Botters

No, Berettaz, I'm afraid there is not a faster reporting method. If you see someone you believe to be using a third party program to bot then submitting an in-game petition or writing to [email protected] if the best option.

Our investigations into such issues can take several weeks as they are not conducted by simply visually examining the character. We look into how the bot works, if it is a new program or new variation of a known program and we look into ways to locate and deal with not only the one you report but also the others that may not have been reported.

We understand this can be an inconvenience and frustrating issue, Berettaz, and I am sorry that this alleged botter is interfering with what you wish to do in game. They will be dealt with as swiftly as possible. Please continue to report any bot you may find, we do not usually need additional reported about the same one but if you find the person after a couple of weeks feel free to submit another report and we'll make sure they are or have been investigated. We will be unable to provide any details regarding another account but we do take each report very seriously and will address it accordingly.

Actually...

We have previously and continue to use many tools to help us to find and address suspicious and malicious activities. I am not able to go into detail, of course, as our methods are best left a mystery to keep those who would take advantage of that information in the dark.

Q u o t e:


Right I just didn't want you guys getting a sudden in flux of tickets with the words "bot" or "spam" in them because people thought there was some mythical automated system that will bump them up in line.

Understood. :) Any system we employee to address possible botting and exploitation is in addition to the normal reporting methods. A petition will not generate an automatic response towards the reported person.

Q u o t e:
The "Mythical" automated system is not "Mythical" clearly.

There are certain things that those in In-Game support keep an eye out for but the system itself is not necessarily automated. We just keep an eye out for certain hot topics. :)

Why is this continuing?

Lexitotems, Authenticators are usually handled through Billing and they would also handle unlocking an account that my have been locked due to a compromise.

Locked does not mean banned, suspended or closed, it means locked. It is something that we do when the ownership of an account is in question. Billing usually handles much, if not all, of the verification process.

They do not overturn suspensions or address closures. If you are contacting them regarding accessing your account they may be able to submit a compromise report for you, and part of the investigation process is to verify if actions took place while the account was compromised.

If that is verified then the result would be that the suspension or closure is lifted but it isn't Billing that is doing that.

Q u o t e:
She was told by whoever she talked to that there was a ticket placed in game, claiming she was a botter, which she obviously was not.

I can only imagine that something along the way was misunderstood, Lexitotems, a Billing Rep wouldn't have any access to what petitions were opened regarding another player. Perhaps the account was not actually "closed" but it was originally locked your friend was able to sort it out with the Billing Rep over the phone. That would be a fairly logical assumption. :)

If you can give me the name and realm of a character on your friend's account I could take a look. I may not be able to share much but I can take a look.

Q u o t e:
I'm saying that you can call them to get it uplifted.

Yes, if you can get through to Billing it is entirely possible that they will be able to submit an issue report that your account was compromised and to have it looked into by the appropriate parties. You can accomplish the same thing by submitting the appropriate webform or by writing to [email protected] to report your account compromised.

If you lost access to the account (i.e. e-mail address changed or Authenticator added) and you were calling Billing anyway, that would be a great way to get multiple issues addressed.

Filling up the phone lines with requests that they do not primarily or directly address is a horrible idea, encouraging people to call Billing to get something addressed that is best handled in other ways isn't recommended.

I will say that our goal is to help our players regardless of the method that they contact us and that is a goal that we are actively working on. So it is not entirely unheard of that the person your friend spoke with could have stepped out of the box and found some additional information for them.

I don't know about giving them information of a possible report placed about them, as that is unlikely, but your friend could have misinterpreted some of the information as to assume that the Rep was talking about a player generated report.

Thank you, Lexitotems, and with that I am going to lock this thread as anyone who arrives late to the show will only serve to confuse the issue or agitate someone. :D