately. Yes, trimmed armor may sound like winning a lottery, but it's a winning scam in Runescape. The only way to find and get trimmed armor is by completing a Treasure Trail minigame. So don't believe anyone that says they have the ability, even if they claim that they are a Moderator.
3. Know what the "true" value of items are when trading. People will claim that items, such as polished buttons, or skulls are rare items; however, they're actually worthless items that you can barely use for anything. Check the price of items from a trusted source, such as the forums or a very popular site.
4. Avoid any and all "trust trades". A trust trade is where a person would go around and ask people if they join their clan or complete a job for them, they would reward them with high quality items (then showing it in a trade screen for proof that they have them). A trust test is done, where the person asked would exchange the armor/items worn for the acceptance. This exchange is the scam. The scammer is then nowhere to be found and can put names on their "ignore" list to prevent any communication.
5. Beware of suspicious jobs. Do not attempt to take the Wine of Zamorak for anyone, unless you kill all of the monks first. If they say that you shouldn't kill the monks, ask them why they don't get it themselves, then leave. Taking the Wine of Zamorak without killing the Monks causes you Hit Point damage, as well as resulting in all of the monks attacking you. Another pointer is to be wary of a player asking you to do an odd task with them when in the Ardougne area, or anywhere else that contains trapped chests for the purpose of Thieving. One scam around them is telling the player that if they click to open the chest enough times, it will glitch RuneScape and give them a valuable item. Actually, it will just cause you a lot of hitpoints damage due to the trap being triggered. Beware of Runescape players that cozy up to you, act really nice and do you a few small favors but then turn around and ask for something really big (like a Runescape party hat) just because they did a couple of little things for you while playing the game. Remember that all Runescape trades are not equal. You might feel guilty about not giving people anything in return, which is perfectly normal. But if what another Runescape player asks for is ridiculous, just tell them no. Period. If they bully you or keep demanding an unfair Runescape trade just remove them or block them. Beware of players asking you to smelt limestone if you are low on health. Limestone can cause a moderate amount of damage when smelted, and can kill a low level/player low on health.
6. Keep your password to yourself! This cannot be stressed anymore than it is. Treat your password like a credit card or social security number! Even if it's a relative or friend right next to you, one action may change your account significantly. Do not fall for those asterisk password scams; watch out for people saying, "jagex blocks your bank pin, see: ****," because they want others to test it, even if they used actual asterisks.
7. Don't go to the wilderness to trade. Don't even come close to the ditch with your valuable items and money. Some players may say they want to trade somewhere close to the wilderness but they are actually trying lure you into the wilderness so that they can kill you.

Tips

• Don't listen to anyone asking to follow them. Most likely, they'll lead you to the Wilderness & kill you. A suggestion is to tell them that you need to go to the bank first & see how they react. Keep an eye out for your surroundings, if you do decide to follow someone else. Be aware of where you are going at all times. You should never go into an area with another player that you know contains hostile and high leveled creatures such as the Kalphite Queen.
• Before agreeing to a trade on the forums, ask the player where the trade is going to take place. Sometimes players offer good items for a low price... But want you to meet them in the middle of the Wilderness. If that is the case, you can report them on the Forum Emergencies sticky in the General Forum.
• You may also want to add the player that you are trading with to the friend list so if they log out and you don't remember their name you can always copy it from your friend list.
• Don’t give to people who say statements like "I’ve been hacked", "I just got killed", or "I'm poor and need more items". They're usually lying, it would encourage more begging and scamming to give them items.
• There are no cheat codes for RuneScape, and there are no way to get access to any.
• Try to learn the scams which exist so that you are protected from them. If you check How to Scam in Runescape you will know about, and be protected, from many scams.
• For a complete article on viruses in Runescape, please read How to Avoid Keyloggers and Viruses in Runescape. This article will explain scams that occur outside of the actual game.

Warnings

• Do not abuse this guide! This guide is not meant to tell you to scam! Scamming is illegal and you can be banned for it!
• If you do get angry at a scammer, simply ignore him/her, switch worlds, or politely tell them to go away. However, do not swear or use offensive language. This will result in you getting banned or muted in the game. Report the scammer quickly.