Got Hacked, Got Suspended, Account Terminated. Good job SE..

evianwater

So the way that Square Enix is handling their recent spate of hacking is to blame the players apparently..

 

Dear Customer:
This notice is to inform you that we have suspended the FINAL FANTASY XIV service account registered to this e-mail for one or more violations of the FINAL FANTASY XIV User Agreement that occurred on 9/11/2013. Specifically, you have violated following Section(s) of the FINAL FANTASY XIV User Agreement.

------------------
SQUARE ENIX ACCOUNT TERMS OF USE
1. Registered Users
Use of the Website or Services is limited to those satisfying the following conditions: 
(b)You represent and warrant that you will not use the Website or Services in any manner that is in violation of this Agreement or of any applicable law or regulation;

FINAL FANTASY XIV User Agreement
2.2 Real Money Trading, Farming and Power-Leveling.  You may not sell,purchase or exchange for real-world money or value any in-game currency,accounts, characters, in-game services, or in-game virtual items.  Youmay not play the Game for the purpose of acquiring virtual items or advancement in game play on behalf of a third-party or for the purpose of selling any virtual assets to a third party for real-world money, specifically including $B!H(Bgold-farming$B!I(Band power-leveling services.
------------------
Every action we issue is based on conclusive evidence of a violation and is reviewed for accuracy.  Here is an excerpt from the activity log regarding this termination:

Based on the actions in this most recent incident and any prior record on the service account, we have terminated the FINAL FANTASY XIV service account registered to this e-mail in accordance with the FINAL FANTASY XIV User Agreement.  To best understand the penalties taken against the service account, please review the Account Penalty Policy section on the Support Center at the following link:


For information on prohibited activities in FINAL FANTASY XIV, please refer to the Square Enix Account Terms of Use, the FINAL FANTASY XIV User Agreement, and the following URL: 


As your account has been terminated due to a violation, you will be unable to create another FINAL FANTASY XIV service account.
Unfortunately, you have shown yourself to be unwilling to follow the rules of the FINAL FANTASY XIV community.  If we find that you have created another FINAL FANTASY XIV service account, we reserve the right to terminate that account as well in our sole discretion.  

 

(links removed)

 

So..yeah..that part about "reviewed for accuracy" is particularly annoying..because distinct IP addresses would clearly vindicate me if they actually put any effort into their "investigation". 

william0532

So wouldn't arguing this with them be more beneficial than here? I mean, proof is proof(so you say) and it would clear the matter up easily I would imagine.

 

evianwater

Because MMORPG forums are known for productivity ? Or I suppose I should keep this to myself and not bother the erudite forums of this community -_-

 

Of course I've contacted their support department.

Jimmac

What do you mean by hack? Did someone actively hack into your computer through your firewall? Or was it something like you got a keylogger through malware or maybe you replied to a phishing email? Do you use the same email and password for a lot of different games/sites? How did they get your log in and password?

Zezda

Heard it all before, waaah waaah waaah, big bad company blocking my account.

 

While at the same time you would be just as upset if they done nothing to combat RMT and didn't block your account when they noticed weird logins.

 

You seem to have enough time and care enough to come post about your account being locked on random third party forums but you didn't say if you followed it up and called them or anything or even what evidence they had that the account had been compromised.

 

Please don't bother trying to blame them for your account security either. I run a email address for each game complete with a unique password that isn't the same as the email addresses password for all my game accounts and I don't get any mail to the email addresses other than the official emails from the game itself. No spam, no phising, no advertisements from random people - just the emails from the company themselves. The second you use that email address or password elsewhere is when you put yourself at unnecessary risk.

 

They even offer two factor authentication with a security token or an app for mobile phones and the best part is there's a bloody link about it all on the launcher next to where you put your password every time you log in to the game.

 

Your account security is your own responsibility. People need to grow up and stop blaming companies for their accounts being 'hacked'.

Pewpsockemz

If you did nothing wrong you will get your account restored. If you did then don't buy gold next time.

evianwater

Originally posted by Zezda

Heard it all before, waaah waaah waaah, big bad company blocking my account.

 

While at the same time you would be just as upset if they done nothing to combat RMT and didn't block your account when they noticed weird logins.

 

You seem to have enough time and care enough to come post about your account being locked on random third party forums but you didn't say if you followed it up and called them or anything or even what evidence they had that the account had been compromised.

 

Please don't bother trying to blame them for your account security either. I run a email address for each game complete with a unique password that isn't the same as the email addresses password for all my game accounts and I don't get any mail to the email addresses other than the official emails from the game itself. No spam, no phising, no advertisements from random people - just the emails from the company themselves. The second you use that email address or password elsewhere is when you put yourself at unnecessary risk.

 

They even offer two factor authentication with a security token or an app for mobile phones and the best part is there's a bloody link about it all on the launcher next to where you put your password every time you log in to the game.

 

Your account security is your own responsibility. People need to grow up and stop blaming companies for their accounts being 'hacked'.

Aren't you just a ball of sugar ? 

 

1. Why would account security be my responsibility in the first place ? This is something I've never understood...my bank does not tell me "if someone uses your credit card number, its your fault and we wont do anything about it". I've used one-time passwords since they first started to come out, hadn't gotten around to it yet with FFXIV which I admit was a lapse on my part..but does that mean I deserve to be banned ? 

 

2. I have contacted SE, as I stated before you posted, still waiting for response.

 

3. They have a system in place that suspends your account for suspicious activity, I followed the protocal to get the account unlocked and added the one-time authorization. I was banned *after* this.

evianwater

I love these forums, because the big-company apologists come out in droves and attack the customer.  Best PR department I've ever seen for companies like SE, SOE, and Blizz

expresso

Originally posted by evianwater

Originally posted by Zezda

Heard it all before, waaah waaah waaah, big bad company blocking my account.

 

While at the same time you would be just as upset if they done nothing to combat RMT and didn't block your account when they noticed weird logins.

 

You seem to have enough time and care enough to come post about your account being locked on random third party forums but you didn't say if you followed it up and called them or anything or even what evidence they had that the account had been compromised.

 

Please don't bother trying to blame them for your account security either. I run a email address for each game complete with a unique password that isn't the same as the email addresses password for all my game accounts and I don't get any mail to the email addresses other than the official emails from the game itself. No spam, no phising, no advertisements from random people - just the emails from the company themselves. The second you use that email address or password elsewhere is when you put yourself at unnecessary risk.

 

They even offer two factor authentication with a security token or an app for mobile phones and the best part is there's a bloody link about it all on the launcher next to where you put your password every time you log in to the game.

 

Your account security is your own responsibility. People need to grow up and stop blaming companies for their accounts being 'hacked'.

Aren't you just a ball of sugar ? 

 

1. Why would account security be my responsibility in the first place ? This is something I've never understood...my bank does not tell me "if someone uses your credit card number, its your fault and we wont do anything about it"

Yes cus how did they get your credit card number and associated info int he first place? from you being careless that's how.  There is a blame culture today and it's getting worse no one takes responsibility for themselves any more and that's sad.  Your FFXIV account details got compromised client side (your side) sux it up and deal with it.

2. I have contacted SE, as I stated before you posted, still waiting for response.

 

3. They have a system in place that suspends your account for suspicious activity, I followed the protocal to get the account unlocked and added the one-time authorization. I was banned *after* this.

 

evianwater

Originally posted by expresso

Originally posted by evianwater

Originally posted by Zezda

Heard it all before, waaah waaah waaah, big bad company blocking my account.

 

While at the same time you would be just as upset if they done nothing to combat RMT and didn't block your account when they noticed weird logins.

 

You seem to have enough time and care enough to come post about your account being locked on random third party forums but you didn't say if you followed it up and called them or anything or even what evidence they had that the account had been compromised.

 

Please don't bother trying to blame them for your account security either. I run a email address for each game complete with a unique password that isn't the same as the email addresses password for all my game accounts and I don't get any mail to the email addresses other than the official emails from the game itself. No spam, no phising, no advertisements from random people - just the emails from the company themselves. The second you use that email address or password elsewhere is when you put yourself at unnecessary risk.

 

They even offer two factor authentication with a security token or an app for mobile phones and the best part is there's a bloody link about it all on the launcher next to where you put your password every time you log in to the game.

 

Your account security is your own responsibility. People need to grow up and stop blaming companies for their accounts being 'hacked'.

Aren't you just a ball of sugar ? 

 

1. Why would account security be my responsibility in the first place ? This is something I've never understood...my bank does not tell me "if someone uses your credit card number, its your fault and we wont do anything about it"

Yes cus how did they get your credit card number and associated info int he first place? from you being careless that's how.  There is a blame culture today and it's getting worse no one takes responsibility for themselves any more and that's sad.  Your FFXIV account details got compromised client side (your side) sux it up and deal with it.

The ironic thing here is you're not making the company take responsibility either. Using the credit card example..there are so many ways on a daily basis that your credit card information can be stolen without you doing anything "wrong". Hell just eating at a restaurant with a a dishonest waiter.

2. I have contacted SE, as I stated before you posted, still waiting for response.

 

3. They have a system in place that suspends your account for suspicious activity, I followed the protocal to get the account unlocked and added the one-time authorization. I was banned *after* this.

 

The knee-jerk reaction to anyone being upset with a company seems to be "Well it *must* be completely the customers fault..i mean look the company even has it written in the EULA that its the customers fault!" its just silly.

Zezda

Originally posted by evianwater

Originally posted by Zezda

Heard it all before, waaah waaah waaah, big bad company blocking my account.

 

While at the same time you would be just as upset if they done nothing to combat RMT and didn't block your account when they noticed weird logins.

 

You seem to have enough time and care enough to come post about your account being locked on random third party forums but you didn't say if you followed it up and called them or anything or even what evidence they had that the account had been compromised.

 

Please don't bother trying to blame them for your account security either. I run a email address for each game complete with a unique password that isn't the same as the email addresses password for all my game accounts and I don't get any mail to the email addresses other than the official emails from the game itself. No spam, no phising, no advertisements from random people - just the emails from the company themselves. The second you use that email address or password elsewhere is when you put yourself at unnecessary risk.

 

They even offer two factor authentication with a security token or an app for mobile phones and the best part is there's a bloody link about it all on the launcher next to where you put your password every time you log in to the game.

 

Your account security is your own responsibility. People need to grow up and stop blaming companies for their accounts being 'hacked'.

Aren't you just a ball of sugar ? 

 

1. Why would account security be my responsibility in the first place ? This is something I've never understood...my bank does not tell me "if someone uses your credit card number, its your fault and we wont do anything about it"

 

2. I have contacted SE, as I stated before you posted, still waiting for response.

 

3. They have a system in place that suspends your account for suspicious activity, I followed the protocal to get the account unlocked and added the one-time authorization. I was banned *after* this.

1) Your game account security, outside of being brute forced or the company itself being targeted. Is totally and completely your responsibility. For every site you sign up to with an email address and/or password you use elsewhere your accounts security drops and that is absolutely and totally something that you can easily prevent. That is why it's your responsibility. Reusing details is the same as you walking up to an ATM, using it while half-assed hiding your PIN when you put it in then handing your card over to the next person in the queue as you walk away.

2) Ok, I missed that - GL with it, I hope they get it sorted for you soon.

 

3) Of course they did, it's standard procedure. My friend had his World of Tanks account compromised the other day, he noticed within an hour or so (by luck) and got control of it back but after he reported it to Wargaming (Some premium tanks were deleted) they closed the account. Again.. it's all standard stuff until they are done with it and are satisfied that you are both the legit customer and that you have full control of the account.

whilan

Originally posted by evianwater

Originally posted by Zezda

Heard it all before, waaah waaah waaah, big bad company blocking my account.

 

While at the same time you would be just as upset if they done nothing to combat RMT and didn't block your account when they noticed weird logins.

 

You seem to have enough time and care enough to come post about your account being locked on random third party forums but you didn't say if you followed it up and called them or anything or even what evidence they had that the account had been compromised.

 

Please don't bother trying to blame them for your account security either. I run a email address for each game complete with a unique password that isn't the same as the email addresses password for all my game accounts and I don't get any mail to the email addresses other than the official emails from the game itself. No spam, no phising, no advertisements from random people - just the emails from the company themselves. The second you use that email address or password elsewhere is when you put yourself at unnecessary risk.

 

They even offer two factor authentication with a security token or an app for mobile phones and the best part is there's a bloody link about it all on the launcher next to where you put your password every time you log in to the game.

 

Your account security is your own responsibility. People need to grow up and stop blaming companies for their accounts being 'hacked'.

Aren't you just a ball of sugar ? 

 

1. Why would account security be my responsibility in the first place ? This is something I've never understood...my bank does not tell me "if someone uses your credit card number, its your fault and we wont do anything about it"

 

2. I have contacted SE, as I stated before you posted, still waiting for response.

 

3. They have a system in place that suspends your account for suspicious activity, I followed the protocal to get the account unlocked and added the one-time authorization. I was banned *after* this.

I don't know how your bank works but if someone gets the number on my card both sides and can use it, while the bank will put a hold on the card they won't immediately give back all the charges, you have to dispute every last one of them manually.   Also i've seen it happen before, someone had this issue and my bank said that we will do everything in our power to keep you safe but if the customer lets out details like numbers we are at a lose as they willing let out information that should have remained private.  Account security runs both ways, the company will try to keep from being hacked (ala sony was) while they expect you not to do things that give out information (note i'm not saying you did just refuting the account security shouldn't be your responsibility bit)

In short they do blame the customer for letting out that info and will be restricted by what can be done.

DarkVagabond

About a month in on every single game that comes out you guys and your hackings creep up.

There have been certain exceptions but the bulk of these are from a combination of ignorance and a lack of caution on the part of the player and I just can't give the same sort of folks the benefit of the doubt so many times.

evianwater

Originally posted by Zezda

Originally posted by evianwater

Originally posted by Zezda

Heard it all before, waaah waaah waaah, big bad company blocking my account.

 

While at the same time you would be just as upset if they done nothing to combat RMT and didn't block your account when they noticed weird logins.

 

You seem to have enough time and care enough to come post about your account being locked on random third party forums but you didn't say if you followed it up and called them or anything or even what evidence they had that the account had been compromised.

 

Please don't bother trying to blame them for your account security either. I run a email address for each game complete with a unique password that isn't the same as the email addresses password for all my game accounts and I don't get any mail to the email addresses other than the official emails from the game itself. No spam, no phising, no advertisements from random people - just the emails from the company themselves. The second you use that email address or password elsewhere is when you put yourself at unnecessary risk.

 

They even offer two factor authentication with a security token or an app for mobile phones and the best part is there's a bloody link about it all on the launcher next to where you put your password every time you log in to the game.

 

Your account security is your own responsibility. People need to grow up and stop blaming companies for their accounts being 'hacked'.

Aren't you just a ball of sugar ? 

 

1. Why would account security be my responsibility in the first place ? This is something I've never understood...my bank does not tell me "if someone uses your credit card number, its your fault and we wont do anything about it"

 

2. I have contacted SE, as I stated before you posted, still waiting for response.

 

3. They have a system in place that suspends your account for suspicious activity, I followed the protocal to get the account unlocked and added the one-time authorization. I was banned *after* this.

1) Your game account security, outside of being brute forced or the company itself being targeted. Is totally and completely your responsibility. For every site you sign up to with an email address and/or password you use elsewhere your accounts security drops and that is absolutely and totally something that you can easily prevent. That is why it's your responsibility. Reusing details is the same as you walking up to an ATM, using it while half-assed hiding your PIN when you put it in then handing your card over to the next person in the queue as you walk away.  SE has been targeted, as you see from the patcher notes and why they're pushing hard for one-time authorization. *They* have admitted security breaches on their end already, the fact that a one-time authorization is a work-around is irrelevant. I've already admitted my own fault, I'm not upset that they froze my account, I actually appreciate that. What upset me is that after I followed the protocol to prevent a ban, doing everything they asked of me, I got banned and received the e-mail I posted. 

2) Ok, I missed that - GL with it, I hope they get it sorted for you soon.

 

3) Of course they did, it's standard procedure. My friend had his World of Tanks account compromised the other day, he noticed within an hour or so (by luck) and got control of it back but after he reported it to Wargaming (Some premium tanks were deleted) they closed the account. Again.. it's all standard stuff until they are done with it and are satisfied that you are both the legit customer and that you have full control of the account.

It's not in their directions. The initial e-mail about compromised accounts talk about resetting your password, using more difficult combinations, and using the one-key authorization. I did all this, and then got banned after everything had been accepted. THAT is what I'm upset about, There were problems like this with other games, especially those that didn't release with the one-time passwords (Older games, Rift ) and they had to play catch up. To date the only times my account has been compromised were in WoW, and now here. Until now I had never been "banned" just "frozen"

 

Daemonweaver

Some people have their accounts hacked due to their own stupidity ie: buying gold, buying anything from RMT sites, replying to obviously false phishing emails etc.

Some people however have their accounts hacked by no fault of their own but due to the lack of security or stupidity of the companies who are in charge of running the MMOs.

What really annoys me though is that the companies will automatically blame the consumer, even if the fault is theirs. This has happened to me 3 times in the last 9yrs. How do I know it is not my fault? well I have 3 comps 1 big state of the art gaming rig that I use for nothing except playing games (I do not browse the internet with it or send or even read emails it is 100% MMO only), the other 2 I use for vent, browsing, emails etc. All my comps are virus and Malware checked every day, I never give out my P. words and have different P. words and email addresses for all my games.

Maybe I am a bit over the top careful but then I play games to relieve my very stressful RL so I want to be able to play when I want. However even with all this care my accounts for WOW, AION and AOC were hacked. All I got from these companies was emails telling me how it was all my fault and they will endeavour to help me sort out my stupidity.

I wish companies would stop treating us all like idiotic children when they contact us and give us some respect after all we are the ones paying their wages and giving them a job, it does not matter really if it was our fault or theirs we are still their customers, except online it seems the saying 'the customer is always right' has been forgotten and now the idea is just to make the customer feel stupid (if u want proof of this try emailing them telling them its not your fault it is theirs and see what u get back)

Swedish_Chef

Originally posted by evianwater

Originally posted by Zezda

Heard it all before, waaah waaah waaah, big bad company blocking my account.

 

While at the same time you would be just as upset if they done nothing to combat RMT and didn't block your account when they noticed weird logins.

 

You seem to have enough time and care enough to come post about your account being locked on random third party forums but you didn't say if you followed it up and called them or anything or even what evidence they had that the account had been compromised.

 

Please don't bother trying to blame them for your account security either. I run a email address for each game complete with a unique password that isn't the same as the email addresses password for all my game accounts and I don't get any mail to the email addresses other than the official emails from the game itself. No spam, no phising, no advertisements from random people - just the emails from the company themselves. The second you use that email address or password elsewhere is when you put yourself at unnecessary risk.

 

They even offer two factor authentication with a security token or an app for mobile phones and the best part is there's a bloody link about it all on the launcher next to where you put your password every time you log in to the game.

 

Your account security is your own responsibility. People need to grow up and stop blaming companies for their accounts being 'hacked'.

Aren't you just a ball of sugar ? 

 

1. Why would account security be my responsibility in the first place ? This is something I've never understood...my bank does not tell me "if someone uses your credit card number, its your fault and we wont do anything about it". I've used one-time passwords since they first started to come out, hadn't gotten around to it yet with FFXIV which I admit was a lapse on my part..but does that mean I deserve to be banned ? 

So whose responsibility is it if not yours? A game company can't keep you from clicking on phishing emails, using simple passwords, using the same password / email address on multiple sites, prevent you from using RMT sites, keep you from account sharing, etc. All they can do is try to keep people informed regarding the various scams & methods by which ne'er do wells can gain access to your information, and they aren't obligated to do even that.

Your bank comparison isn't very well thought out. Yes, a bank will aid you in the event that your CC / debit card information is compromised, but it can be quite a tedious process lasting anywhere between a couple of weeks, and a few years, depending on how much information was compromised.

 

2. I have contacted SE, as I stated before you posted, still waiting for response.

Sucks, but they're probably still pretty badly swamped because of the unexpected volume of players. I know it can be frustrating, but all you can really do is have patience.

 

3. They have a system in place that suspends your account for suspicious activity, I followed the protocal to get the account unlocked and added the one-time authorization. I was banned *after* this.

No comment, as this is something which needs to be taken on your word, and there really isn't a way to prove or disprove that.

It sucks to get hacked; I've been through the process before and it sucks. All you can really do at this point is wait for a response.

I wish you the best of luck.

Edit: Forgot to add that the reason why a bank might resolve things more quickly is because a breached credit card / bank account is quite a bit more serious than the account for a video game, especially since it may involve identity theft & other illegal activity, as well as reflecting badly on the victim's credit report (which is becoming more and more important as various companies adjust certain rates based on credit score. It's bullshit, but that's the way things are heading).

evianwater

Originally posted by Daemonweaver

Some people have their accounts hacked due to their own stupidity ie: buying gold, buying anything from RMT sites, replying to obviously false phishing emails etc.

Some people however have their accounts hacked by no fault of their own but due to the lack of security or stupidity of the companies who are in charge of running the MMOs.

What really annoys me though is that the companies will automatically blame the consumer, even if the fault is theirs. This has happened to me 3 times in the last 9yrs. How do I know it is not my fault? well I have 3 comps 1 big state of the art gaming rig that I use for nothing except playing games (I do not browse the internet with it or send or even read emails it is 100% MMO only), the other 2 I use for vent, browsing, emails etc. All my comps are virus and Malware checked every day, I never give out my P. words and have different P. words and email addresses for all my games.

Maybe I am a bit over the top careful but then I play games to relieve my very stressful RL so I want to be able to play when I want. However even with all this care my accounts for WOW, AION and AOC were hacked. All I got from these companies was emails telling me how it was all my fault and they will endeavour to help me sort out my stupidity.

I wish companies would stop treating us all like idiotic children when they contact us and give us some respect after all we are the ones paying their wages and giving them a job, it does not matter really if it was our fault or theirs we are still their customers, except online it seems the saying 'the customer is always right' has been forgotten and now the idea is just to make the customer feel stupid (if u want proof of this try emailing them telling them its not your fault it is theirs and see what u get back)

At least someone understands why I was upset. No I'm not upset about being hacked, I'm upset about being instantly blamed for it. I've worked retail for years and even if we were 99% sure someone was stealing, we still had to show them respect and be courteous and give them the benefit of the doubt. 

 

Instead I receive an e-mail *after* I have changed my password, and activated a one-time authorization code that I violated their terms and I'm banned for life from that service and with the explanation that they thoroughly investigate before banning on a case by case basis. 

 

How do I know that "investigation" is a load of crap ? Because a simple look at IP addresses would show it was not the account holder (This would be why they froze the account in the first place). The same was Blizzard has cracked down on things like power-leveling and such. 

 

evianwater

Originally posted by Swedish_Chef

Originally posted by evianwater

Originally posted by Zezda

Heard it all before, waaah waaah waaah, big bad company blocking my account.

 

While at the same time you would be just as upset if they done nothing to combat RMT and didn't block your account when they noticed weird logins.

 

You seem to have enough time and care enough to come post about your account being locked on random third party forums but you didn't say if you followed it up and called them or anything or even what evidence they had that the account had been compromised.

 

Please don't bother trying to blame them for your account security either. I run a email address for each game complete with a unique password that isn't the same as the email addresses password for all my game accounts and I don't get any mail to the email addresses other than the official emails from the game itself. No spam, no phising, no advertisements from random people - just the emails from the company themselves. The second you use that email address or password elsewhere is when you put yourself at unnecessary risk.

 

They even offer two factor authentication with a security token or an app for mobile phones and the best part is there's a bloody link about it all on the launcher next to where you put your password every time you log in to the game.

 

Your account security is your own responsibility. People need to grow up and stop blaming companies for their accounts being 'hacked'.

Aren't you just a ball of sugar ? 

 

1. Why would account security be my responsibility in the first place ? This is something I've never understood...my bank does not tell me "if someone uses your credit card number, its your fault and we wont do anything about it". I've used one-time passwords since they first started to come out, hadn't gotten around to it yet with FFXIV which I admit was a lapse on my part..but does that mean I deserve to be banned ? 

So whose responsibility is it if not yours? A game company can't keep you from clicking on phishing emails, using simple passwords, using the same password / email address on multiple sites, prevent you from using RMT sites, keep you from account sharing, etc. All they can do is try to keep people informed regarding the various scams & methods by which ne'er do wells can gain access to your information, and they aren't obligated to do even that.

Your bank comparison isn't very well thought out. Yes, a bank will aid you in the event that your CC / debit card information is compromised, but it can be quite a tedious process lasting anywhere between a couple of weeks, and a few years, depending on how much information was compromised.

 

2. I have contacted SE, as I stated before you posted, still waiting for response.

Sucks, but they're probably still pretty badly swamped because of the unexpected volume of players. I know it can be frustrating, but all you can really do is have patience.

 

3. They have a system in place that suspends your account for suspicious activity, I followed the protocal to get the account unlocked and added the one-time authorization. I was banned *after* this.

No comment, as this is something which needs to be taken on your word, and there really isn't a way to prove or disprove that.

It sucks to get hacked; I've been through the process before and it sucks. All you can really do at this point is wait for a response.

I wish you the best of luck.

Edit: Forgot to add that the reason why a bank might resolve things more quickly is because a breached credit card / bank account is quite a bit more serious than the account for a video game, especially since it may involve identity theft & other illegal activity, as well as reflecting badly on the victim's credit report (which is becoming more and more important as various companies adjust certain rates based on credit score. It's bullshit, but that's the way things are heading).

Video game accounts require a ton of information for registration that is much more important than the account itself. Even the security questions put people at risk (the mothers' maiden name question is especially crap, I know plenty of people actually use the real answer). And depending on how the breach happened credit card numbers can be accessed (SOE ) or at the very least name, address, e-mail.

 

Sk1ppeR

Nah he is like many others that got their accounts BRUTE FORCED because some companies are incompetent of protecting their users. IP Address lockdown, security code only active for XX seconds, regional lockdown ... NONE of these systems are in Final Fantasy XIV. The only security is the user's password, which could very well be "123456". And there you have it, an account gets hacked. No malware bullshit, no keyloggers, no wiretapping. Simple as that. Not to mention that probably SE didn't implement a "ban for XX minutes after XXX failed attempts and notify the user to change their password" system. It's pitty. I hope they've taken more serious steps in ensuring their user's data on their backend in case of hacking. I really would hate to see the events that happened to PSN an year or 2 ago 

 

And just to rub more salt to the wound, a B2P title (you would expect less of them since its not P2P) already has all these protections )) I can literally give my account email and password here in these forum for my Gw2 account and NONE of you will be able to log in. But yeah, keep supporting P2P for the "premium" service xD 

If what SE is doing the past few weeks is a "premium" service, I don't want any of it. They actually made an iOS app while having shitton of issues to solve  

Nleon

Same thing happened to me as the OP. This is the first time I got hacked even though I have played MMOs more than 10 years, and I work as IT engineer. I am fine with suspending my account to investigate further but sending me an email to accuse me of being illegal and terminating my account is beyond ridiculous. Lawsuit will follow.

 

Moreover this is suspicious. Topics like this are popping up the last few hours all over the internet (see the topic "I am done" on this very forum) and the official technical support forum. Just yesterday they put out a notice about improving the security of accounts. Coincidence? I would bet that they had a security breach but would be too much of a PR hassle to admit it at this time.

 

And to all these people that saying this game is good, sure it is until you get to end game where the economy is broken, bots are all over the place abusing the broken economy and people are using exploits to finish dungeons.

expresso

Originally posted by Daemonweaver

Some people have their accounts hacked due to their own stupidity ie: buying gold, buying anything from RMT sites, replying to obviously false phishing emails etc.

Some people however have their accounts hacked by no fault of their own but due to the lack of security or stupidity of the companies who are in charge of running the MMOs.

What really annoys me though is that the companies will automatically blame the consumer, even if the fault is theirs. This has happened to me 3 times in the last 9yrs. How do I know it is not my fault? well I have 3 comps 1 big state of the art gaming rig that I use for nothing except playing games (I do not browse the internet with it or send or even read emails it is 100% MMO only), the other 2 I use for vent, browsing, emails etc. All my comps are virus and Malware checked every day, I never give out my P. words and have different P. words and email addresses for all my games.

I have 999 computers, 1 for twitter and only twitter, 1 for M$ word and only M$ word, 1 for Facebook and only facebook, 1 for youtube and only youtube, 1 for www.mmorog.com and only www.mmorpg.com.... and so on.   I run virus scans every 10 minutes, and I re-install windows twice a day on each computer, I only use internet between 3:13 and 3:15am each day and all other times I have my router unplugged and before I go online I flash the router with the newest firmware and add a 256 character wifi password, I create a unique 32 character password and use a unique email address for every single website and game I sign up to......yet still I get hacked

What I am saying it you talk a good game but we all know you don't do what you say you do.

If a company has not had a breach they are fully entitled to the point the finger at the end user, TAKE RESPONSIBILITY!

Maybe I am a bit over the top careful but then I play games to relieve my very stressful RL so I want to be able to play when I want. However even with all this care my accounts for WOW, AION and AOC were hacked. All I got from these companies was emails telling me how it was all my fault and they will endeavour to help me sort out my stupidity.

I wish companies would stop treating us all like idiotic children when they contact us and give us some respect after all we are the ones paying their wages and giving them a job, it does not matter really if it was our fault or theirs we are still their customers, except online it seems the saying 'the customer is always right' has been forgotten and now the idea is just to make the customer feel stupid (if u want proof of this try emailing them telling them its not your fault it is theirs and see what u get back)

 

evianwater

By the by..this is from the FFXIV website :

Currently, we have confirmed that a third party is using account names and passwords, thought to be obtained from security breaches of other companys' online services, in attempts to gain unauthorized access to Square Enix accounts. (http://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/lodestone/news/detail/7360774bfa00f42c1264a0d58b41eaefc2aeef7b) 

 

 

--

 

It goes on to talk about how your "password can be guessed"...well, it's a lot more sophisticated than that, but common used combinations (especially actual words + numbers ) can be found pretty easily. Without lock-outs for numerous attempts (instead  of a lock out they use bot-stopper crap that has been around for years) it makes it a lot less secure on their end. 

 

The whole "blame the customer" thing is so prevalent in mmo's...I wonder if other companies are taking note. Just look at this thread...how many people put the *entire* responsibility for this on me, and zero responsibility on Square Enix ? Not even a hint that maybe they messed up too..just the customer.

evianwater

Originally posted by Nleon

Same thing happened to me as the OP. This is the first time I got hacked even though I have played MMOs more than 10 years, and I work as IT engineer. I am fine with suspending my account to investigate further but sending me an email to accuse me of being illegal and terminating my account is beyond ridiculous. Lawsuit will follow.

 

Moreover this is suspicious. Topics like this are popping up the last few hours all over the internet (see the topic "I am done" on this very forum) and the official technical support forum. Just yesterday they put out a notice about improving the security of accounts. Coincidence? I would bet that they had a security breach but would be too much of a PR hassle to admit it at this time.

 

And to all these people that saying this game is good, sure it is until you get to end game where the economy is broken, bots are all over the place abusing the broken economy and people are using exploits to finish dungeons.

They've had a security breach, but they're blaming it on "other companies" and saying that "passwords are being guessed"

Sk1ppeR

Originally posted by Nleon

Same thing happened to me as the OP. This is the first time I got hacked even though I have played MMOs more than 10 years, and I work as IT engineer. I am fine with suspending my account to investigate further but sending me an email to accuse me of being illegal and terminating my account is beyond ridiculous. Lawsuit will follow.

 

Moreover this is suspicious. Topics like this are popping up the last few hours all over the internet (see the topic "I am done" on this very forum) and the official technical support forum. Just yesterday they put out a notice about improving the security of accounts. Coincidence? I would bet that they had a security breach but would be too much of a PR hassle to admit it at this time.

 

And to all these people that saying this game is good, sure it is until you get to end game where the economy is broken, bots are all over the place abusing the broken economy and people are using exploits to finish dungeons.

It always blows my mind how the chinese hackers manage to make pretty intelligent bots just a few days into the game .... I mean what the fuck, aren't you supposed to reverse engineer like ... most of the game's protocol ._. Given it should be encrypted and whatnot and the way all packets are orginized its literally fascinating how many "good" programmers there are doing stuff like this xD 

psiic

LOL I love it....

 

Sell more copies of the game than your cheap ass server farm can carry. 

 

Block 80% of the accounts for a week claiming the problem will be fixed the following week, following week comes problem is still there, but now we have a serious problem because people are demanding their money back.

 

EUREKA!!

Accuse 50% of the player base of hacking so you can terminate their accounts thereby making your capacity  issue vanish at the same time denying them refunds.

 

BRILLIANTLY EVIL!

 

Now they can re-open sales again to steal even more money...

 

Muhahahahaha

 

OMG it reminds me of that European game that I can not remember the name of. Hyped hell out of the game sold the hell out of it and immediately pulled the plug keeping all the money.  Three months later they turned the servers back on and started reselling the game with a new name. 

 

 

 

 

JeroKane

Originally posted by evianwater

 

Video game accounts require a ton of information for registration that is much more important than the account itself. Even the security questions put people at risk (the mothers' maiden name question is especially crap, I know plenty of people actually use the real answer). And depending on how the breach happened credit card numbers can be accessed (SOE ) or at the very least name, address, e-mail.

 

In case of SOE, it was an old database With expired creditcards. Luckily creditcards have only a lifespan of around 3 years, before you need to renew Your card With a New code.

It´s ofcourse still no excuse as to why SOE was keeping such an old database alive and not secured properly, as people´s full names and adresses were also compromised, which is way more serious due to Identity Theft.

 

And you are right With some of those Security questions. I often do not bother With them anymore, the moment I have set up 2-factor authentication With a token.

I am playing online games since the 90´s and I have never ever had any of my accounts hacked!

Next to phising emails and using RMT and other dodgy sites, the number ONE reason People get hacked, is because they use the same accountname/email and password everywhere else, like public forums that get hacked constantly. It´s the most easy way for them to gather passwords.