I know that most of the time we are all sensible, cautious people.
I also know that we've been without something that was, if not the center of our lives, social and otherwise, one of the Top Picks, for two weeks now. It's really easy to start grasping at any hope offered.
One of those is "My millionaire friend" aka, a variation on the classic "pigeon drop" con.
We've HAD that turn up in the form of an acquaintance of mine in real life, who claimed to have a "millionaire friend" who was going to buy the IP back in September. Said "millionaire friend" did indeed contact me; he was functionally illiterate, he claimed I couldn't call him "because his cell phone was always tied up" (he's a millionaire, but he can't afford a secretary or a second cell phone for personal calls?) and wanted me to vouch for him to Brian. I did give him Brian's email address, I told him Brian's conditions for contact and involvement in Paragon's attempt to buy back, and that I did not want to be involved because that was too many people in the chain. I also wrote to Brian, told him about this, and added that I thought this guy was a con man, so Brian should probably check him out very thoroughly.
Guess what. Brian never heard from him.
So here is how the variation on the "pigeon drop" will go. Someone posting here will have a "millionaire friend." This someone will either be a dupe (like my acquaintance was) or will be the con man himself. In the first case, the "millionaire friend" will be the con man, in the second, the "millionaire friend" doesn't actually exist.
The poster will drop hints about the "millionaire friend" until that persona is established in the memory of the forum members. Then the poster will announce, either publicly, or more insidiously, privately, in PMs, that his "millionaire friend" is interested in, or going to, buy CoH.
Several posts will be made, increasing excitement, before the "pigeon drop" falls. At this point, the poster will try and get your money. He might suggest Titans also invest ("just small amounts, like a Kickstarter"). He might suggest that "if you all do a year subscription up front, he can show his advisers that it's going to make money." I am sure there are other things he might say or suggest, but all of them will involve you contributing some amount of money. He MIGHT even select one trusted Titan first, persuade him or her to "invest" or "subscribe", and let the first "pigeon" do the persuading.
The main goal here is to get your money. When the con man gets hints that someone is on to him, or he has gotten everything he thinks he can from the forumites, he will vanish. With your money, at best, with your credit card or debit card information, at worst.
I have experience with this. I've had people try pigeon drops on me numerous times (including the classic "I just found this huge bundle of money! Look! Tell you what, go take $1000 out of your bank account and give it to me as a good faith gesture and hold this big bundle of money while I check with the police to find out if it's stolen!"). Some were just as I have described above. No, I didn't fall for any of them. But friends did.
Friends don't let friends fall for con men.