Just_Us_League Posted October 24, 2011 Share Posted October 24, 2011 Greetings citizens. The Just Us League has a question that I bet you've already guessed. What do you do if you find two exact same travel bugs? Allow me to define: They have the same tracking number and description. In this case, they are those little plastic army men. The team has enjoyed finding them and moving them around as specified by each tag. However, we have found on two separate occasions, another travel bug army man that is the same. Different figure, but same tag and number. Our first response was to email the O.P. (Original Placer) of the T.B. (Tracking Bugs) and find out what he (in this case) would like for us to do with them. Did he even know that there were duplicates? Maybe he had help creating them and an error was made. As of yet, the team has had no reply from the OP. So, we decided that until we do hear from him, we are going to set aside the clone TBs. The team personally frowns on clone bugs because that means there are that many other chances on it getting grabbed. We would not know if we were following the "real" one or not. The "real" one being defined as: The One We Found. If anyone else has had this happen or knows the proper accepted protocol for clone bugs, please let us know. Thank you for taking the time to read and reply to this. -Until next time: Keep Searching!- Quote Link to comment
Just_Us_League Posted October 25, 2011 Author Share Posted October 25, 2011 Okay, I have done some digging... grr... Okay, I have some reading. I admit, I don't always read everything that is on a screen. I have discovered why there are CLONE TBs for the particular Army Guy TBs. In the end...I was just being silly and not reading why. Soooooooooooo with that said, uhhh maybe this has happen to other folks and not for the same reason. Thanks for coming out...I will uhh...just slip away here... LOOK A MUGGLE... Quote Link to comment
+Eartha Posted October 25, 2011 Share Posted October 25, 2011 If there are multiple TBs released with one tracking number, and Groundspeak is made aware of it, the TB will be locked. Only one item per tracking number. This is why you want to be sure your trackable is truly missing, before releasing another. But deliberately releasing more than item with the same tracking number is cinsidered abuse of the system. You can report them by writing to contact at geocaching .com. Quote Link to comment
+Gitchee-Gummee Posted October 25, 2011 Share Posted October 25, 2011 (edited) (From the cache page) About This Item I am a game piece associated with the mystery puzzle cache WMD. I am one of ten soldiers on an exploratory mission in Tarrant County. We are gathering intel relating to the whereabouts of the cache WMD. You will note that I have a letter=number in my possession. Record and keep that letter=number. Visit the cache page to see how to use the information I have provided. If I am a real Travel Bug with a metal travel bug tag, please log me as a TB find and place me in another cache in or near Tarrant County, Texas. If I am a clone without a metal TB tag, please just discover me. You need not log me in or out of caches but please keep me moving by placing me in another cache. Clones were created because TBs tend to vanish. Clones may consist of a plastic soldier with a laminated tag or they maybe just the laminated tag. Dunno if this is too legit. Multiple clones, yet there is a distinction that the ones w/o the TB tag should be "discovered", the one w/the TB tag should be moved and logged. I see a very thin line on setting out multiples to be logged as discovered when they aren't the actual TB. The (added bolding) statement puts the TB owner outside of the guidelines. But... it certainly is a proactive approach to the fact that travel bugs do go missing from time-to-time. Edited October 25, 2011 by Gitchee-Gummee Quote Link to comment
+jellis Posted November 29, 2011 Share Posted November 29, 2011 If there are multiple TBs released with one tracking number, and Groundspeak is made aware of it, the TB will be locked. Only one item per tracking number. This is why you want to be sure your trackable is truly missing, before releasing another. But deliberately releasing more than item with the same tracking number is cinsidered abuse of the system. You can report them by writing to contact at geocaching .com. It seems to be going around. We have/had 3 different set of clones in our area. 2 have been locked already. It's like once one is locked another one starts. Quote Link to comment
+Gitchee-Gummee Posted November 29, 2011 Share Posted November 29, 2011 If there are multiple TBs released with one tracking number, and Groundspeak is made aware of it, the TB will be locked. Only one item per tracking number. This is why you want to be sure your trackable is truly missing, before releasing another. But deliberately releasing more than item with the same tracking number is cinsidered abuse of the system. You can report them by writing to contact at geocaching .com. It seems to be going around. We have/had 3 different set of clones in our area. 2 have been locked already. It's like once one is locked another one starts. Would that be a case of "monkey see, monkey do"? Or the same owner doing it all over again? Have seen it from time-to-time, but not too often. Quote Link to comment
+jellis Posted November 30, 2011 Share Posted November 30, 2011 If there are multiple TBs released with one tracking number, and Groundspeak is made aware of it, the TB will be locked. Only one item per tracking number. This is why you want to be sure your trackable is truly missing, before releasing another. But deliberately releasing more than item with the same tracking number is cinsidered abuse of the system. You can report them by writing to contact at geocaching .com. It seems to be going around. We have/had 3 different set of clones in our area. 2 have been locked already. It's like once one is locked another one starts. Would that be a case of "monkey see, monkey do"? Or the same owner doing it all over again? Have seen it from time-to-time, but not too often. I'd say both. Quote Link to comment
+jellis Posted December 7, 2011 Share Posted December 7, 2011 Problem is getting a Lackey to respond. Eartha did once but haven't heard from her lately and I am going in circles with another Lackey. Quote Link to comment
+Eartha Posted December 7, 2011 Share Posted December 7, 2011 I sent the information in to the proper place, and am awaiting action. Quote Link to comment
+jellis Posted December 21, 2011 Share Posted December 21, 2011 I don't understand. Nothing has been done. Latest finders are getting confused about how they can be in multiple places at the same time. The other one was locked right away, this one first got off with a warning and then somehow another cacher ends with the same TB# and is sending them out? Quote Link to comment
+wd1j Posted December 27, 2011 Share Posted December 27, 2011 I didn't even realise this was going on. Guess you learn something new every day. Quote Link to comment
+jellis Posted December 27, 2011 Share Posted December 27, 2011 (edited) Clones are like a virus. The ones put out because they thought they lost theirs is different then ones purposely put out in multiples. I have actually seen logs of cachers upset because they picked up one and someone else picks it up and they keep picking them up like a fight on who has it. Edited December 27, 2011 by jellis Quote Link to comment
+BlueDeuce Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 Clones are like a virus. The ones put out because they thought they lost theirs is different then ones purposely put out in multiples. I have actually seen logs of cachers upset because they picked up one and someone else picks it up and they keep picking them up like a fight on who has it. One account can be locked down and then others. I'd happy to share the info to gc.com if you can provide me with the details. Quote Link to comment
+jellis Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 Already sent message to Eartha. They said they would look into it. As I mentioned one was locked down. The other must have only got a warning because the TB owner deleted the info and that same TB # is now owned by what I believe is a sock puppet. And that account now is releasing the same multiple TBs. If you want more info I would have to send only by email for a certain reason Quote Link to comment
+BlueDeuce Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 (edited) You kind of inferred that it wasn't being addressed. Looks like it is. Edited December 28, 2011 by BlueDeuce Quote Link to comment
+jellis Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 (edited) You kind of inferred that it wasn't being addressed. Looks like it is. how so if the trackables are still being released and the TB page has not been locked. The other clones were lock almost immediately. This one is still spreading. And the TB owner I am sure ignored the warning to stop Edited December 28, 2011 by jellis Quote Link to comment
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