Disclaimer: Following these tips may not guarantee you are safe

Lately alot of attention had been put into things such as budder and spammers but not much has been said about this ever growing threat to general players of Minecraft because it is unfortunately not against the rules on many servers. I myself have bee scammed many times on Minecraft by people I never would have suspected of doing so and have built up a knowledge of helpful tricks to avoid these situations.

When it seems to good to be true it often is
This should already be common knowledge but newer players may be vulnerable to this. When a player you have never seen before, offers you diamonds or items in exchange for something else but says you have trade first because "you could not deliver your part of the trade" it will usually happen the other way around. Don't fall for these small mistakes.

Building a redstone trading machine
These things may cost a small bit of redstone to make depending on which version you want to make but could save you money in the long run. Both players insert the items they wish to give and once both players have accepted the trade then they each push the own button.

Finding a trust worthy trader
Generally, it is not a good idea to trade with the guy who "used to grief and cheat" but says that "it is all in the past". Maybe he has became a better guy but can you really afford to take that risk? You are better of finding a different player with what is likely to be a more reasonable offer.

Avoid the worst of them all
We all know who you should avoid if you want a good deal...
The villagers. They charge 3 emerald for bread.

Got any comments on my tips? Want to add a few of your own? Feel free to post in the comments.