Theft

Theft is illegal on Yohoho! Puzzle Pirates and is a bannable offense. However, because the game allows for flexible operation and management of shoppes, stalls, ships, and houses, sometimes people choose to break the rules.

Reporting theft
By reporting a theft, you may get a partial refund for any stolen items. You are encouraged, however, to first seek out the thief, point out the theft policy, and try to get the full amount back on your own. If the thief refuses to refund or ignores you, report them.

All reported incidences of theft are investigated. To report a theft, please submit a complaint listing all of the following information: If you do not list all the above information, the investigating Ocean Master will not be able to help you.
 * The pirate name of the thief.
 * What and how much was stolen from each vessel/shoppe/house.
 * The name of each vessel/shoppe/house.
 * On which island the vessel/shoppe/house is located.

Penalties for theft
You may be permanently banned for stealing. Regardless of whether or not a thief is banned, a theft goes on his or her permanent record.

Preventing Theft
There are several ways of protecting yourself against theft, or at least making theft vastly more unlikely:

Ships

 * Lock the helms of ships where PoE and commodities are stored. Only the owner of the deed to a locked ship can access that ship's hold and sail the ship.  This is especially important if you merge crews and do not know or trust all of the new crew members.
 * Be extremely cautious when appointing fleet officers, senior officers, and captains&mdash;only appoint people you would trust fully with the belongings on your ships. Be wary of people who demand to be promoted to those ranks.
 * Do not trade your deed to anyone unless you are selling them your ship permanently. There is no way to enforce loans, and when you loan your ship deed out, you do so at your own risk.

Shoppes and stalls

 * Only add managers you know well and trust explicitly not to rob you blind. Be wary of people who ask to be managers without knowing you well.
 * If you are added as a manager, be very careful about adding your own money and possessions to the stall or shoppe's inventory and coffers&mdash;the owner can remove you as manager, leaving you with no access to your items. Only manage for people you know well and trust.

Houses

 * As with shoppes and stalls, only add roommates that you know will not rob you. Be wary of those who ask to be your roommate very shortly after meeting you.
 * Do not store your money and items in a building that has roommates. Keep your valuables away from roommates by storing them in a shack (every character gets one free), and configuring that shack so that only you may access it.

Sales transactions

 * Do not "buy" an existing house or stall from someone else. Ownership of houses and stalls cannot be transferred, and they will remain the legal owners even if you've paid for it.  If you have been scammed in this manner, please report it according to the format above.
 * Do not "buy" a crew or a flag. There is no real way to own or claim ownership over either of these entities.  Captaincy of a crew can only be transferred according to the crew's politics.  The monarch position in a flag must be voted upon by royalty.
 * When trading with another player, always make sure you see the item you're supposed to be receiving in the trade window before clicking the "Ready" checkbox.

Things that do not qualify as theft
There are several things that, while unpleasant, do not qualify as theft:
 * It is not theft when you've given someone something, changed your mind and want it back. If the recipient won't give it back to you, that's their choice.
 * It is not theft when you trade with someone, click the "Ready" checkbox, and they accept without having put what you were trading for in the trade window. Never click the "Ready" checkbox until you see the item you want in the trade window.  Do not trade with people who ask you to do otherwise.
 * It is not theft when you have loaned someone something, and they refuse to give it back--loans are not enforceable. Do not loan anyone anything you wish to have back unless you know them very well and trust them completely.