Shining lights on recent events, I decided to investigate what many are calling “The Attack of the Kevin”, it has come to my attention through many different social platforms that there is a resident that goes by the name of kevin6510 (and many other combinations of 4 digit numbers after the name “Kevin”) who has been visiting different events around the grid for a very long time now.
This resident is very straightforward and doesn’t take too long before dropping the message we all have come to learn and be aware of:
Many of us are aware that this is nothing more than a typical scam, a message that is sent to hundreds if not thousands of residents at once. I wanted to go further with this investigation, and try and see if I can better understand the inner workings of the mind of “The Kevin”.
It didn’t take much research to come across this group on Facebook, called “Second Life Kevin” (https://www.facebook.com/groups/SLKevin/) where many people seem to treat it as a sort of an “idol” and someone they look up to. Obviously, this is all in good irony, people use this group to expose such scams and people that use the same tactics to make a living on Second Life.
It’s a very common scam that different residents have used over the years, and this person in particular, “The Kevin”, has been using this same method for many years, so obviously, there is something in it for him.
Many event hosts and creators have started putting out signs that warn visitors about this sort of behavior as shown below:
We have gone ahead and sat down with one of the recent victims of the Kevin scam for an interview, to get their side of things.
SLE: When Kevin first came to you, were you just shopping? What happened?
RoyaleSun: Kevin usually IM's me. He appears in popular women's wear shops and IM's everyone, I think.
SLE: That really sounds like Kevin, alright, and in regards to how he works, were you aware of the ways of “The Kevin” when this happened?
RoyaleSun: At first no....but after receiving the 2nd request, with a different name but the same photo, I caught on quickly.
SLE: Oh? Is that so? I’m very happy to hear, at least you didn’t fall for the trick! But tell me, how did you handle the situation?
RoyaleSun: I reported him to Linden Labs as is against the TOS to ask people for money.
SLE: You did right, unfortunately, it seems like he always manages to come back with a new account every few months, but tell me, now that you know what Kevin is about, are you a fan of his marvelous ways?
RoyaleSun: No Way! Whoever is behind it obviously has nothing better to do than to try to scam people.
SLE: I certainly can understand your concern on this one, it really isn’t right to scam people like that... Since then have you come across any other residents using this method?
RoyaleSun: Yes there are several, but offhand I couldn't give you names.
SLE: Thank you, RoyaleSun for giving this brief interview, is there something else you would like to say to those reading?
RoyaleSun: Be smart, pay attention and never give anyone money!
You've read it all here folks! Don't give anyone money! Not even that person messaging you from a shady group wanting you to be their sugar daddy!
As you can see here, this person has decided to come forth and talk to us about how it felt to be “Kevin’ed” and help shine some light on this mystery, and help us better understand how the mind of Kevin works, and know more about this resident that has been haunting Second Life for years now… Is he even a bot?... Is he Human?
Many have claimed to have taken a picture with Kevin, but some disagree and claim that those pictures were made up and that in reality, Kevin is nothing more than a scripted agent, created by the wicked mind of an evil villain on Second Life, trying to make a quick buck by taking advantage of other residents, who are too naive to realize that a lot of people are also being messaged by this same evil mastermind.
Unfortunately, at this time we were unable to get a response back from “The Kevin” himself, as it seems that the accounts he has been using for his wicked ways are all temporarily banned, once again, as it has been the case over the years, but this man does not quit, he is as persistent as they come, and he won’t stop until he gets those last 462L$ he needs to buy his Skin and Shape combo.
Many over the years have pretended to be “The Kevin” himself and come forward, claiming it was all for a good cause, but unfortunately, they were never able to show proof of being the true mastermind behind the whole plan. Recently, a few rumors have been spreading, claiming that Kevin is Philip Linden himself, back from the dead and attempting to make back some money from the lost investment that was made in Project Sansar.
But I guess we will never know, as the picture that is being used by “The Kevin” himself to represent himself on this virtual world seems to have been taken from a Google search of the most “Bro dudes” on the planet, a typical Chad, if I may say so myself.
Hopefully, one of these days we will be able to actually find the real Kevin and sit down for an interview with him, for your reading pleasure.
We conclude this article with one last question we want to ask all of you reading this article from the comfort of your own homes:
“hey nice avatar...im new to this game and saved 238 of those linden things from a contest and camping...im trying to get this skin/shape combo for 700...I feel bad for asking but can you please lend me 462 so i can get it?...if not thats fine too...just seems nobody wants to help me out”
This has been Angelo Nova, with SL Enquirer and Kevin… you have been…EXPOSED.
URL: (https://www.facebook.com/groups/SLKevin)
Group: (secondlife:///app/group/fcdf30be-adb4-40ab-a04a-37e5dadb4ee0/about)
Facebook: (https://www.facebook.com/angelonovaSL/)
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Good read. I remember when he pestered me and i tried to convince him i already paid him lindens and he said he would not bother me. He responded, pay me again.
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