I was going to post this in the guide section but I don't intend for this thread to be permanent. It is a response to current events so I expect it to fade and become irrelevant with time but in light of Duke's latest scam, I thought I'd help some of his victims not be a victim the next time around. And yes, there will be a next one.
How to not fall for any of Duke's poorly thought out scams:
1. Be on guard. Take a hint from Meghan Trainor, if his lips are moving then he's lying. Remeber Duke is in the business of making money so he will NEVER put himself in the red. He sees us all as gullible mooks with money begging to be liberated and he's ALWAYS plotting on how to get more. So when Duke comes around, zip your wallets and forget them in your other pants.
2. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. On the rare occasion Duke is feeling generous, he either does it in private so you never know or he makes you work for it. Free isn't in Duke's vocabulary unless he's talking about a trip to the ER. Notice that on the few occasions Duke has been generous to all of Torn he's made us work for what we have. He's made us waste energy on the dump and write novellas that may or may not be true. Duke doesn't give something for nothing. He's said so himself so if all he's asking for is money for a service you didn't even ask him for, he's lying. Unless you've read his book, Duke isn't going to be your personal bodyguard, he doesn't know all your dirty secrets you share through mail and he isn't Santa Claus.
3. Remeber Duke is an NPC therefore he cannot influence gaming mechanics. He isn't a developer or staff so he can't see your anonymous mails and he can't change your loan shark fees. For all intents and purposes, Duke is a kid who thinks Halloween is an all year event. If what he's offering is something that would definitely take Ched's permission to do, chances are Duke is lying. (Really, what do you think would happen to Torn after hundreds of billions of dollars was suddenly introduced into the economy?) The best example of Duke not lying was last year's dump event where new collectibles worth millions were coded into the game and tossed into the dump. These items were limited and chances of finding one was random therefore the impact they would have on the economy was low compared to letting everyone who could muster $10mil have $1bil without consequence
4. Don't be greedy. Like I said earlier, Duke's scams are poorly thought out. They aren't a game of chess or even checkers but rather a very slow peekaboo or patty cakes. How his scams work is through opportunity and greed, much like how scams work in the real world. The existence of stooges is why shows like American Greed will never be cancelled. (Not that I want it to be cancelled, I love that show.) Chances are if you think you're just taking opportunity of a good deal you are actually a stooge. Duke is the opportunist, not you. Duke plays to win and he always win so it's unless you're humouring him, don't play with him at all.
5. Don't give Duke what you can't afford to lose. If by chance you still want to be a mook and believe Duke despite my advice, don't give more than you can afford. Essentially if you can't afford to lose it in blackjack, don't give it to Duke. If it took you months to earn and you aren't willing to work your way up from the bottom again, don't give to Duke. If you have to sell your precious possessions like your armour or Xanax, don't give it to Duke because he won't take pity on you and he'll laugh at you all the way to the bank.
Lastly, Duke is immune to heart disease and high blood pressure so if you do become one of his victims, don't make any crying threads. Duke can subside on a diet of pure salt for 100 years and still be greasier than Snape's hair on school picture day. Duke feels no pity so don't become his punchline.