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BEST Aion Account Ban Story EVER!
just1opinion
Member UncommonPosts: 4,641
Okay, this is so funny, that I literally have been cracking up for about 10 minutes now and just HAD to come tell you guys this.
Ages ago, back when AION was in beta, I had a beta key. And to be fair....I had some interest in the game at the time. I had enough interest, as a matter of fact, just from watching all the teasers and whatnot, that for only the second time in a very long gaming career, I actually pre-ordered to get in the beta. The only other time I have ever done that, was with Warhammer.
So once I had my beta key...I was pretty excited. But the game still had a lot of bugs, and was still using that security thing they had...GameGuard or something, if I remember correctly, and it seemed to not want to run the game on certain machines. There was a lot of complaining on the forums.
Anyway...after activating my key and logging into the game, I could never get even as far as the character creation screen. And I tried, and tried, and tried. I don't remember what the issue was exactly now, as it's been a long time ago, but it was either crashing to the desktop or freezing on load or something. So I kept trying a few times a day throughout the "open beta." Nada. Zilch. Zip. I never could get completely IN the game.
Well being my frustration level is pretty low with MMOs these days....I just said screw it and requested a refund and never looked back...literally. I was still playing WoW (a little) at the time, and looking at several other games as well, so...being that NCSoft promptly refunded my money....I just didn't worry with it again....UNTIL TODAY....
LOL
This is where the story gets STRANGE. I have never in all my life had a banned game account....and I've played a LOT of games. But this morning I wake up to this email from NCSoft (copied and pasted below):
==============
Your NCsoft account will be suspended due to a violation of NCsoft User Agreement and or Rules of Conduct (ROC). The reason for the account suspension is Use/Advertise Cheater Program.
Please go to NCsoft Support for further information,
verify your identity : http:/ XXX.XXXXXXX.com (altered to discourage attempted visits to site)
In order to keep this from occurring, you should immediately verify that you are the original owner of
the account.
===============
Needless to say....I was a bit....uhm....stunned, and more than that....I was amused. Because I have seen a lot of AION account ban stories here on the forums.
Being the generally skeptical person that I am....I did not, however, go to NCSoft via the link in the email. Primarily because I thought the email seemed a bit short, a bit vague, and a LOT strange since I have never actually PLAYED AION. LOL! So I went to NCSoft directly in another browser window, and....since I keep all of my game account information in a safe place here at home, I still had the log in for the account. So I logged in on the NCSoft site and lo and behold.....I find.....that I am indeed BANNED!!!!
ZOMG...NOOOOOO! ROFLMAO!
Now I regret ever having assumed that anyone banned by NCSoft had necessarily done anything wrong. Because they OBVIOUSLY have something screwed up if now they are banning people that don't even PLAY their game, and....have never even been logged IN to the game.....
That's just....the weirdest shit that has ever happened to me in all of my years of gaming. So I had to come tell you guys!
I guess it wouldn't be so funny if I had considered ever playing AION again, but I've been happily busy with other games, and now....they've aptly assured, that should my interest wane in any other game....I certainly won't be trying AION out....I can't....after all....I've been....
BANNED!
LOL 
edit for: bad spelling, sorry for that
President of The Marvelously Meowhead Fan Club
Comments
And how can you be sure that no one ever logged into your account?
These companies can fraud game time cards (not just account keys) so being an expired account doesn't change anything.
that is indeed not an mail from NCSoft, yet strange story that you are indeed banned
I havent played Aion in months, and yet someone managed to get into my account, reactivate it, and got it banned for whatever I dont recall. After almost 2 weeks of trading emails and info I got it back. However that hasnt stopped third parties from sending me fake emails trying to get me to log into a website and put in my aion info.
Could possibly be a phishing email to get your account. Aion has that issue, as does WoW. Account Hijackers send these out hoping someone is foolish enough to log into their fake site and give them their password.
Cheers!
MMO Vet since AOL Neverwinter Nights circa 1992. My MMO beat up your MMO. =S
Ahhh, good point, I guess. I'm not sure how anyone could get my account information, though. My computer is constantly scanned for keyloggers and viruses (I'm totally anal about it), and there is no one in my home to use my stored information....and....it would be VERY hard to find it if you didn't know where it is....
Gotta be a really good hacker.....but I suppose that's possible! I just found it hysterically funny!
President of The Marvelously Meowhead Fan Club
YES....this is what I thought TOO, by the way the email was worded, which is WHY I didn't click on the link in the email....I logged into NCSoft in an entirely different browser....
And my account is INDEED banned! lol
President of The Marvelously Meowhead Fan Club
I don't really see what is so amusing about the situation myself, but it is nice to see someone taking a light hearted approach to being banned.
Mail was definitely a phishing scam, the url is a dead giveaway.
Well....maybe we have a different sense of humor, that's okay! I just thought it hilarious that I would get banned from a game I've never played....but....it's okay if you don't think it's funny.
I've been chuckling about it for a good while now, sitting here at my desk with my morning coffee.
So maybe I should send NCSoft a thank you for the morning entertainment? =D
Or I guess, since I really AM banned .....I'm not sure if the email came before or after, now that we've determined it's a phising scam, but that my account really has been banned..... I need to find this uber amazing hacker and thank THEM for the laugh! If the email isn't related to the actual ban....then my account got hacked for REAL once, and then had a phising scam try for a second time....heh
I'M SO POPULAR!!!!!!! WOOHOOO!
President of The Marvelously Meowhead Fan Club
YES....this is what I thought TOO, by the way the email was worded, which is WHY I didn't click on the link in the email....I logged into NCSoft in an entirely different browser....
And my account is INDEED banned! lol
Yea my old account says banned as well due to me getting a refund for my digital download CE that I preordered from the NCSoft store, but they told me this over the phone when I requested it. They stated if I did ever purchase the game I would have to start a new NCSOFT account and activate the game under the new account.
Cheers!
MMO Vet since AOL Neverwinter Nights circa 1992. My MMO beat up your MMO. =S
Whats the exact bann-message if you log into your account?
YES....this is what I thought TOO, by the way the email was worded, which is WHY I didn't click on the link in the email....I logged into NCSoft in an entirely different browser....
And my account is INDEED banned! lol
Yea my old account says banned as well due to me getting a refund for my digital download CE that I preordered from the NCSoft store, but they told me this over the phone when I requested it. They stated if I did ever purchase the game I would have to start a new NCSOFT account and activate the game under the new account.
Cheers!
Ahhhhh okay!! So, in other words....my account has probably been banned since way back then??! HA! Darn. Well that kinda makes the story less funny then....although they never told me that. I bet that is how that happened, since I also had pre-ordered the digital download from the NCSoft site's store....
BOO
But that's okay, at least I got a good start to the day with it! hehehe
President of The Marvelously Meowhead Fan Club
So you probably got banned because you charged back the payment for the game, not because someone hacked into your account or anything because that e-mail doesn't seem to be from NC Soft, mouse-over the links in the e-mail (don't click them) and see what address appears on the bottom of the screen.
When I mouse over the link....it does say it links to the url that is in the email, however....I know when I actually logged IN to my account at NCSoft in another window....the address is, of course, prefaced with the usually security "https" and the rest of the address on the REAL site, is also different, so....
Yup, you're right...a phising scam it is, and now we know, it's probably completely not connected to my account ban.
Gosh....you guys are so logical....and now my story isn't so funny. :P lol
Thanks for bein' here for me though....to at least have some peeps to laugh with about it!
President of The Marvelously Meowhead Fan Club
mm!ncsoft has been warning for while now everybody to change all their info often since aion is target to amssive attack from goldseller hacker(probably some from zam forumer)
since gold seller are being targetted
massivelly in aion
hacker(goldseller)have been targetting aion also,hence the reason why ncsoft asked all its customer to change login info every time they add time card(every two month)
so basicly your account was hacked and someone used it to sell gold without your knowledge
just contact ncsoft and tell them what happened they can check the deal
and might be able to track the real hacker(if indead its not someone from your own neborhood since most of the time its people we know!
Looks like this:
Created On: Jun 19, 2009
Account Type: Standard
Account Status: BANNED
Total Paid Time: 0 Years, 0 Months
Veteran Rewards Time: 0 Years, 1 Months
And then it has my billing info and stuff....
Oh...and the word "BANNED" is in RED.
But I think my fellow forum-mates (heh) have gotten this figured out, so....
Anywhooo....if a mod wants to come along and lock the thread, that's fine. I don't want to spread any bad will toward NCSoft from people not reading the whole thread.
It actually makes sense, on their part, to do this to avoid inactive accounts GETTING used by hackers. Although....they probably should change their wording on your account to "ACCOUNT CLOSED" rather than "BANNED," because "banned" really does sort of imply that you have done something wrong....
But hey....no biggie.
President of The Marvelously Meowhead Fan Club
That email seems a phisisng attemp, so remove the web link of your OP or some people can be stupid enough to go there and give their data, sadly natural selection is fucked up.
You know what, in all my time as a gamer I've never recieved a scam email regarding any of my game accounts. The only account thats been hacked is my Steam one. It only has Counter-strike on it so I aint that fussed. Its been comprimised twice. Not sure how.
But all my mmo accounts have never been touched. You can see from my sig that I've played lots of MMO's. I dont recieve any WOW phising emails and I've had my account since the game was released. I have an active account currently. (I've even used a gold site or two... I know I know naughty naughty)
Surely people have enough common sense to not just randomly click on urls. (It's not an active link in the post, actually, so they'd have to be so committed to their stupidity that they would go to the effort of copy and paste.)
You're obviously a very kind soul though...to care. And to honor that beauty in you....I will go remove the link. I'm sure your kindness will probably save some poor soul....and no....I'm not being sarcastic. You're right...natural selection is fucked up.
President of The Marvelously Meowhead Fan Club
a guy like me as posted ton of link lol
no issue
but when a freshman post a link i will check with norton link check lol.
Well...I'm definitely not a "freshman."
I post a lot of links too, but usually to screenshots and other benign things.
Guess you really do have to protect the curious and ignorant of the world. That's why shampoo bottles tell you how to use the shampoo, and clothes irons have brilliant disclaimers like, "do not touch metal part of iron when iron is hot." You'd really think saying such things was unnecessary, but sadly......it's not.
President of The Marvelously Meowhead Fan Club
Something tells me that someone at NCsoft is handing out information to gold sellers, there's no possible way that this seems to be happening to so many people coincidently, but if they are giving considerably dead accounts up to spammers then it would make some sense. There's just no way to scrounge up completely unused account names and pw's without help... but if they are truly banning people just in the hopes they buy another box copy to get in later, that's a whole other can of worms.
Writer / Musician / Game Designer
Now Playing: Skyrim, Wurm Online, Tropico 4
Waiting On: GW2, TSW, Archeage, The Rapture
Well...the highlighted part doesn't apply here, at least not for me. When I requested a refund last year after the repeated problem of not being able to log in to the game at all....they refunded my money with no issues and no hesitation. So I wouldn't actually be "buying another box copy" to get in, since my money was refunded from the digital download pre-order purchase I had made previously. It's not like I'd be having to pay twice.
Also....
I think that it's quite possible that the appearance of this phishing email and my account ACTUALLY being banned, in reality....may not even be connected, since I have not logged into that account since last June or July or something....it very well could have been banned way back then. I would never have known it, had I not logged in yesterday to actually CHECK.
Several people have stated that when they requested a refund, their accounts were banned at that time, requiring you to make a new account should you decide to return to the game. There's actually some wisdom in this. (Although I think they should call the account status "CLOSED" rather than BANNED, as "banned" implies that the account holder did something wrong.) Closing accounts that were made, yet not used, would make them useless TO hackers. So there is, I think, some logic in doing that, perhaps.
I think, at least in my situation, that although I found it hilarious....since I never played the game....NCSoft likely has done nothing wrong in this case, other than perhaps using the word "banned" where they should instead use the word "closed."
President of The Marvelously Meowhead Fan Club