Wife's Account Banned - Blue Tracker

#0 - Jan. 8, 2010, 1:37 a.m.

My wife and I started playing this game about a week ago. Today she got an email that her account has been banned because of "Abuse of the Economy". She didn't do anything wrong as far as I can see.

We've just been doing quests together. The only thing economically she did was to sell some herbs she gathered at the Stormwind Auction House. Her sister has played the game for a long time and gave each of us a few gold pieces to help us start out. I can't see that either of those would greatly affect the economy to the point that an account would be banned.

Is this normal for this game? I just don't see why a week old account would be banned so quickly for not doing anything. She has lost her character that she has been working on. I've lost my playing companion. We've only logged a handful of hours on this game, but I don't want to continue to pay to play a game that can cancel my account for no reason. The email didn't give any specifics on the banning either. At least it should give a specific reason with supporting data for the ban.

My wife has now been on the phone for over an hour just trying to reach an account representative. That is unacceptable. The only thing more unacceptable is the banning of this account without any warning. I can't belive a business would simply choose to lose customers in this manner.

Malkorix

#2 - Jan. 8, 2010, 1:48 a.m.

It is possible that your Wife's account has been compromised, or that there's another issue occurring. May I ask for the name and realm of a character on her account? Before I provide further guidance, I'd like to have a closer look at the situation if possible.

Malkorix

#4 - Jan. 8, 2010, 2:33 a.m.

Q u o t e:
Her character name is Druliana and the realm is Shu'halo. Thanks for your help.

It does appear that the account in question might have been compromised. At this point, there are a few steps to take.

First, it is very important that your wife please ensure that her computer is secure. You may find the following thread contains quite useful information for this purpose:

** Computer Security Recommendations **
http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/thread.html?topicId=1778038509&sid=1

After she's done that, it's time to report the compromise and recover her account.

Since the account was suspended due to actions taken while it was compromised, it may be necessary to dispute the account action by contacting our Account Administration department via email at [email protected]. It's also possible to report the compromise itself via this address. Be sure that any contact with Account Administration occurs exclusively from the email address registered to the account though.

This thread covers the majority of the pertinent information related to an account compromise, including how to recover the account, how to report the compromise, as well as some of the complications that can occur:

** Account Compromise Info Center **
http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/thread.html?topicId=14318909866&sid=1

A Blizzard Authenticator can bring not only a valuable layer of added security for a World of Warcraft account, but peace of mind as well.
You can find out more about the Authenticator via this FAQ, the second link leads to the Blizzard store where you can purchase an Authenticator of your own:

http://us.blizzard.com/support/article.xml?articleId=24660
http://us.blizzard.com/store/search.xml?q=authenticator

You can also check the following sites to see if her wireless provider and mobile device are compatible with our free Mobile Authenticator, as well as read our FAQ on the subject:

http://us.blizzard.com/support/article.xml?articleId=26109
http://mobile.blizzard.com/support-compat.html/

Good luck!

Malkorix

#7 - Jan. 8, 2010, 2:42 a.m.

Q u o t e:

I'm shocked that there wasn't a warning given to say that the account may be compromised. I can't imagine a hacker would have a use for an account with a level 19 paladin and level 7 priest on it. All I know is this has killed my enthusiasm for playing tonight.

When certain activities occur on an account they can necessitate immediate action, nor is it always clear that an account has been compromised. As a result, it's not always possible to issue a 'warning' that an account has been compromised. It would be best for your wife to examine the registered email address of the account for further information.

No restoration is ever guaranteed, but we are often able to help our players in the wake of a compromise. I know that this situation is probably upsetting and stressful, but don't lose heart just yet. I made a point of providing detailed guidance in an effort to help walk you both through the process.