Scammed out of 5k gold for SC2 beta key

#0 - Feb. 18, 2010, 5:49 a.m.

Last night a guy offered to sell me a Starcraft 2 beta key for 10,000 gold. Because the keys have been given out through World Of Warcraft promotions, I did not see this as using gold to purchase something not linked to WoW. If Starcraft 2 beta keys have been handed out directly as WoW promotions that would be the same as handing out a mount. This was my logic last night and considering this 10,000 gold seemed like a reasonable price to pay.

I agreed to pay 5,000 up front and 5,000 on activation. Obviously, the individual _________ on _________ server accepted my gold, placed me on ignore, and signed out. I did not receive the said key he was selling.

After placing a ticket, customer service informed me that I could not be refunded my gold. I am not interested in being refunded any gold but I do not think this sort of scam should go unpunished.

I am very concerned about the situation and why this individual is still going around the server with my gold. Such a scam should result in appropriate punishment of at the very LEAST taking my gold away from this individual.

I have attached screen shots and will be happy to answer any questions. I am considering calling customer service and expressing my feeling in the matter as well.

Again, I do not expect to receive my gold back. However, this individual should be punished accordingly for such a manipulative scam and not allowed to go around bragging about being a complete jerk. It is only fair that a scam like this be prevented from happening in the future, and if I do not feel like the individual is appropriately punished I will be greatly disappointed in the handling of this matter.

Thanks for your time in this matter :)

Aredek

#53 - Feb. 18, 2010, 9:29 p.m.

The following response was written by one of our new teammates. Because they are still in training and do not yet possess a forum account of their own, they shall be posting via proxy through me.

I do apologize for any frustration experienced as a result of this action, Dostoevsyk. At the moment, this issue is being looked into again, as we would like to ensure everything has been addressed correctly. While we typically do not support this sort of transaction, I would also like to stress that any sort of scamming behavior is not something that is endorsed or supported, and we will investigate all reports of scamming.

Keep in mind, while I do understand and and encourage the discussion of the issue, I will be keeping an eye on this thread. This is not a threat of lock or suppression of this kind of report, but rather an effort to prevent wild suppositions or misconceptions about the issue while the investigation is pending.

Aredek

#58 - Feb. 19, 2010, 12:27 a.m.

The following response was written by one of our new teammates. Because they are still in training and do not yet possess a forum account of their own, they shall be posting via proxy through me.

After a further review of the issue Dostoevsky, it seems the correct actions were indeed taken by the previous Game Masters. I do very much apologize that we were unable to assist completely, and can very much understand the frustration you experienced as a result of another’s apparent dishonesty.

The investigation itself was indeed thorough. The Character Specialist that investigated the issue reviewed every facet of the situation, verifying everything possible, but it seems the core of the issue took place beyond the scope of our logs, offline, via third-party communication

In the future, to help safeguard against this sort of issue when dealing with in-game trades, please ensure you and your trading partner have a clearly defined agreement via in-game chat. This is the best way to protect yourself against potential in-game scams, as we would be able to confirm exactly what did (or did not) take place. These sort of transactions are unsupported by Blizzard, largely because they are risky as they do not use the in-game trade feature. It is best to avoid any in-game trades for the promise of out-of-game items or services, to help avoid this sort of issue.

I do apologize that for any unhappiness this may have caused Dostoevsky, and I do wish you all the best. Additionally, should you wish to comment on the investigation itself, the Game Masters that handled your petitions, or any other aspect of this issue, feel free to send an email to [email protected] with your comments, good or bad, and they will be reviewed by a member of our management staff. We earnestly do take all feedback seriously, and welcome what you have to say in the matter.

Take care and best of luck!