Feedback talk:Gaile Gray/Support Issues

From Guild Wars Wiki

Paws to Ponder: Support IssuesThe first place to seek assistance with matters of a support nature is through our Support System. If after you've worked with Support you feel you require additional assistance, you may post here and I will do my best to help you. Please note that questions, reports, and appeals should first be directed to Support. Please provide your Support Incident/Ticket Number with your comments here so I have a good point of reference. Thanks! ~ Gaile

Contents 1 How Do I Contact Support? 2 Account Thefts 3 New Phishing Email 4 "Europe" and the Halloween Art contest 5 Halloween Art Contest 2009 6 In-Game Store typo 7 The Codex should make some sense, no? 8 Code 045 - Can´t log in to Guild Wars 9 reshacker 10 My gw account got banned as code=045 11 Account Hacked; Things Stolen 12 Another Victim of Account Hacking 13 Erroneous Fraud Blocks: 1 Nov 2009 13.1 Update: 2 November 2009 13.2 Update: 4 November 2009 13.3 Update: 4 November 2009 (Part 2) 13.4 Update: 6 November 2009 14 Wrongful Perma Ban code 045 15 ncsoft website security concern 16 Account Issue 17 Fraud Block 18 Can you *please* help my parents, Gaile? 19 Recent Bans and Account Hacks 20 My gw account got banned as code=045 21 Security up due to safeguarding human rights in online games?

[edit] How Do I Contact Support? Just click support to start filing a Support Ticket. For the fastest possible service in issues that involve your game or NCsoft Master Account, consider providing as much information from this list as you can: Your name Your game account name(s) Your address Your telephone number Your birth date Your access keys (a scan of the key would be super helpful) The last four digits of the credit card(s) that you used for NCsoft Store or Guild Wars In-Game Store purchases The air-speed velocity of an unburdened swallow. European please. (Ok, we really don't need that last bit. :D ) If you still have access to the email account that you used as your game user name, please submit the ticket or send the email using that account. And while the team doesn't require all this info, the more you send from the above list, the more easily the team can address the issue you're writing about. All information is kept confidential. We offer telephone support for billing/account and technical support issues only. We do not offer telephone support for game support issues, bug reports, in-game incident reports, gameplay issues, general inquiries, etc. Contact our Billing/Account or Technical Support Teams as follows: 1-512-225-6359 Mon through Friday Noon until 5:00 PM, Central time (-5 GMT) If you are unable to submit a support ticket, you may email Support at the following (exact) address: Support@GuildWars.com. Warning: Please do not give out personal information, such as account names or passwords, on this page.

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[edit] Account Thefts

We're seeing an increase in accounts getting stolen by RMTs (Real-Money Traders). With the help of some of the victims, we've traced a number of these incidents to a keylogger that is used in several MMOs to steal account information. Now, people are picking up this keylogger not just through downloading a third-party program -- the normal way people get the malicious program -- but even by simply visiting a website that hosts, say, a Flash ad that also serves up the keylogger.

If your account is stolen, please get in touch with our support team right away. The team will research the situation and, whenever possible, restore the account to you. They will encourage you to update your virus program, run a complete virus scan, and then change your account password. Think about it: if the keylogger is on your computer and you don't get rid of it, even if you reset your password the RMT will simply take over your account again. (We see it happen every day. :( ) Also consider adding a good spyware protection program.

Now, here's a major takeaway after your account has been restored to you: Before you reset your password or get onto your account, update your virus and spyware protection, run a thorough scan with both programs to find and remove any keyloggers on your system, and then reset your password.

Incidentally, if you get any sort of warning when you visit a website, I'd recommend you leave the site and immediately run a complete virus and spyware scan.

Let me know if I can answer any questions about this. -- Gaile 23:37, 3 September 2009 (UTC)

Gaile, I would like to suggest something to combat this problem. I have seen another game that uses an on-screen keyboard to enter the login information. This is also becoming more common with online banking. A keylogger would not be able to trace any keystrokes, since the information is entered with a mouse. Currently I use the default on-screen keyboard that comes with Windows to log into Guild Wars, as I am now in Ukraine and I've noticed that my anti-virus and malware protection programs are working overtime compared to when I was in the U.S., popping up with threats every time I use removable storage devices (like USB drives) that have been in contact with other machines. If the on-screen keyboard was built into the GW login page, it would make it much easier to use, and more people would use it and protect themselves from keyloggers. Please, consider this and let me know what you think. Rose Of Kali 08:30, 21 September 2009 (UTC)

Hi Rose. That's funny. I just hosted the Support Team leads at ArenaNet last week, and we took the suggestion of a "soft" keyboard to several people on the team. We discussed this quite a bit, and I think there was a lot of interest in looking into that possibility for Guild Wars (and Guild Wars 2) along with a few other security measures that are also under discussion. So be assured this is something we'll consider for the future. -- Gaile 01:47, 24 September 2009 (UTC)

Great! :D Rose Of Kali 10:15, 24 September 2009 (UTC)

[edit] New Phishing Email

I wanted to let you know there's a new phisher in town. This person is sending an email that purports to come from ArenaNet saying that the recipient has been noted trying to sell a GW account and that he must provide proof of ownership (via this handy email, of course) in order to avoid the account being terminated. And of course the email asks for all sorts of sensitive information, including email address, password, secret questions and answers, even the Guild Wars Access Keys!

This email is bogus. We would never send such an email, as you know. In addition, the sender is not writing through an @ncsoft.com or @arena.net address; he is using an @games.com address. We have no addresses through that site; we send all our official emails through either @arena.net or @ncsoft.com email accounts. If you receive this phishing email, please ignore it. If another player happens to ask you about such an email, kindly point them in the direction of this post. Thanks. -- Gaile 19:42, 29 September 2009 (UTC)

[edit] "Europe" and the Halloween Art contest

Hi, Gaile. I was wondering if Ukraine is eligible for submitting an entry into the Halloween Art contest, as it is the geographical center of Europe and is referred to as being in Eastern Europe. Or did "Europe" in the eligibility requirements only include the European Union, which would exclude Ukraine? I am currently in Ukraine and I am a Citizen of Ukraine, even though my husband is a Citizen of the United States, but I am not a "legal resident" of the U.S. (yet... it's a long immigration story). I have a neat idea for a submission for the contest, but I would rather not waste my time if I am not eligible, as this idea would require a lot of effort to become reality. Also, if I am not eligible, would my husband be allowed to submit my entry for me? We have two separate Guild Wars accounts. Thanks in advance. Rose Of Kali 20:30, 4 October 2009 (UTC)

Umm, no it's not: w:Geographical midpoint of Europe. Btw I do live in Eastern Europe and have never heard anyone referring to Ukraine as the "geographical centre of Europe". - Reanimated X 20:44, 4 October 2009 (UTC)

The very link you used supports Rose of Kali's point, as it lists "...near Rakhiv, in western Ukraine" as a potential center. The center of Europe depends on what you mean by that term. Geologists and geographers spend time arguing about whether it should be based on politics, geology, history, sociology, or even language (and if so, the languages that should be considered, European). (For a quick introduction to that debate, visit the link above.) In any case, it hardly matters what the players think: ANet intended something specific by listing Europe (but not e.g. Asia); we need to hear from them to see what locations do and do not qualify.   — Tennessee Ernie Ford (TEF) 08:04, 5 October 2009 (UTC)

I am checking into this, Rose. My first instinct was "yes" but I don't know that officially, so let me ask. I should have an answer tomorrow, US time. -- Gaile 01:14, 6 October 2009 (UTC)

Sorry for the delay, but we are still researching this. -- Gaile 23:32, 7 October 2009 (UTC)

Thanks for checking on that. I guess geography turned out to be a hard subject after all. I hope you can find out before the weekend. Rose Of Kali 09:11, 8 October 2009 (UTC)

Hi Rose. The question was given a goodly review by several people, and yes, a player from the Ukraine who meets all other qualifications is considered eligible for the art contest. All other rules apply, of course, such as those that say "void where prohibited by law." I don't know regional laws and I like to mention that just in case. :) I'm glad you asked, we also had a support ticket asking the same question. Best of luck! -- Gaile 21:22, 13 October 2009 (UTC)

Thanks, Gaile! I don't know of any local law prohibitions that would apply here, so yay me. Time to go buy some supplies. :) Also, please don't say "the" or I will start calling you "the Gaile." ;) (I'm curious to find out why so many people say "the" Ukraine, it makes no sense to me... It's a proper noun. Nobody says The Europe or The Canada, yet nearly everyone says The Ukraine. O_o) Rose Of Kali 10:09, 14 October 2009 (UTC)

Everyone I ever met who was born in The Ukraine near or before the Russian Revolution has always used that figure of speech. Their American-born children (and grandchildren) have followed in that particular footstep. For what it's worth, The Congo is used to refer to the Republic of the Congo. (Although not, of course, for the Democratic Republic of the Congo.)   — Tennessee Ernie Ford (TEF) 20:09, 14 October 2009 (UTC)

The only reason I can think of for that to happen is a contraction of sorts from The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, after dropping SSR part of it. It also may be partly because of the first letter "U," making it sound close to The United States or The United Kingdom, which are a lot more familiar. *shrugs* I've never heard the version you provided, and my personal experience so far does not support it. (Gaile isn't of Ukrainian descent, either, is she? :P) After a little snooping, I found this, which sheds some light. It is not analogous to the Congo. Oh well. ^_^ Rose Of Kali 23:21, 14 October 2009 (UTC)

Rose, thank you for the instruction. It is really interesting! I do not know why I used The Ukraine, it is what I learned, somewhere, and having no information to the contrary, it is what I continued to say. I guess I thought Ukraine was a region -- you now, like The Urals or The Cotswolds or The Berkshires -- that was also a country. So adding the word "The" seemed ok, and it really was what I was taught. However, I want to assure you that I am utterly fascinated by and respectful of individual cultures -- it is one of my favourite facets of my jobs with ArenaNet! -- and I sure did not intend to offend with a misnomer. I have read the link you provided, and it will be "Ukraine" from now on, for me! :) -- Gaile 06:55, 15 October 2009 (UTC)

Oh, no offense at all! :D I just like to edumacate people (and myself while at it). You are not alone in not realizing that Ukraine is a country, just like Germany or France. Most people only know the name bacause of Chornobyl, but usually seem to think it's a part of Russia. That is unfortunate, but hey, at least we're not in w:Lesotho, I don't think I've ever met someone who even heard of what or where it is. :P Rose Of Kali 16:00, 15 October 2009 (UTC)

For clarity: I was well aware that the Ukraine is a country. But I believed the name of that country was "The Ukraine" and that the name was based on geographic or regional details that caused the addition of "The." Sort of like The Hague is a city. And it has a "The." :) -- Gaile 16:40, 15 October 2009 (UTC)

Ahh. Understood. And you're almost right. :) The origins of the word "Ukraine" come from "okraina" which means a borderland, however the word itself has morphed into a unique proper noun with no other meaning than to name the country. Also there is no part of speech in Slavic languages that would translate into an article, like in the case of "Den Haag," and the transition to a proper name for Ukraine happened as far back as fifteenth century. :) Rose Of Kali 10:24, 16 October 2009 (UTC)

The Rose has spoken. elix Omni 14:31, 19 October 2009 (UTC)

You just never know when you're going to have a conversation that leads to some pretty darn interesting new knowledge, eh? It might be outside ArenaNet or Guild Wars, but it's cool, nonetheless. Thanks for the discussion. :) -- Gaile 19:06, 19 October 2009 (UTC)

That's a good question. I should have looked at that a bit earlier and asked as we have a similar issue here, New Caledonia, as we are French Territory under French law and we are all both French citizen and EU citizen. But... we are not geographically in Europe (we're in the South Pacific) nor even potilically part of the EU (weird, hey?). But we're on French soil (so far) and France is in Europe (even more weird, hey?).

So as for every past contest I've mailed my participation with my grand parents' address back in the mother country. Too bad if I am not elligible to get the miniature afterward if I ever win but then it would have been a great honnor to be among the participants anyway

It would be good though if you could check for future contests including next Winterday and... next Halloween of course. Also if it's ever OK for us to participate from here, I'd like to point out that I've seen that the contest rules had a time delay for the winner's mail reply which is way too short for most people NOT in modern rich countries with a fast old-fashionned/harcopy mail system... or lots of flights connections to the outer world.

Thx Jaxom 01:58, 21 October 2009 (UTC)

Hi Jaxom. I think you would do well to direct your question about future contest eligibility to the Community Team. They are the ones who draft the contest rules, and perhaps they can include a query about the area where you live when the next set of rules are developed. Best of luck! -- Gaile 21:54, 27 October 2009 (UTC)

[edit] Halloween Art Contest 2009

Hiya, I was kinda curious as to how original work must be, am I allowed to use rendered guild wars images and edit them into my submission? If so am I allowed to use rendered images wiki members uploaded, Emily uploaded, or do I have to use screenshots I rendered myself? Also curious how many submissions you are allowed to submit, got a few ideas so wondering whether I should send them all or pick my favorite C4K3 Talk 19:09, 16 October 2009 (UTC)

In the rules stays 1 submission per person I thought.84.80.151.136 09:46, 18 October 2009 (UTC)

Ohh I'm so stupid, overlooked that one rule. Still got my other question. And to make it a bit more clear what I'm asking is, if I would be allowed to example copy a mad king's guard, scale it down, and make it look like it were standing next to my submission C4K3 Talk 09:59, 18 October 2009 (UTC)

That would be you presenting other people's art as your art. Perhaps looking at previous years submissions/winners will illustrate the solution you seek. 24.188.207.20 15:31, 18 October 2009 (UTC)

Using Guild Wars art is entirely acceptable -- from in the game, from on the wiki. In past years, we've had pretend "screenshots" that were a mixture of GW art and a player's own creativity. We've had art that was modified renders, etc. So yes, it's A-ok to use game art or GW art from the wiki in the creation of your entry. -- Gaile 19:15, 19 October 2009 (UTC)

[edit] In-Game Store typo

The "Character Name Change" upgrade in the in-game store is missing some info. The third bullet point says:

*The name you choose must be available and comply with the

I assume there was supposed to be a link to the name policy, and it's also missing the info about PayPal and the NCsoft store. --Macros 05:24, 20 October 2009 (UTC)

Oh my goodness, that's interesting. I am sure it was there, maybe it disappeared when the pages got resettled or something. I'll check with Emily and I'm sure that'll get amended soon. Thanks for pointing out our unfinished sentences. :) -- Gaile 05:30, 20 October 2009 (UTC)

Actually, before I bothered Emily, I thought I'd check it out. What I see is this:

Q (#4 on the list): How do I purchase a Name Change?

A: You may purchase the Name Change from the in-game store or via the NCsoft Store.

Q (#5 on the list): What payment methods are available?

A: You may use a credit card or PayPal (via the NCsoft Store).

Q (#14 on the list): Are there any limits on the name I can choose?

A: The name must be available and must comply with the Guild Wars naming policy.

So I think it's all there, as per my local version of the page, which is the US version. What browser are you using? And what version of the page are you visiting (could I get a link, please)? -- Gaile 05:33, 20 October 2009 (UTC)

I'm using the Guild Wars Client. Here is a screenshot: File:User Macros In Game Store Typo.jpg --Macros 05:40, 20 October 2009 (UTC)

Gaile, I believe he's talking about the In-Game Store, not the website. Macros, you can not use PayPal through the In-Game store, you must buy through the NC Soft store. -- Wyn talk 05:41, 20 October 2009 (UTC)

What I meant was this PayPal thing that every other item in the in-game store has. --Macros 05:50, 20 October 2009 (UTC)

Oh doh, sorry! I was thinking website (obviously). :D

I will pass this along to QA tomorrow, with thanks for your spotting that. -- Gaile 05:54, 20 October 2009 (UTC)

Ah, and I also misunderstood Macros, my apologies. I thought you meant that you thought you could purchase via PayPal from the In-Game store. -- Wyn talk 05:59, 20 October 2009 (UTC)

(Reset indent) Andrew from QA reports that he just logged into both the Live and Development Servers and the issue is not visible. Where you mentioned the sentence ends, there is actually a link to the Guild Wars Naming Policy. He asks if you could please change your resolution to see if that fixes it. That's not to say that a different res should be required, but that info would help us figure out what's going on. Also, screenshots would be useful, too. If you were willing to submit a support ticket on this with screenies, you could ask the team to escalate to me and that would be helpful, as well. Thanks a lot! -- Gaile 22:39, 20 October 2009 (UTC)

I went and had a look at this myself. It's working fine here. Interestingly, Macros's screen shot doesn't so much omit one link as omit everything from that link onwards, which includes the 4th bullet statement and a comment on using PayPal below that. Two absent sentences in other words. -- WarBlade 23:12, 20 October 2009 (UTC)

I sent the support ticket via the website. I sent it to the "Tech Support" department as it is obvious it is not a mere typo. --Macros 07:00, 22 October 2009 (UTC)

Thank you for sending the ticket. It should be routed to the correct people working on the In-Game Store, and I'm sure they'll take a look at the matter as soon as they are able. We have tested, and all seems well from our end, so it will take some investigation to figure out what is happening on your end. Thanks for your patience, as well. -- Gaile 21:59, 27 October 2009 (UTC)

[edit] The Codex should make some sense, no?

← moved to Feedback talk:Game updates/20091022

[edit] Code 045 - Can´t log in to Guild Wars

→ moved from Feedback talk:Gaile Gray

Dear Gaile,

i have a Problem with my Account. On Friday (October, 09th 2009) I got an Account Hack. On Monday (October, 12th 2009) I was try to Login and got the following Error Message: “We have detected that your account may have been accessed by an unauthorised individual. For your security, further access to the account has been blocked until this matter can be resolved. To restore access to this account, please contact Support and one of our representatives will assist you. (Code=45)"

Immediately I write an e-mail to the Support an get the automatic confirmation of my Mail and soon another e-mail from a Support Member. I have send all my Dates, Screenshots from the error on the Guild Wars Window and Pictures of my Game Activation Cards. From there I doesn’t hear anything for 5 Days from the Support. On Saturday (October,17th 2009) I have wrote a Ticket on the Support Site and ask once again about my Account. I got one more Mail with a repeated request to enter my Dates et cetera. Well, so I send all my Dates, Photos and screenshots again. Since this day I don’t heard anything from the Support and don’t get any help. That is why I beg you to peek what’s up with my Account and when he get re-activated.

Sorry, but my English is not very well, because I´m from Germany. I hope I could explain my problem.

My reference number is: 091017-002827

For shortly information I would be very grateful.

Sincere regards, Christin R. Spatzihasi

Part of the problem is it sounds like you submitted two tickets. This will always delay the issue. You should just update the original ticket with any further questions or information, rather than opening a duplicate ticket. -- Wyn talk 03:57, 25 October 2009 (UTC)

yes thats right. i sent an e-mail to the support. the first contact was not per ticket. the reference number of this first ticket is: 091013-002890 but since october , 13th 2009, when i send the mail and got the reference number 091013-002890 i hear nothing from the support too. so thats the reason why i´m searching for help from you. Spatzihasi 11:31, 25 October 2009 (UTC)

Wow, I hope you get it back before Halloween finale. Good luck. Rose Of Kali 11:42, 25 October 2009 (UTC)

Thank you very much. I really hope somebody can help me and find out when my account is open again. the support dont notifies at ticket or e-mail when I open a dublicate ticket.Spatzihasi 19:14, 25 October 2009 (UTC)

(Reset indent) Hello, Christin. I located your ticket and am sorry to see you've had a delay in the response. I have asked the EU Support Team Lead to take a look. He's great about getting back to me promptly so I imagine very soon you will have word or I will have info to share with you! -- Gaile 23:20, 25 October 2009 (UTC)

Hello Gaile,

Thank you very much for your effort and the fast answer. I will be waiting for some news from you. Thanks :) Spatzihasi 08:52, 26 October 2009 (UTC)

Hello Gaile,

Thank you very much for your help. A Member of the european support has contact me and opened my account again. Thank you very much. I´m so happy Spatzihasi 18:17, 26 October 2009 (UTC)

My pleasure. I am glad that all is well. :) -- Gaile 18:21, 26 October 2009 (UTC)

I wish all of you a nice evenning and good luck at the event :) Spatzihasi 18:30, 26 October 2009 (UTC)

[edit] reshacker

is a tool I use to prettify my desktop environment by changing icons in executable files. Now, I understand and acknowledge you don't like letting people know how bot/hack/etc. detection routines work, for perfectly understandable reasons. I also know you can never actually approve the use of a third-party program unless it's maintained by ANet or NCSoft or something. I'm also aware that if I was caught, it's possible I would be blocked but could probably contact support, explain the situation and get myself unblocked fairly quickly if I promise not to change the icon again. But is it possible for your botwatch team or whatever to detect minor changes to the executable file? To give you an example, I've uploaded two GW.exe files (one hacked, one not) at Mediafire in a zip file here for you to examine. Don't worry, they won't crash your servers; you shouldn't even need to run them to see the difference. The second one has "Gw" as the icon, in the style of the various Adobe creative suit icons (♥). I'm not asking for you to say this is okay for me to do, I'd just like to know the likelihood of getting caught – if those support team watchers will ban me 15 seconds after logging in, it's not worth the effort. –Jette 03:07, 26 October 2009 (UTC)

Pardon the silly question, but wouldn't it be easier to just change the shortcut's icon? - Tanetris 03:24, 26 October 2009 (UTC)

Two things: first, I lack common sense and think in an original but somewhat perpendicular fashion, which explains why I sometimes do these strange things. Second, I don't think Windows 7's bæd pin bar lets you pin shortcuts, it redirects to the program itself. I guess I could always just hack the icon cache, but that's even more cumbersome since you have to do it every time the cache gets refreshed, which can happen rather frequently, plus you have to be logged in as root to access system files (this assuming I can even fricking find the icon cache, which is probably buried underneath 20 different system folders with a weird file extension like .crp and has to be decompressed with some obscure-ass compression tool that you can only get from Microsoft but have to compile yourself, only to find out that there's a bug that keeps it from working 64-bit copies of Windows anyway, leaving you wonder how on earth it makes the file in the first place. This is why I use FreeBSD when I'm not planning on the vidja or footooshoop. –Jette 03:39, 26 October 2009 (UTC)

I've never touched Windows 7, but a bit of googling suggests that by holding shift and right-clicking the icon, you will be able to go into properties and change the icon. - Tanetris 08:19, 26 October 2009 (UTC)

Hi, Jette. I would consider pursuing Tanetris' suggestions. I am not comfortable crossing into the "what can the team see?" territory, even for a benign question such as this. Thanks for understanding. -- Gaile 18:32, 26 October 2009 (UTC)

Not to accuse ArenaNet of spying on anyone, but if "changing desktop icons with a third party tool" is in the realm of "what can the team see?", that makes me very, very uncomfortable. ··· Danny Pew Pew 19:00, 26 October 2009 (UTC)

Danny, you may have missed the original request. It wasn't just changing the icon, it was hacking the exe so the icon would be different.--Pyron Sy 19:15, 26 October 2009 (UTC)

ups. gotcha. guess i misunderstood because i could never imagine that modifying an icon would require cracking a file. ··· Danny Pew Pew 19:28, 26 October 2009 (UTC)

Yes, Danny. Just so you understand, it was the concept of tampering with or modifying the exe file that gave me the willies. :) -- Gaile 19:31, 26 October 2009 (UTC)

Yeah, that makes a lot more sense. I really need to work on not skimming through Jette's walls of text. ^_~ ··· Danny Pew Pew 19:36, 26 October 2009 (UTC)

Alright, I understand. I'll probably just make an executable that does nothing except launch the real GW.exe, and maybe texmod if I ever get around to upgrading this primordial graphics card... Does GW2 have a set icon yet though? If it doesn't, you should tell them to make it BIG and SHINY. You can't go wrong with big and shiny. The current one isn't bad, it's just so... plain, and normal-looking. Oh well, nowhere near as bad as the ridiculous irfanview icon.
@Danny:I thought you loevd my long posts!  ;_; –Jette 21:03, 26 October 2009 (UTC)

I do love them, but I have an unfortunate habit of not reading them entirely, especially at opportune times such as this. I think the problem with the Guild Wars icon is that it was created before Windows Vista came out and started using 1000x1000 icon images. (Read: Vista is terrible and I prefer my small, lackluster icons.) ··· Danny Pew Pew 21:06, 26 October 2009 (UTC)

Well, Vista is pretty terrible, but the leap from XP to 7 is a lot more tolerable. I love how they carbon-copied the "superuser" security/anti-dumbass system from Unix, but managed to make it terrible (not to mention effete, since it can be overridden by any program) in the process. Aero is pretty sexy though. LOL EVERYTHING IS ALL SHINY NO WONDER MS SELLS SO MANY COPIES –Jette 21:42, 26 October 2009 (UTC)

[edit] My gw account got banned as code=045

hi Gaile

My ticket ID is: 091027-000709,can you take a look?

My gw account got banned after few mins afk in kamadan as code=045,it said me engaged in the sale of in-game items for cash or other items with real world value, or engaged in gathering items to be sold for cash or other items with real world value. And i'm very sure i didnt do that.I sent a ticket to support team,but they just said like above i mentioned and closed my ticket.

I did some UWSC with friends,but all failed cuz the new updates,then the team disbanded.So i went to kamadan to do some trades,what i remember is i bought a q10 volatic spear,a q9 eternal blade and a stacks of tot.I saw someone was selling a q10 volatic spear,and i offered him 38e,he said ok,then we deal;after that i tried to find a UWSC group,but not enough ppl online in my frinedlist,maybe 10 or 20 mins later,i found someone was selling a q9 eternal blade 100e,i pmed him said i will buy,then we deal;after that or before that i bought a stacks of tot. After that,i found someone selling q10 Volatic Spear 45e,so i wanted to resell the Volatic Spear to make some ectos,i just sell for ectos not for real-world money,i made ad in trade channel,3 or 4 ppls offered me,but didn't trade.Then i went few mins afk,i got err=007 when i back,and got code=045 when i logged in again.

I'm realy comfused why GM terminated my account said above that?

First,im not a RMT,what i did most are UWSC(not farming ecto) and other elite missions,i did a record run for UWSC with my ele(the link of that run:http://www.guildwarsguru.com/forum/showthread.php?t=10212734&page=3 (#58),and the picture is:http://img258.imageshack.us/img258/9171/gw094vi1.jpg),and a lot of ppl knew me cuz of that.And my ele got got 30 maxed titles(GWAMM),i spent 5 stacks of ectos on GWAMM,and my Zaishen rank is r6,Gladiator rank is R2,HA rank is R3;My monk even dont have full 55 or 600 monk armor/weapons,cuz i dont like farm;my sin did uw/fowsc and RA mostly.Do you think a RTM would do that?

Second,i didnt assist any RMT.(1):if one of the sellers that sold me Eternal Blade/Volatic Spear is RMT and if GM knew his/her is a RMT,why GM didnt terminate his/her account before our trade? And why terminated my account after the trade?I dont know who is RMT,i just play game.Well,if not me bought the Eternal Blade/Volatic Spear,GM would terminate that buyer(s) who bought the Eternal Blade/Volatic Spear?If GM dont terminate other buyers that bought the Eternal Blade/Volatic Spear,so it is unfair for me,and if GM would terminate other buyers,the question back to my 1st question:why GM didnt terminate the RMT before the trade happened? (2):if any of the sellers that sold me Eternal Blade or Volatic Spear is not RMT,so why terminated my account and closed my ticket?

I'm really mad while i got the code=045,because it's not 1st time my account got banned as code=045 for the same reason,there is another case that terminated my account afet i bought a white rabbit,the ticket is: 080804-000243.I want my account back soon,Gaile,help me plz!

Thank in advance! Geox

Your submitted your appeal today. You should not ask me to help today -- it is too soon. The matter is still under investigation by the team itself and you should allow them to complete that investigation. It may be a few days before they answer you.

I am not the first person you should ask for help. I may be able to help later. I know you care about your account, and you have gotten several titles, but it has been blocked three times for RMT and that is a concern for all of us. Please continue your dialogue with Support about this matter. Thank you. -- Gaile 02:49, 28 October 2009 (UTC)

Thanks Gaile,but sorry for 1st time use the wiki talk page.They colsed my ticket,so i ask a help here.I can wait if they are still investigating my case. Geox 03:48, 28 October 2009 (UTC)

They are still investigating. I know because I just emailed the team lead to ask them to do so. :) I think I understand what took place, but I want the team to have a chance to review the records and in-game logs. The team lead is, I think, out of the office, and so I ask that you give this a couple of extra days. I'm sorry I cannot get an answer more quickly, but I want him to participate in the review if at all possible. -- Gaile 02:12, 3 November 2009 (UTC)

Still no reply on my ticket,so they still investigating my case? -- Geox

It's early morning there right now (6:15am I think in Seattle), please wait a few hours. Rose Of Kali 14:15, 4 November 2009 (UTC)

It last more than a week.Geox 14:25, 4 November 2009 (UTC)

But Gaile just gave you a reply yesterday. ^^ Thus you should expect to hear something during today's business hours, which are starting soon. Rose Of Kali 14:27, 4 November 2009 (UTC)

Hey Gaile,how about the support team working on my case? -- Geox 18:11, 6 November 2009 (UTC)

It appears that you are in China, but the ticket is being reviewed by the European team. I asked the team lead to look at this, but as I said, he is out of town. He did ask two other team members to review the situation, but it does not appear that they had an opportunity to do so yet. I have sent a new email asking for a review, and I apologize for the delay. -- Gaile 18:33, 6 November 2009 (UTC)

[edit] Account Hacked; Things Stolen

My account was hacked and alot of my things were stolen...

I don't know where else to turn...

I'm very distressed and very sad and very angry at the same time... Someone please help...

My account was hacked and many things were stolen.

I don't know how or when it happened but I have some information that I think may help. I logged on today Friday, October 30th at around 8pm Central Time in the US. I was logged in for a couple of minutes and then I was logged off... I would log back in and then it would log me back off. I played log-in tag about 6 times or so. When I tried for the last time it said my account info was wrong. Then I checked my other accounts and I was able to log in to those. I then tried resetting my password and logging back in to my original account. When I logged in I was in for about 5 minutes in the Temple of the Ages and was about to get two people some Black Widow Spider runs with my friend and then I noticed all my stuff was stolen.

25 Platinum on my main character that is a Ranger

315 or 325 Platinum in the bank

2 sets of Elite Ranger armor were stolen with rare runes (Superior Vigor amongst them) and insignias.

All my materials (250 of each)

All my rare materials (a few of those but with dozens of Linen and hundreds of Steel and about 25 Jadeite Shards)

A Mini Black Beast of Aaaargh (Not Dedicated)

Many Rare Gold and Green Weapons and a ton of Weapons Mods specially bows from a PvP Character that was used as storage

About 150 Mysterious Summoning Stones

About 140 Automaton Summoning Stones

About 40 Merchant Summoning Stones

10 or 11 Essences of Celerity

I have worked so hard for the last 4 years to collect and all these things... I have never Speed Cleared and I have never farmed with cheese builds or overpowered skills. I worked normally for 4 years for this. I have never stolen anything off of anybody in the game. I'm so upset.. I'd just like to get my things back. If you can find the person that did all this and just give me my things back I would be so happy. I'm so terribly upset and depressed now... I lost everything and the day before Halloween too... =( I'm so sad. I just want to have the things I deserve back. I just want my stuff...

I checked my computer with my anti-virus and my anti-spyware. I don't have any stuff on my computer. I scanned it and it didn't find anything.

I was playing just fine last night on Thursday. I didn't log on till about 8pm on Friday. My stuff must have been stolen sometime between 3am or 4am on Thursday and 8pm Friday. Any activity on my account between that time is not me and that is when the person stole it. I hope that helps because I would like help getting my things back =(. I am so upset and so sad about this... I don't know if I would return to Guild Wars without my stuff... I love Guild Wars and I would like to be able to play it again with the stuff that I've earned...

After calming down I filed a request at the support site... I hope I get my stuff soon or else Halloween in Guild Wars is ruined for me...

My Reference # is 091031-000150 and 091031-000305 -- MangyForestCat 02:58, 31 October 2009 (UTC)

I remember now that I logged in one time around a week ago and my character was in Temple of the Ages in Russian District 1. It was either for the Halloween update or the update right before that. I remember having to download a Guild Wars update and then logging in and being in Russian District 1 in ToA... I was confused as to why it would log in there but I thought maybe the patch did something weird. I don't really know if that helps but I hope it does. I'm so sad I really want my stuff back =( -- MangyForestCat 04:28, 31 October 2009 (UTC)

Chances are you won't get your stuff back. You should be happy you even have your account. But I'm sure the support team will do all they can. -- Wyn talk 05:59, 31 October 2009 (UTC)

Personally I'd be happy just getting the stuff I can remember. The thing that hurts the most is my money, my Ranger armor, my Summoning Stones, and the Essences of Celerity. I can always get my Materials and Rare Materials back. The weapons and weapon upgrades I guess I don't need much anymore... I just feel violated... I feel so depressed now... -- MangyForestCat 06:36, 31 October 2009 (UTC)

That's so sad ;_;. Maybe ArenaNet should offer a Guild Wars Insurance policy to cover problems like this. Loves to Sync 06:50, 31 October 2009 (UTC)

I tried to log in again a few minutes ago and now I'm getting a Code=045. I guess that means they're working on it now. I also got a response to my Support Question I submitted earlier. I hope this gets resolved soon or I'm going to miss this year's Halloween. I'm so sad... =( -- MangyForestCat 08:20, 31 October 2009 (UTC)

That is sad, but Anet can't give you your stuff back, they just can't do that. They can only get your account back and help you reset the password. Have you used the same login/password as your GW on some forum or other site? Rose Of Kali 08:31, 31 October 2009 (UTC)

Actually Rose, can't isn't quite true. In some instances they can, and do, but in most it's not possible. -- Wyn talk 08:34, 31 October 2009 (UTC)

I was coming back to correct myself... If they find the hacker and he still has the stuff, they may be able to give it back. But if the hacker was an RMT, it's gone. The Russian district thing is not good news. The armor and runes were most likely salvaged and sold already, as well as mats, but you can still hope for the raw gold and maybe summoning stones and the mini. Rose Of Kali 08:37, 31 October 2009 (UTC)

Well, even if I can get back just what you mentioned, Kali, I'd be very happy. The armor and the money were the biggest losses. I can live without the Mini. I really liked my weapons but like I said I had them in a storage character so I guess I didn't really need them. I doubt most of the stuff has been outright sold yet. The easiest things to track would probably be the weapons, the money, the mini, and the Summoning Stones. I'm sure the Essences of Celerity can be easily sold. I know the Armor can be salvaged and sold off pretty quickly but I imagine it would be easy to trace the person who took it. I don't know... If I don't get the stuff back I'll probably just quit Guild Wars... It took me way too long to get all those things and I don't know if I have the will to work for it all again.... -- MangyForestCat 09:03, 31 October 2009 (UTC)

You could start a character you've never played before. GW can be almost like a different game depending on the character you play, especially comparing martial classes and casters. I sympathize with your feelings, but having a developed character in itself is the best asset of Guild Wars, you can earn the other things back faster than you think. I've heard of people recovering after having their characters deleted after being robbed, now that is truly hard. I hope you can get some of your things back, even if it's just your interest in playing again. Rose Of Kali 09:15, 31 October 2009 (UTC)

Well, I'm still waiting and my account is still locked with Code=45... I guess the investigation won't be over till at least sometime next week. I think I'm going to miss Halloween this year. I'm pretty sad about that. Hopefully I'll get some of my stuff back and hopefully they'll be able to track down the person who did it. Well, I guess I'll be taking a break from Guild Wars until I get more information and a response from the support team or Gaile. -- MangyForestCat 19:20, 31 October 2009 (UTC)

Best of luck. You have some Pumpkin Pies and Wintersday coming up, so don't despair. Rose Of Kali 23:01, 31 October 2009 (UTC)

It's a Code 045 a block/ban on the account due to a breach of the rules? Check the Error page for some info. ~~000.00.00.00~~ 18:51, 1 November 2009 (UTC)

A Err 45 can be related to an account closure put in place to protect a player's account. We'll close the account while awaiting contact from the real owner, to try to prevent further damage, like the deletion of characters, etc. Sometimes, we're fortunate enough to be able to lock down the account before anything at all is stolen. (This is something I remember very well from an incident in July -- virtually no one lost a thing.) Anyway, Err 45 does not necessarily mean that the person who receives it did something wrong. -- Gaile 01:08, 3 November 2009 (UTC)

"Chances are you won't get your stuff back. You should be happy you even have your account. But I'm sure the support team will do all they can." I had to LOL at that. If they did all they *could* he'd get his stuff back. 65.207.54.194 17:54, 2 November 2009 (UTC)

(Reset indent) There are many reasons why stolen items seldom can be retrieved and returned. Primary amongst them is that items are often exchanged (sold, traded, merchanted) multiple times. Say someone offers you an item at an attractive price, you accept, and then trade it to a friend. Maybe it goes through a few more trades, as items do even in a short period of time. What if we get a hacked account report and discover that the item that you bought legitimately, and which was traded legitimately to several other people, was a stolen item? From whom do we take it? The last buyer? No, for that would make him a victim of the hacker just as much as the initial victim. Obviously, we'll action the account thief to the best of our ability, and many accounts are terminated every day. But the issue with items is just more complex.

Another scenario: A hacker steals an item, sells it to a merchant, and then uses that gold to buy items from legitimate players. The item is gone -- we cannot spawn items nor get an exchange from the merchant -- but do we then go to people who make what they thought were legitimate sales and take away the gold they were paid for their items?

Sometimes -- very rarely -- we have a clear-cut path that enables us to return items. When we can, we do. Many people who read this page can attest to that, for I've talked to some of them personally and have returned the items they lost. But for most cases, it's simply not possible. Not because we don't care. Not because we don't try. But simply because we cannot do it in a fair and equitable way. -- Gaile 01:05, 3 November 2009 (UTC)

I'm very happy to have my account back, but when I asked wether there was any trace of the hacker and items I got this: 'The Guild Wars Support Team does not have the capability to replace characters or items, whether they are lost through the actions of unfriendly players, deletion accidents, or through other means.' I'm sorry to say, that sounds like a standard reply, without looking or trying. Gaia 08:49, 6 November 2009 (UTC)

While the wording is formal, each account is reviewed in the event that items can be returned to players. Unfortunately, item retrieval and return was not possible in this particular incident, as it is not in most instances of stolen accounts. Please don't judge what sort of process was undertaken by the wording that is used in the response. For some situations, we have found that it is best to have an exact response so that, while individual, the comments have been reviewed to provide as much information as possible and to make the response as clear as it can be. -- Gaile 18:40, 6 November 2009 (UTC)

...'Empty Trash Bin'(Bin) or 'BuyBack'(Merch) not ever going to be added?,runescape has a kind of 'buyback',And WoW goes without saying; I dont wanna sound evil,but for god sakes =.= Guildwars needs less skill updates and more Gameplay updates.And im sorry to here about your stolen stuff :/ ... A charity any good? x_x --Neil2250 21:54, 6 November 2009 (UTC)

I am sorry, I don't know how those ideas relate to the topic at hand. Could you kindly add them to a suggestions page? Thanks. -- Gaile 22:01, 6 November 2009 (UTC)

[edit] Another Victim of Account Hacking

Hey Gaile Gray, My Account was hacked recently and I was able to take back control of it fairly quickly, at the cost of a few dear minipets and resources. My Incident # is 091010-006063.

The Minipets I have lost include the following: Mini Asura, Mini Lich, Mini Varesh, Mini Kuunavang<--(favorite of all).

I have All 3 Collectors Editions and when I lost what made the special versions somewhat unique, I feel as if something had been taken from me. The person who is currently helping me, states that what was taken cannot be restored, via any means even if there is proof that it was taken (Via logs or whatever), and even though the person who stole it could have been banned, the items could not have been restored to me, either via undoing transactions or something else. I honestly do not know what to do... I love the game, but the support end that was helping me, basically left me hanging, not even listening to what I was saying.

Thanks for any help you may be able to provide. Faithful Follower, Natures Demise 08:05, 1 November 2009 (UTC).

The only time items have been returned was when the culprits still had those items on him when he was caught. Once they've been resold to other players, they're gone for good.--Pyron Sy 08:27, 1 November 2009 (UTC)

ArenaNet literally cannot restore items on the live servers as far as anyone has ever heard. ··· Danny Pew Pew 17:50, 1 November 2009 (UTC)

This is really disheartening to hear. Normally when a password has been changed (as happened to my account), an email is sent to the corresponding email address. My yahoo is tied to my Master Account and my Gmail is tied to my GW Account. I recieved NO email stating it was originally changed, when the hacker took the account. The only time I recieved notice of a password change, was when I actually changed it myself, which leads to me believing they did not use the normal means of changing the password. How else can a password be changed aside from within? It is the item/perk that got me interested in the collectors edition of the game. I actually paid the extra for it. That is my question/comment/concern. Because if it was a poor password, then it is my fault stuff was taken. But if it was the servers being manipulated/hacked into, then why couldnt I get the item back if they didnt hack me, but the server? It wouldn't have been my fault then. Natures Demise 18:41, 1 November 2009 (UTC)

Gaile Gray has stated several times that they cannot create the stolen items to give back to you. I've never heard of a case where they tracked down the original stolen items and returned them to the proper owners, though some users have mentioned that this has rarely happened in the past. 23:02, 1 November 2009 (UTC)

What concerns me more than losing my items, is how the hacker altered my password without an email going to my account, yet when I changed the password, it emails me. That sounds more like an internal security issue on the server rather than someone knowing my info, since I have changed the passwords on my email accounts, and those email accounts not being stolen. Natures Demise 06:58, 2 November 2009 (UTC)

If it's really true that ANet can't create any items, how do they make stuff like the mini candy corns? I mean, it can't just come out of nowhere, can it? –Jette 07:25, 2 November 2009 (UTC)

I'm guessing it's probably going to happen through the use of a new account key on the winner's account, which will generate the item the same way as a collector's edition present or the mini Asura from the magazine codes, etc. Anet doesn't create the minis and trade the players with them. Rose Of Kali 11:53, 2 November 2009 (UTC)

My account has been hacked aswell (this saturday) and I'm waiting on support to reset my password (or any word from them), and I'm just wondering atm how long such things usually take. Gaia 00:50, 3 November 2009 (UTC)

Hi Gaia. I'm very sorry to hear that you experienced an incident. Did you make a purchase using a credit card in the last, say, 48 hours? If so, those incidents should be cleared up by tomorrow, according to the Billing Team lead, if you have filed a support ticket. If you did not make such a purchase, then you're not part of the recent incident, but the team will attend to you issue as soon as possible, of course. If you have not heard by tomorrow (Tuesday) evening US time, please feel free to post your Incident Number here and I'll take a peek at the ticket to see if I can shed some light on the timeframe you're looking at. -- Gaile 01:11, 3 November 2009 (UTC)

No I didn't make a purchase, my password was just changed without my knowledge, and saw somebody else logging on my account (so I'm pretty sure I just got hacked). Ty for the response and I'll keep an eye on my ticket today. Gaia 10:12, 3 November 2009 (UTC)

I don't see your incident number, Gaia, so I can't check this. Have things been sorted out yet? -- Gaile 04:59, 5 November 2009 (UTC)

(Reset indent) Natures Demise, I shared with the devs your observation that you did not get an email when your password was changed. We're actively investigating and reviewing the change process so we can ensure that emails are sent. In fact, we may be making some substantial changes to the entire system for changing passwords. So thank you for pointing out the lack of an email in the one instance of a password change, that was helpful information to have. -- Gaile 05:02, 5 November 2009 (UTC)

My ticket is atm 'In Progress' so i have good hopes it will be resolved soon. Ty for the interest and I'll let you know how things go. Gaia 05:10, 5 November 2009 (UTC)

Yuy, got my pw reset and my account back. 'Only' lost 350k, all mats, b/w dye, obsi armor and vabbian armor :( but at least he left most of the armor in tact.(hmmm now i think of it, that's over 1,200k down the drain, darn) Gaia 12:49, 5 November 2009 (UTC)

Thanks Gaile, If ya don't recall, I was the one who started talkin with ya on the last day of the Mad King Thorns' visits about the account issue. I managed to save up enough resources to get my Kuuna Undedicated, from someone. I hope you get some form of information back from the other Devs about this issue. I checked back on my Gmail and Yahoo email accounts, and the earliest emails I recieved, were that of NCSupport to change my password (When I changed it back myself). Any information is appreciated. Natures Demise 17:40, 5 November 2009 (UTC)

[edit] Erroneous Fraud Blocks: 1 Nov 2009

On Sunday, November 1st, a few Guild Wars accounts were erroneously blocked for payment fraud even though their purchases were entirely legitimate. It is necessary for the company to be very careful about fraud because it is a significant issue these days, but the Support Team discovered this morning that, unfortunately, a few innocent folks got caught in the net yesterday, and for that we apologize.

The Support Team is aware of this situation and is actually shifting personnel to deal with the issue. They will be responding to tickets as quickly as they can. Reinstatement takes a bit of time because each key must be adjusted manually (and some accounts have many keys), so please be patient while the team strives to remedy the situation. If your account was affected and you have not been reinstated by tomorrow evening (Tuesday, November 3rd) please feel free to post your Support Incident Number here and I will look into the matter for you. Again, we extend our sincere apologies for this mix-up! -- Gaile 19:51, 2 November 2009 (UTC)

[edit] Update: 2 November 2009

Those players who were involved in this specific incident will be happy to know that their patience and understanding will have a reward. Those of you who attempted to make a purchase and were erroneously blocked for "fraud" will find that the purchase price will be credited back to the you, and the item or items that you attempted to purchase will be given to you with our compliments. :) -- Gaile 01:12, 3 November 2009 (UTC)

D: Can I have a block next time? –Jette 01:14, 3 November 2009 (UTC)

Sure, my pleas... I mean, nope, sorry. :D -- Gaile 03:42, 3 November 2009 (UTC)

Sweet! That is a relief!Im duanuys the same user who wrote about the fruad block most recent help thread :DD

im still waiting hers my incident number 091102-002362 i cant even edit my support questionbecause my NCSoft account is also blocked Mr Corpser 22:36, 3 November 2009 (UTC)

Gaile im still waiting pls look into it pls incident number 091102-002362 Mr Corpser 17:25, 4 November 2009 (UTC)

@Mr Corpser -- According to your forum posts (and the ticket, which I just checked) you were back in the game yesterday afternoon. If that is not the case, please update your ticket so that the team knows that you are still blocked. -- Gaile 21:49, 6 November 2009 (UTC)

[edit] Update: 4 November 2009

Unfortunately, I'm not able to review individual tickets yet. I have sent for an update on the expected turn-around time on this issue and will post as soon as I know more. At this point, please hold tight and don't post a follow-up here (or via fan forum PMs or emails to me) until I find out when folks should expect to hear back from the team. Thank you. -- Gaile 20:23, 4 November 2009 (UTC)

[edit] Update: 4 November 2009 (Part 2)

I spoke with the lead of the Billing Team, and he told me that they are making progress on the account restorations, but it will take more time to get everyone back into the game. Team members are working overtime this evening, and the hope is that they will have everyone who wrote on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday cleared up by tonight (US time). They still have an expanded number of people working on this matter, so we hope to get new reports turned around very quickly now.

Please do not make a phone call if you have already submitted a ticket. Please do not submit a duplicate ticket. Please do know that you are in the system, and you will be helped as quickly as possible. Here is one of Gaile's Lame Analogies (tm): Mom's cooking dinner, making good progress. But the kids keep calling her into their room to ask "Is dinner ready yet?" Every time they do that, cooking stops, and the dinner is further delayed. (See I told you it was lame. :) ) The point is, a phone call will not move you up in the queue, but it will take team members away from the ticket they are dealing with -- maybe yours! :) -- and that's not going to help anyone. So please, contact support once, and let them do their work.

I will post another update as I have more information. If a few of you end up not getting sorted after I've been told we have an "All Clear," you can count on me helping with those individuals cases. (But not just yet, please.) Thanks again for your patience. -- Gaile 03:36, 5 November 2009 (UTC)

[edit] Update: 6 November 2009

As of this hour, there are only 10 tickets in the queue for the erroneous "fraud" issues, so we are not only seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, we can feel the warmth coming off the lightbulb. :)

One note: I saw a forum thread where someone said his or her ticket was escalated because of a phone call. We do accept follow-ups, and we will look for and attend to tickets that have been misfiled (rare) or haven't gotten attention. But please know that we don't let phone calls override the queues, that someone calling in won't be able to queue-jump for faster service. If you've called before, or if you've filed a ticket, have confidence that you'll be helped as quickly as possible. (And feel free to update your ticket if you haven't heard in a few days.)

I wanted to share that we will be making some substantial changes to the way that Support resolves tickets of this kind. The reason for the delays in this and other reinstatement cases has been that each access key on each account has required replacement. As you can imagine, some people have a lot of keys on their accounts ( *raises hand* ) and that means each reinstatement takes time, what with disabling keys, adding keys, and maintaining proper records.

I proposed a way to change the process on Monday, and everyone was on board for making that change. I'm going to work with a couple of folks to see how we can expedite the new system. In addition, the agents have been retrained in the process of fraud reviews, and that will reduce the chance of this sort of incident happening.

So in a nutshell:

• We are working to reduce the chances of an erroneous fraud block. It is necessary for us to keep security high, because there are several hundred fraudulent attempts a day and we must maintain security against those. But we'll do our best to take care to not affect legitimate players.
• We will be moving to a process that more quickly resolves such issues, so in the unlikely event someone is accidentally marked for fraud, we'll be able to reinstate the account more quickly.

Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns. -- Gaile 21:35, 6 November 2009 (UTC)

[edit] Wrongful Perma Ban code 045

Payment Fraud

→ moved from Feedback_talk:Gaile_Gray

Heya gaile hope your still around, I have heard alot of good stuff about you and after having my ticket untouched for the entire day with no response was hoping you can help me and/or shed some light on wth is going on with my account?

I bought the game last month triple version and have been playing it happily for a month, left wow for guildwars because of the feedback from friends I recieved and the research I did into the game, I play or have played every mmorpg there is since D&D 1.0 from gary gygax, but in all my days never seen one like guildwars that banned innocent folks for stuff they did not do and have documents to prove it, then when tickets are made having them not even be looked at or replied on.

I just recently purchased multiple upgrades to my account via the in-game store and have read online that many others have seen similar wrongful bans for fraud just for buying alot at once, wow any true gamer is gonna get what they want all at once not piece by piece. now I very unhappy with CS since I joined anet/guildwars so far it has been the worst of all the games I have played. VERY good game, very bad CS. They even perma ban right off without warnings and with no e-mail notifications or chances to dispute.

Please get back to me regarding this matter, I love the game but having to live through a wrongful perma ban for something I did not do is BS. I have a ticket in the support section of guildwars website and so far been all day with no reponse, funny they are around to ban accounts on a sunday but not to deal with paid consumers...lol. LilithChan 00:00, 2 November 2009 (UTC) ps- almost forgot to add it, support ticket #091101-001389 LilithChan 00:16, 2 November 2009 (UTC)

Yes support here is so terrible it just hurts,but look at it this way its even worse with games like AoC :) Lilondra 07:12, 2 November 2009 (UTC)

According to GWGuru this is a known issue by support and you need to contact them to resolve it. Currently, they're backed up with this problem because it is so common, so I would recommend waiting for your ticket to be resolved. Gaile is probably backed up with this as well. There have been a number of people who were banned for fraud accidentally and a number of people who feel they were hacked through the NCSoft store. For right now, I would recommend that everyone avoid buying from the online store. Karate Jesus 15:33, 2 November 2009 (UTC)

Actually, I should probably add this quote from Guru.

"This is confirmed happening for our German friends as well and on other various fansites.

Since yesterday there have been increasing reports of users in our forum that have had their account locked because of credit card fraud. Apparently, there was an error in the game shop making the credit card data not transfer properly. When the actual charge took place, there was no money available (because of the data not transferring correctly) so the affected users were then locked out automatically.

We have already requested a response from NCsoft/ArenaNet. As we get more information we will announce it.

If you have been affected you should contact NCSoft support. They will require the following data:

NCsoft Login (if available)

The last 4 digits of the activation code for the bank account / credit card used"

There ya go. Hope that helps. Karate Jesus 15:37, 2 November 2009 (UTC)

Actually no this is not my case, I am american not german, I JUST bought this stuff like october 31 and have documents to prove the transactions were successful both from ncsoft e-mail confirmation and from my visa statement both which show ncsoft got thier money yet I am still on a PERMA BAN not even a e-mail or other form of communication and issue is still unresolved and my ticket has not even gotten a response and it's now november 2 11:12am EST.

I have never EVER used any kind of mod or 3rd party software, never ever visit suspicious sites, and I run multiple security suites thus have no viruses and/or keyloggers and therefore have not been hacked. This is NCSOFT/ANET error PERMA BANNED on a sunday when ncsoft CS is closed the day after a purchase from thier store that was valid and successful.

Don't worry they have a ticket they just choose not to repond and/or even state whether or not it is being investigated at all and I am still PERMA BANNED wrongly from a game I paid for and spent over $117.50 on so far total, should be compensated for the time I am unable to play due to THEIR MISTAKE. Worst CS I ever seen in a game EVER. funny they seem to use the COMMUNIST view of guilty until proven innocent instead of the INNOCENT until proven guilty motto and for a CS are way to free with the PERMA BAN banhammer, most other decent mainstream mmo's reserve PERMA BANS for 100% WRONG, never got a Permaban in any other MMORPG EVER, they just reserve those for the worst offenders not the innocent customers ANET/NCSOFT seems to enjoy screwing...lol LilithChan 16:30, 2 November 2009 (UTC)

Nice, you found a way to put communist in there, you are so awesome. Cracko 16:31, 2 November 2009 (UTC)

Please LilithChan, even if you are not part of the German problem, because of it, support is totally backed up (also it happened over the weekend when they don't have a full crew). I have had nothing but positive experiences when dealing with support, and I'm sure they will get it worked out for you as soon as possible. Just be patient. Would you rather they not block your account if someone else were committing fraud with it, or hacked it? I mean, they simply block the account until they can determine the nature of the problem. -- Wyn talk 16:34, 2 November 2009 (UTC)

"This is confirmed happening for our German friends as well"

Lilith, note that the phrase used says "as well". It is commonly happening to americans, not just Germans. And as I said earlier, it is a common problem and Support is aware of it and probably backed up due to it. Give them time to work it out. It's only been 1 day since we became aware of this and we're already aware of hundreds of cases. Be patient. EDIT: Also, Support takes weekends off as well. They have lives and families, who I'm sure they enjoyed Halloween with. Karate Jesus 16:39, 2 November 2009 (UTC)

"I have been unable to play GW for 1-2 days now and am very distressed by this especially as I have heard nothing... blah blah blah." Holy shit. Go outside or something, they have a backlog and will get to you eventually. I'm astounded you expect next business day turn around for a game with no monthly fees, especially when there seems to be major issues at the moment. The block was applied automatically, that's why it occurred on a weekend and why the review was not instantaneous. Chill. When it's been like a week and you haven't heard anything you have grounds to bitch. Misery 16:45, 2 November 2009 (UTC)

Karate Jesus, did you check the time stamp on that quote? 24.197.253.243 17:30, 2 November 2009 (UTC)

Nope, should I have? Also, you can call me KJ. And this is a known issue as of the 31st from what I've heard and, as I said earlier, even support takes weekends off. Karate Jesus 17:32, 2 November 2009 (UTC)

(Reset indent) We shall see what the results are hopefully soon, finally at least got a reponse to my ticket. so now just waiting for them to get it sorted out, and as far as being a holiday you need to check federal database on holidays, halloween has never been a recognized federal holiday in the states and most of those who work still have to work on that date regardless, time off really depends on the employer as technically it is not a holiday. Maybe to those such as myself it is but only because it is samhain in pagan and neopagan traditions, But this thread has nothing to do with religion nor politics so I will elaborate no further in that direction.

now I will just have to wait and see something I have never been very good at, Patience and MMO withdrawl are alot less savory to me then nicotine withdrawl which though harder to quit then most drugs was somewhat manageable with coffee and extra food, and I have never been very fond of being ripped off anymore or less then anyone else, however being disabled what little I have after paying all my bills and food shelter, going to a game I am not even able to use due to an unjust ban without cause does make me less inclined to civility. For now I am just going to take and watch some boring reruns, and wait until such time as I recieve a reply into the results of their investigation.

Kinda pointless further hashing this out, does nothing to solve my issue and opinions are well.... opinions and everyone is entitled to theirs. For now having played every mmorpg under the sun since the 80's and seen the CS of them all, still feel rightfully in My Opinion, that it can be improved upon for this game, namely autobans should never be permanent that should always be reserved for worst case scenarios and only applied by a live agent to ensure good consumer relations. LilithChan 18:55, 2 November 2009 (UTC)

Nothing was said about it being a holiday, simply a weekend. Gaile for one does not work on weekends (other than responding here on her OWN time). They do not staff a full support team on the weekend, and with this current problem, I'm sure those that were there did the best they could to respond to as many as possible, as quickly as possible. I'm sure this will be sorted soon. Good Luck! -- Wyn talk 18:59, 2 November 2009 (UTC)

thank you wyn don't mind me, this game was my Birthday present to myself my birthday being the 3rd of november after all, so guess that compounds my negativity at being PERMA BANNED right out of the blue without cause, I as well do pray for a good outcome and for a day when they start being more reserved on the perma banning, as innocents do get caught in the crossfire if a game starts using PERM BANS over zealously, all bans not applied by a person should be temporal not labeled as PERMANENT and maybe folks will be less inclined to get quite so irrate.

Big difference between a Temporal Ban and a PERMA BAN in mmorpgs worldwide, PERMA BANS should be reserved only for Extreme Cases and Never handed out like candy by automated systems which can be and obviously are flawed. Blessed be, LilithChan 19:27, 2 November 2009 (UTC)

(Reset indent) I am very sorry to hear about this, LilithChan. As I posted above, there was an incident where a few accounts were erroneously blocked for payment fraud when their purchases were entirely legitimate. It is necessary for the company to be very careful about fraud, because it is such a terrible issue for any sort of on-line purchase, but yes, a few innocent folks got caught in the net. :(

The Support Team is aware of this and is actually shifting personnel to deal with the issue. They will be responding to tickets as quickly as they can, and I hope you will let me know when you get back into the game. Our apologies for this mix-up! -- Gaile 19:43, 2 November 2009 (UTC)

Ahh gaile, I seem to be ether reading my support ticket wrong or the CS rep just gave me a heart attack, is what he just said is going to happen actually going to be the case that just sounds way to good to be true, maybe I am reading this wrong but if not, I am both quite surprised and very very satisfied with the outcome as it would be exceeding expectations by a record breaking amount, was expecting hopefully something for my time and suffering but what he is offering sounds impossibly&insanely too good to be true? LilithChan 15:06, 3 November 2009 (UTC)

I am afraid I don't know exactly what you're reading, but if you're asking if the purchase you attempted to make will be give to you, for free, then the answer is "yes, it will." :) -- Gaile 04:41, 5 November 2009 (UTC)

[edit] ncsoft website security concern

→ moved from Feedback_talk:Gaile_Gray

If an individual managed to gain access to a players NCSoft account, then they could change the passwords for their game logins. The real problem is that they don't even need to enter the old password to get a new one, which is a common security measure. So without prior knowledge of game login email/password, a malicious 3rd party could take control of all a players accounts. --77.97.23.248 16:23, 30 October 2009 (UTC)

There have now been 4 threads on GWGuru concerning this same topic and around 4-5 in other places I've looked. Apparently, several people feel that they have been hacked through the NCSoft website. Several of them have screenshots and other proof that their passwords were changed from their NCSoft account page. It would be nice to get a response on this. Karate Jesus 18:42, 30 October 2009 (UTC)

I understand the concern, and I will be happy to take this to the team for discussion. -- Gaile 20:03, 2 November 2009 (UTC)

Also, this. Ɲoɕʈɋɽɕɧ 20:08, 2 November 2009 (UTC)

@Nostarch -- If you have a Support Issue, please place it on this page. Since your concern does not pertain exactly to the original concern in this thread, please make a separate topic. I would like to keep my posts focused on the Support Issues pages so that more players will see the information I share in case it has relevance to them as well as to the person who wrote about the issue. Thank you. -- Gaile 20:26, 2 November 2009 (UTC)

Its also been suggested the ncsoft account page does not limit the number of password retries when logging into an account. If that is true, an attacker only needs an account name then issue a brute force password attack to gain access. You may want to consider a maximum number of login attempts per account/ip, and possibly add some kind of captcha image validation to stop automated attacks. I'm worried that my account and other players may be at risk due to the poor security of the site. --77.97.23.248 21:52, 2 November 2009 (UTC)

There is a different kind of brute force prevention system in place. Instead of those irritating "You ran out of tries, please wait a lifetime to try again" ;) systems, the Guild Wars password system is set to take longer and longer to become available. It was explained to me a couple of years ago that this system does effectively the same thing: it prevents an automatic brute force program from working. The team felt this was more user friendly. However, I will pass along your concern and your suggestion to the team members I am writing this afternoon. -- Gaile 01:32, 3 November 2009 (UTC)

I would also like to point out that even if it only takes a tenth of a second to get from anytown, USA to Bellevue, 10 guesses per second is a comically slow speed for a brute force attack if the password is anything remotely resembling secure. You almost don't need anti-BF security with an online program (still helps though). –Jette 01:41, 3 November 2009 (UTC)

My points are of course directed specifically to the ncsoft account website, not the actual game client, although such concerns still apply to that as well. --77.97.23.248 01:45, 3 November 2009 (UTC)

I am glad you pointed that out, 77. I had not realized you were referring to the NCsoft site. I will amend my note to the managers on this subject. Thanks for the update. -- Gaile 03:41, 3 November 2009 (UTC)

(Reset indent) Update: I have been exchanging emails with a number of team members in two different states. One concern I took to the team was about not having "time outs" or other means of preventing brute forcing of passwords on the NCsoft site. Here is part of the answer that I received: "The account management secure site does indeed have velocity checks in place to prevent the brute forcing of master accounts. If too many attempts are made within a given period of time, the user will be temporarily blocked from making any further efforts to login. In addition, there are velocity checks on the action of attempting to change the passwords themselves." -- Gaile 20:10, 4 November 2009 (UTC)

I'd like to highlight something that was previously mentioned. The NCSoft account website does not require you to enter a Guild Wars game account old password in order to change passwords. See this screen capture from the site http://wiki.guildwars.com/images/c/c1/Game_password_changer.gif --Just One More Thing 20:45, 4 November 2009 (UTC)

Yes, and as I previously mentioned, I've taken several observations to the teams with whom I'm working. That is one of them. -- Gaile 20:49, 4 November 2009 (UTC)

[edit] Account Issue

Account Closed for RMT

first i would like to say sorry if this is not how you do it. I'm not sure how to contact gaile gray anyother way. I was blocked got an error 045 saying i was a gold seller/buyer. I first want to say i have never bought/sold gold with rl money. i dont even know who you can do that i cant even figure out how to use guru's auction page. My ticket number is 091102-001744. I woke up ealry today did the few normal chores and signed onto aol. I then went to guru and checked my sell thread. After checking my thread i surfed the riverside inn. after a little bit i signed onto gw. i chatted with my gl and then mapped to la.

I watched the trade chatter for awhile then i bought a tot stack for a nice price of 45k. and a few minutes later 2 dust stacks for 2.5k each. Then i spent a little while trying to and finally buying the 3 normal ele tomes i needed for my sin. By that time i saw it was getting close to 11am my time eastern time zone. I figured i should fix me and my mother lunch then do a chore before nic was found. But before i signed off i chated with my gl Pin Up Babe about the items in cof i needed for head pieces i set myself to away then went to lunch. after i think was a hour or so i came back to see i had error codeed 007. This isnt the first time i had this problems but this time i wasnt able to log back on.

It was then i discovered i had the error code 045 and why i had it. I freaked out to put it mildly. I have never done anything illegal in my life or on gw. I even have proof the last thing i bought before this was dust stacks a tot stack and 3 ele tomes! and the last thing i remember selling was a 170 cc tonics and before that a unded flowstone elemental i got on guru.

I never bought or sold gold for rl money. The way i make my money now in game is by feather running and making essences to sell in toa. last high end item i got was a chibi gwen which was a gift via zkeys from my friend Fergus Macregor who is in my allaince. Pin Up Babe my gl can vouch for me about what i did last in gw. Half is not most of my items i got were gifts from dear friends or a great find on guildwarsguru.com. The only time i sell stuff offline of gw was on guildwarsguru.com. Please i dont know what to do other then the ticket i sent it. i never done anything bad on guru and i people who can vouch for that. So please if i can do anything else or if this isnt how i contact you the right way please let me know and thank you for listening.

and sorry again if this is the wrong spot of this i am confused to where i should sent this too. --The preceding unsigned comment was added by User:Empress Luindy Amor (talk).

Gaile something is wrong here, i know this person well. She would not sell gold. Please help her. --Fergus 04:37, 3 November 2009 (UTC)

Forgive me, friends, if I confused you by moving this from its entry at the top of the page, but I felt it required a new conversation.

To the OP (I think your name is Empress?): I will look into this matter tomorrow. The staff is mostly off duty at this hour (it's part 9:00 PM Pacific time, and past 11:00 PM in Austin) so I need to look at this in the light of day when other team members are around with whom I can discuss this. Thanks for your patience. -- Gaile 05:00, 3 November 2009 (UTC)

Actually I looked at the ticket, and I think I know what happened. I have sent an email to the team lead and will follow up tomorrow. -- Gaile 05:04, 3 November 2009 (UTC)

Thank you, Silver Edge, for tidying the page and removing the duplicate content on this thread. :) -- Gaile 05:10, 3 November 2009 (UTC)

You're welcome. =D --Silver Edge 05:14, 3 November 2009 (UTC)

(Reset indent) Thanks Gaile! i just got a email i got my account back and on it now. But please can you or have someone email me why it happened to me? and what i can do to stop it from happening again? Will i have to screenshot my char before i go afk for lunch or chores each time? and should i change my pws for safety reason?

It is a bit scary, how do we avoid this? --Fergus 00:43, 4 November 2009 (UTC)

@Empress -- Support generally sends a detailed list of security suggestions when they reinstate an account. If you have continuing questions, please update your ticket and they will share that information with you. Alternately...

@Fergus and Empress -- please see this article for information that may be helpful. You will also find information on security on the NCsoft website in the Knowledge Base. -- Gaile 20:54, 4 November 2009 (UTC)

Ty Gaile--Fergus 22:20, 4 November 2009 (UTC)

You're very welcome. I am glad if that information was helpful. -- Gaile 03:41, 5 November 2009 (UTC)

[edit] Fraud Block

Ok so when i tried to log back onto Guild Wars today it gave me an error code=045 "Your Guild Wars account has been terminated due to payment fraud".

I recently got my account blocked (code45) because apparently of fraud and its still not reinstated. My credit card says the charges went through. I was able to play and get on November 2 at ~8am then when i went to get on again at ~12pm it gave me that error message. I didn't do anything wrong and i have all the proof to show i bought all the items i bought throught the in-game store Can you give us an update? incident = 091102-002001 68.92.151.121 03:16, 3 November 2009 (UTC)

Hi. I'm sorry to hear that this happened to you. If you will read just a few conversations up on this page (here) I think you will find all the info you need about this incident. (And some good news, as well!) Thanks. -- Gaile 03:40, 3 November 2009 (UTC)

Oh wow thankyou soo much! I was freaking out cause, i was like...no way i have enough money in the bank and all that..that just makes me feel so relieved thankyou again :)I wonder what happened for it too glitch like that...

I'm real sorry you had to go through that stress. :( But all will be well, I'm sure. Do let me know if you need further help -- that's what I'm here for! :) -- Gaile 05:27, 3 November 2009 (UTC)

Ok Gaile thx, ok so i don't want to be a nuisance lol, but you said in the thread above about the fraud that if it isn't fixed by today (Nov 3) around evening time, is it possible that you can look into the matter for me? :D thx duan

hey Gaile its Duan reguarding the payment fraud block mishap. According to the message a few threads up about the whole situation, you advised the people with this problem to report back to you if this issue was not fixed by November 3rd in the evening time. Well i just wanted to say they have not fixed it yet, and i was wondering if you could look into it for me if its not too much to ask :) Thanks Gaile! Duan Uys

Hi. It's still a bit early, as I mentioned here. I apologize for the delay and am currently working on learning a clear timeframe for the team assisting the affected players. -- Gaile 20:33, 4 November 2009 (UTC)

You mean the support team hasn't even begun fixing the infected accounts yet?!

Please read above. Of course they have started fixing the affected accounts. I should have been more clear: I was waiting to get a timeframe for when the team anticipated having a body of tickets resolved. I received that update tonight, and you'll find it in the linked thread, as the second update of today. -- Gaile 03:40, 5 November 2009 (UTC)

Sorry my response was for another thread but you answered my question lol, so according to what you responded to the message below me. It says that all accounts that were affected between Nov 1-3 are to be addressed first, and should be fixed by tomorrow. And just to confirm you said that by tomorrow Evening November 5, if its still not fixed to address you that the situation has not bee taken care of. ok got it haha thx for all the help you must be getting rained help requests. I appreciate taking your time to help people like me who are a nuisance lol haha :P

I am waiting actual number to make a formal update, but a lot of tickets have been resolved in the last 24 hours, and I am hoping that yours was one of them. The team continues to work with expanded numbers to take care of players who were affected. You're welcome to provide me your Incident Number if you have not heard by, say, 6:00 PM Pacific time this evening, but I very much think you'll be sorted by then. -- Gaile 19:38, 5 November 2009 (UTC)

Thankyou i will update you at about 6pm pacific. I do hope that my account will be fixed,because it still not is. I understand that the entire support team is working on the issue. Thankyou again for helping us and keeping us up-to-date about the whole situation. As of 2:30 pm central time, my account is still not fixed, nor any update has been made on my support ticket if you would like just i will provide my support ticket number. 091102-002001 thankyou again Gaile Duan

Speak of the devil, as writing my above statement, NCSoft has contacted me and my account restored. Thankyou Gaile for keeping us up to date, and helping us with this error. :)

Well im still locked out, i might get fixed soon but i have little faith. im ganna leave my nuber just uncase Question Reference #091102-002362 ive gotten my money recredited so i know they are moving Mr Corpser

Please do not leave your number now. Please update this evening. It is 1:45 PM Pacific time. I would be happy to hear from people any time after 6:00 PM Pacific time. Updating tomorrow would be more than fine -- actually better, since the team is working overtime this evening. So tonight or any time afterwards, as is convenient for you. In wiki time, that means please do not update with your Incident Number until 01:00 on November 6th. Thank you for understanding. -- Gaile 21:50, 5 November 2009 (UTC)

According to the ticket, you were back in the game yesterday afternoon. If you have further issues, please update the ticket. -- Gaile 21:58, 6 November 2009 (UTC)

[edit] Can you *please* help my parents, Gaile?

Hello Gaile,

By now you are likely tired of hearing from people who are suffering from the unfair code 045 ban situation. While I am aware that putting another ticket on your plate to look at might be asking a bit much, I am requesting that you at least read my following situation.

My Guild Wars account hasn't been affected by a code 045 error, but my parents' accounts have. Both of them are senior citizens (61 and 72, respectively) and Guild Wars is the only computer game they play. Each morning before my father goes to work, he and my mom sign into their accounts on their laptops and run around in Pre-Searing Ascalon, collecting whatever items they need to obtain the daily Gifts of the Huntsman. My father and I occasionally team up to do missions together, and my mom basically just likes to run around and kill things with her Rhino hammer. Please understand that Guild Wars is a huge aspect in my family, as it is our primary means of bonding.

During the last day of the 2009 Halloween event, you could probably imagine the look of shock on my father's face when he saw that his account had been terminated for supposed payment fraud. The day before, he had surprised my mother by purchasing the Nightfall campaign both for himself and for her account. The resulting 045 error nearly put my mother into a state of depression because she thinks that she has lost all of her minipets and gifts that have been given to her over the months.

My parents arne't exactly computer savvy, so I have submitted support tickets to NCSoft using both of their email addresses. But to be completely honest with you, I have been less than happy with the assistance we've received. With the exception of one mass-generated response, both of their tickets have gone ignored for days. My mother now tries to log into her Guild Wars account several times each hour, hoping that she can miraculously access her account. My father, on the other hand, feels he has been betrayed by the only computer game he's ever invested any money in.

It is very difficult for me to comfort them and reassure them that they will have access to their accounts again when NCSoft isn't providing me with any support or assistance in this matter. If you can do ANYTHING to help me with this situation, I implore you to do so. Their ticket numbers are 091102-000053 and 091102-002073. I have updated their support tickets with their Guild Wars account names, primary character names, the last four digits of the credit card used to purchase Nightfall (which supposedly triggered the payment fraud flag) and our phone number in case we need to verify any information. If you can help us, I will personally climb through my computer and kiss you on the lips.

The obsession found above is quite alarming. 152.226.7.201 08:29, 4 November 2009 (UTC)

If you will read several of the session above you, you will see this was a widespread problem with purchases made in the last week. Support is in a backlog getting all the accounts restored, but they all will be restored. Also this quote from Gaile should make your parents feel a little better about the situation:

"Those players who were involved in this specific incident will be happy to know that their patience and understanding will have a reward. Those of you who attempted to make a purchase and were erroneously blocked for "fraud" will find that the purchase price will be credited back to the you, and the item or items that you attempted to purchase will be given to you with our compliments. :) -- Gaile 01:12, 3 November 2009 "

It may take a few days, but everything will be fine.--Pyron Sy 11:29, 4 November 2009 (UTC)

I am sorry to hear your parents' accounts were affected by the erroneous bans for "fraud." It's a very sad situation, and we're working as quickly as we can to reverse the error. Please find more information in this conversation. If you have further questions after working with support please feel free to update this thread. Thank you for your understanding. -- Gaile 20:00, 4 November 2009 (UTC)

Hello again. I just checked on these tickets and while both are unresolved as of this hour, the Billing Team lead told me that they very much hoped to have all tickets from November 1 - 3 answered by the time they went home (after putting in overtime) tonight. Since these tickets arrived on November 1 and November 2, that should mean they're addressed very soon, perhaps within a matter of hours. I will continue to try to track these, but could you please update if there's no progress by tomorrow evening? Thank you. -- Gaile 03:52, 5 November 2009 (UTC)

I just checked both tickets, and the issues were resolved and the accounts reactivated today. If you note any further issues, please let me know. (Oh and...um... no kissing needed, thanks. :) ) -- Gaile 21:56, 5 November 2009 (UTC)

I'd be impressed if they managed to make it through the computer. King Neoterikos 23:22, 5 November 2009 (UTC)

Oh, I don't know. I managed to modem about 400 people a piece of my birthday cake, so... *looks around* Errr... Never mind. :) -- Gaile 21:37, 6 November 2009 (UTC)

[edit] Recent Bans and Account Hacks

The recent influx of bans and account hacks

→ moved from Feedback_talk:Gaile_Gray

Hi, Gaile. I know you and support are already aware of all of these issues; however, I think it's now gotten to a point that the players need to be made aware of this. A good example of how wide spread this is can be seen by going to this GWGuru thread. Inde had sooo many people on his forums getting hacked and banned, that finally they just combined the majority of them into one giant, super thread. And that's just one forum. I've been looking at others and these issues seem to be everywhere. Many people sincerely believe that they were hacked through the NCSoft website and if that's true, it could be really "bad for business" so to speak.
Is there anyway you or support could check into the security of NCSoft's website and if there are issues, notify the players? I really hate to see players hacked just for buying something from NCSoft especially after the onslaught of accidental perma-bans. Karate Jesus 16:50, 4 November 2009 (UTC)

I've already taken the first step and warned my guild from purchases at the moment, only a few more million players to go. Tidas 16:53, 4 November 2009 (UTC)

I've warned people too, but that's not enough. Support needs to step in. Also, I would like to add that on the Aion forums, there seem to be many of the same issues. Obviously, the bans happened to both communities, but now I've noticed a large increase in the number of hacked threads on Aion fansites and many of them seem to think it was due to their NCSoft account's lack of security. Karate Jesus 16:56, 4 November 2009 (UTC)

I have been actively discussing the stolen/hacked account issue with devs inside ArenaNet and with a number of NCsoft team members, as well. We have many teams involved -- programmers, network team members, security team members, etc. -- so you can be sure this situation is being given a great deal of focus and attention.

While I cannot and would not say flat out that "It's not (something or other)" because we don't have enough information yet to make that statement, I can tell you that we carefully spot-checked a few accounts last evening, and at least one of them was not tied to a NCsoft Master Account. The hacked account was a straight Guild Wars account with no association whatever with the NCsoft site. So theorizing that there is a breach or a window of hacking opportunity on that site -- and that such a weakness is resulting in stolen accounts -- seems inaccurate, given the facts in front of us.

In my opinion, it would be an error to combine posts about accidental blocks for fraud and posts about stolen accounts. They are entirely different situations, and should be discussed separately, as they are being handled differently. I've already informed you as much as I am able about the fraud issue just above. (See this conversation, please.) And as I said, stolen accounts are a very different case. Both situations are being reviewed and both are being addressed as quickly as possible.

Everyone who gets an in-game message saying his or her account is blocked should contact support. If your account was hacked, you will most likely receive a message when you try to log into the game that says the account has been terminated. This is for your own protection, an attempt to prevent the RMT thief from stripping the account or using it to advertise gold sales. (Of course we cannot guarantee that the account will remain intact; the items may already have been harvested. But we lock down the account as quickly as possible in your best interests and will unlock it when you contact Support.) When writing, provide the error message that you received so that the team can quickly align your issue -- hacked account or erroneous "fraud" ban.

Please let me know if you have further questions and I will help as much as I am able to do so. Thanks for reading this and please feel free to share this with others, as you see fit. -- Gaile 19:57, 4 November 2009 (UTC)

I want to point out that the forum has two separate threads on the ongoing issues of account theft and accounts accidentally marked for "fraud." That will help keep the conversations topical and of more value to the individuals who are affected. -- Gaile 20:27, 4 November 2009 (UTC)

Gaile I think the security just has to go up on both sides.Just make sure its not as easy to make a bot try every F'en possible password.Lilondra 07:43, 5 November 2009 (UTC)

Interesting piece of trivia for you: If a bot tried a different password every second, it would take 278 years for it to break a truly secure password. Just FYI. :) -- Gaile 08:13, 5 November 2009 (UTC)

Another interesting piece of trivia: Most people don't use complex passwords, even though they should. Regardless of how secure an individual's password is, it's bad form for a company to know about and continue to allow bots to repeatedly perform failed log-ins in an attempt to brute force passwords from its customers. Just FYI ;) 65.207.54.194 17:31, 5 November 2009 (UTC)

And perhaps you missed this post that I made on that very subject?

"I have been exchanging emails with a number of team members in two different states. One concern I took to the team was about not having "time outs" or other means of preventing brute forcing of passwords on the NCsoft site. Here is part of the answer that I received: "The account management secure site does indeed have velocity checks in place to prevent the brute forcing of master accounts. If too many attempts are made within a given period of time, the user will be temporarily blocked from making any further efforts to login. In addition, there are velocity checks on the action of attempting to change the passwords themselves." (See above for the original post.) -- Gaile 19:32, 5 November 2009 (UTC)

I'm not inclined to support user stupidity at any rate, but a dictionary attack could still get in with relative ease with a paced rate, assuming they check the most popular password terms first. Not to mention, I didn't see anything about the game client in there. I think you said something about increased login delay in the client, but I can't recall where. 74.50.104.2 20:58, 5 November 2009 (UTC)

I am informed that both Guild Wars and the NCsoft Master Account system has these safeguards. -- Gaile 21:14, 5 November 2009 (UTC)

I keep asking Arenanet to implement an authentication method like the authenticator Blizzard has. Recently my brother received an email from Blizzard involving disabling his WOW account permanently due to gold selling. My brother didn't play the game for over a year. No authenticator sollution in place, and see what happened. So implement an authenitcator sollution, we are willing to pay for it, so why not do it. The business case is propably positive and all NCSoft games could take benefit out of it. Lower support cost, due to lesser support tickets. With a fee of i.e. 10 dollar for an authenticator, and a player base of milions across all ncsoft games willing to buy it, it's almost certain it will pay back. Now days with all the security issues in windows and all those different software you can't rely anymore on the carefullness of the consumer. The technology is to complex for that. So please take addition meassures so we can take our responsibility and buy it. Don't be a moa putting his head in the sand. Didis 12:06, 7 November 2009 (UTC)

Who are these "we" that all agree to pay 10 dollars for a little jumbled picture? O_o A "soft" keyboard for password entry is much easier to do, screws up keyloggers, and makes it a pain for brute force type attacks if it's moved around on the screen a little bit every time (making it harder to map its position on the screen for pre-programmed mouse clicks). Rose Of Kali 13:33, 7 November 2009 (UTC)

Key loggers and brute force....are two seperate security concerns. You have the client side and server side. Users have their own responsability to have taken security meassures in place to detect and clean the client side and not using third party programs in relation with the guild wars client. Anet on the server side has the responsabilty to have security meassures in place to detect brute force attacks on the website, authentication method between the gw-client and the server side of the gw-worldinfrastruture. You 're right i write in name of "we", and should phrase I. Would love to see a poll somewhere to investigate the want for such way of authenticating for the ncsoft master account and guild wars client-server authentication. Indeed building a virtual keyboard in the login screen, changing of position in time, should be a great way to answer the thread of keyloggers. Nevertheless, an authenticator, solves this also and adds the functionality that you are you and not some criminal organisation. you know how an authenticator works? I refer again to my brother, long time not logging in, never used thirth party tools, and still being hacked...an authenticator would save his achievements. To refer to the privacy statement on the guild wars website: Your privacy is important to ArenaNet and NCsoft. Maintaining the trust of our users is key to the success of our business, and this Privacy Policy is intended to make you feel as comfortable as possible visiting our website and playing ArenaNet games. I am not conformtable right know with all those hacks, risks etc...i would like to see more assurance. I even want to pay for it. 4,5 years down the drain by some individual with criminal intends, i would not like to think about it. Resume, Kali i believe you and i want the same and that is more assurance, how is all to Arenanet to decide. As a security specialist in the Netherlands i urg Anet to take additional meassures to give more comfort to consumers so privacy related information on the ncsoft website and players achievements in Guild wars are more protected. Didis 14:20, 7 November 2009 (UTC)

(ri) I though an authenticator was the jumbled numbers and letters that you have to type back in, and only a human can supposedly correctly decipher them. It appears that I'm wrong from your last comment. Mind explaining a bit what it is? Rose Of Kali 18:17, 7 November 2009 (UTC)

Captcha is the right word for the jumbled numbers and letters; authenticator(with regards to the context Didis used it in) seems to be a security certificate, which NCsoft already have(certified by Thawte). Pika Fan 18:27, 7 November 2009 (UTC)

Maybe this gives some inside of what i mean: http://us.blizzard.com/store/details.xml?id=1100000622

Protect your World of Warcraft account with industry leading account security - introducing the Blizzard Authenticator! The Blizzard Authenticator is designed as a supplemental authentication method for your World of Warcraft account, giving you the security of Two-Factor authentication. Each time you log in using the Blizzard Authenticator you are provided with a unique, one-time use password to use in addition to your regular password. Log in with both and you can rest easy knowing that your account is now even more secure from malicious attacks such as keyloggers and trojans. It also ends the discussion of awareness of gamers to safeguard there assets by Arenanet. There is also a software mobile authenticator sollution. What Is a Battle.net Mobile Authenticator? The Battle.net Mobile Authenticator is an optional tool that offers World of Warcraft players an additional layer of security to help prevent unauthorized account access. The Authenticator application itself is a small program that you install and access on your cell phone or mobile device. Didis 18:44, 7 November 2009 (UTC)

Interesting note of trivia: as long as people are capable of giving out their passwords, they will be tricked into doing so. The best password is one you don't know. –Jette 21:06, 7 November 2009 (UTC)

[edit] My gw account got banned as code=045

hallo gaile,

sorry my english is not so good, because iam german.

my account was banned on saterday evening. 40 minutes after my account was banned i create a ticket. 091031-001555 ---> 31.10.2009 16:52 answer came from gm tyler at 31.10.2009 19:23. after this time i hear nothing from the support and my account is banned this time. i send all documents to the support.

my question is, you wrote that all tickets who wrote on the 1 - 3 Nov 2009 becames an answer.

Update: 4 November 2009 (Part 2)

I spoke with the lead of the Billing Team, and he told me that they are making progress on the account restorations, but it will take more time to get everyone back into the game. Team members are working overtime this evening, and the hope is that they will have everyone who wrote on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday cleared up by tonight (US time). They still have an expanded number of people working on this matter, so we hope to get new reports turned around very quickly now.

my ticket is from the 31.10.2009 and now we have friday the 6.11.2009 and i cant play gw.

thx

peter

Guten tag, Peter. I am very sorry that there has been a delay in getting you your answer. I looked at the ticket, and while it's written in German (so I am afraid I cannot read it very well at all) I do believe you may have been caught in the same issue that I mentioned in my updates on this page.

The US Team Lead told me that they have just 10 tickets in the queue at this hour, so I am hoping that you are already back in the game. However, I am not sure if that is so. I will write the team lead for the European team, and he will be back in the office and I am sure will look into this matter on Monday. Again, I am very sorry -- (perhaps that is Ich entschuldige mich?) -- for the problem! -- Gaile 21:47, 6 November 2009 (UTC)

thank you for the help and this answer. i hope that i can play gw on monday or tuesday.

and it was right "ich entschuldige mich"

[edit] Security up due to safeguarding human rights in online games?

Maybe Arenanet and NcSoft should take note of this document and translate this into a competetive advantage within the business and (to be) published games: http://www.coe.int/t/dghl/standardsetting/media/Doc/H-Inf(2008)008_en.pdf It's a document written by the European committee about the human right safeguarding in online games. More specific...safeguarding security, safety and privacy of children and young people. Sinscerely i think the privacy policy on the guild wars website does not comply with international law and legislation. The line in the privacy policy statement on the guild wars website: (4) Privacy Protections for Children - In order to protect the privacy interests of younger Internet users, we do not allow children under the age of 18 to use our services without the consent of their parents. is too shortsighted with regard of above mentioned document. Further on is stated: We have established and maintain reasonable security procedures to protect the confidentiality, security and integrity of your personal information. We use encryption, Secure Socket Layers, and other technical measures (such as off-site backup, security testing, and password protection), and we implement off-line efforts to further protect this information, including limiting employee access to personal information and updating our employees regarding our security practices and privacy policies. Please recognize, however, that "perfect security" does not exist on the Internet. I agree that "perfect security" does not exist, but every business should have a security plan, periodically evaluated by assessing risks taking new technology and knowledge into consideration. This is also what the Federal trade commission advises (for particular businesses it's obligatory). Maybe these are good readings: http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/business/idtheft/bus23.shtm and http://www.ftc.gov/infosecurity/ Due to new technology and for the sake of safeguarding the security safety and privacy of our children and young ones i would like to see more ways to secure on the client side. The meassures spoken of in the privacy statement on the guild wars website are almost all server side meassures. Lastly i want to ask to do a little test. Create a master account on the Ncsoft website. Enter on the registration details page the birtday of a child younger then 18, after creation is done, add a guild wars account to it. And then play. If this is possible without parental agreement there is a flaw in the registration and implementation of the privacy policy of Guild Wars. I can't test this, or i should take another identity, and that's illegal. Yours Didis 18:38, 7 November 2009 (UTC)