Banned?

Q u o t e:
I'm in the exact same boat as you guys :(

And I'm starting to think they are referring to botting in my case as well because I just recently leveled my priest somewhat quickly (kind of their fault as they've made leveling so easy now) and at odd hours -- but I would imagine that they would at least msg me to confirm (like ask a few random questions) to see if I was a person or not. Then again, I'm not sure that a bot would actively level tailoring, do quests, talk to people, and do instances (, or log on my other character to camp someone who just ganked me).

But, it seems like the only reasonable explanation in my case because even though I found 2 trojans on my computer the day I was banned, I have not been suddenly D/C'd for at least a month nor have my characters been stripped, so my account being hacked doesn't look likely.

Or, I guess, I've been unwittingly using hacks since I started playing in Dec 05.

This whole situation is just one big poo fest in my opinion D:
And, I was so looking forward to grinding honor this weekend too.

Character name/realm on that account Unholy? Note: NOT account name

Q u o t e:
So I was on my other account farming primals for my LWing set when all of a sudden I get D/Ced and I try to log back in and get notified that my account has been banned. I check my e-mail and I was banned for third party programs. I've never used them, ever. I e-mailed the address I was supposed to about it but I just don't understand how I could get banned when I don't use any "third party programs."

My guess is that people saw me farming primals the past three or so days (I don't work so I play WoW way too much to be healthy and I want my set!), assumed I was botting and reported me. But doesn't Blizzard have a way to check if someone is actually using third party programs? I always assumed they did. I'm so confused. If a blue could help I'd love them forever, one of my characters on that account is Narriana on Sentinels.

I do see where he have an email from you on this Kaidencia. That's good, it's in Account Administration's queue for review.

Unfortunately - it may take a few days, but they will be getting back with you once they've had a chance to review this. I do apologize for the delay.

Q u o t e:


Latifa of Firetree (rogue)
Whoa of Firetree (priest)
Ishmel of Tichondrius (paladin)

Indeed, I also see your email in line in Account Administration. They should get to this and review it for you Unholy - it may take a few days however.

Q u o t e:
Same boat
I've been thinking about what I could have been reported for, and I'm sure it's that day that I was sitting in Death's Door farming fel armaments so I could maintain raider status in my guild... Rofl
I remember seeing a few people come by every now and then, but I'd never imagine I'd get reported cause I was farming the area for like 5 hours (When I get into farming grooves, I don't stop)

And you responded to Account Administration Vareyl?

If so, you should be in line as well.

Q u o t e:

Been waiting for 2 days now.
It's very difficult trying to occupy myself now
LOL

Aye, I know it's frustrating to wait.

Unfortunately, or queues are are a few days to a week in some cases with AA and Specialists.

Patience, they will get back with you. That was sent from your registered email address - correct?

That's the only one they can correspond with you on.

I'll need a character name/realm on the affected account to look it up Vareyl.

Q u o t e:
It seems kind of stupid to get banned for doing... well, nothing. I didn't know farming was using a third party program >.> I know it's blizzard's account and they can delete it and there's nothing I can do about it. I guess I'm just surprised that it could happen to me. I assumed not botting or hacking would mean I wouldn't get banned for it lol. I'm just really disappointed that they didn't even look into it at all because if they did then they would of known I wasn't doing anything wrong.

And seriously it's not like I was farming 24/7 non-stop. I am human and go afk alllllll the time while farming, it's the only way I keep my sanity. /sigh

Farming is fine. Automation is not. If you weren't using any, this shouldn't be that difficult to untangle.
I do apologize for the inconvenience however.

Q u o t e:
DAY 6# and no reply what the ..........

Banned alright .. i got the not playing essence of the game email ... but i logged on my other account and my guild's told me i was hacked ( while is was at work ) and raiding the guild bank .. nice :( ... i have removed all ui mods and not that i think they are the reason i was hacked .. i was on wow related web site clicked on a video clip to play it and it opened a web page behind (which i closed without looking at) and the clip wouldn't play anyway...

I think 6 days is TO long to wait for a reply to an email ... ( maybe Australia has a lower priority )

shamyslinger / frostmourne

ps.. have we missed out on the beta because of the ban

It is actually only day 3 since you first inquired about this situation, and it was only yesterday a follow-up email was sent. It may yet take some time before you receive a response, though I am sorry for the wait.

For the record, all our customers are treated with the same high regard, regardless of nationality =(. Hyperbole and paranoia aren't going to help in this case.

Some things you can do to help:

Secure your account as completely as possible =). You can find some helpful information in this thread:
http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/thread.html?topicId=1778038509&sid=1

And you can find out more about Account Compromise situations in our ** Account Compromise Info Center **:
http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/thread.html?topicId=3773308319&sid=1

So, while you're waiting for your case to be reviewed, the best use of your time is making your computer totally secure to help prevent this from potentially occurring again.

Q u o t e:
please help. I sent an email too [email protected] First off, is that the right email? how long will it take them to respond. I'm so freaking out. I don't bot or PL and I don't know what it means by the essence of wow... Im sorry if I did something contrary to it, but I really don't know what it was I did wrong!

That is indeed the correct email and I can see that you've submitted a dispute today. It may take some time (several days to a week or more in cases of extremely high volume) before our Account Administration staff is able to reply.

Much of the information I've provided for Maxiness could apply to your case too though. It's best to secure your account now, and learn more about Account Compromise situations while you wait for a reply from our Account Administration staff.

In the meantime, while I know how stressful and upsetting this situation can be, I urge you to remain as calm and patient as possible.

EDIT: Just as a heads up, I did some additional investigation and it looks like our Account Administration department is experiencing very high volumes. Please allow at least a week for a reply, possibly longer given the current situation.

I'm very sorry for the wait, but I felt it better to provide the most accurate time frames possible.

Q u o t e:
My conclusion: there has to be a security problem on Blizzards end.

Nope. I'd rather not go into a long diatribe as to why this isn't the case, so I'll keep it simple: it would be an extremely large number of folks that were compromised if it was something on our end.

Q u o t e:
Can we get a few more blue posts on this stuff?

And I'm not sure what you're looking for answers on specifically; from what I can tell everything has already been answered. =/

Our Account Administration department works 24/7.

As it appears that you are all fairly confused as to our policies and our reasonings behind account closures related to "Exploitation of the Economy" and other various activities such as "Third-Party Programs", I'd like to point out a few things to you.

Q u o t e:
Security of Login Information.
You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your Login Information, and you will be responsible for all uses of your Login Information, whether or not authorized by you. In the event that you become aware of or reasonably suspect any breach of security, including without limitation any loss, theft, or unauthorized disclosure of your Login Information, you must immediately notify Blizzard by emailing [email protected].

(emphasis mine)

http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/legal/termsofuse.html

And as Belfaire said it well, please read this quote and the rest of his post at the link that follows:

Q u o t e:
We can't claim to know anyone's modus operandi, Zooey. People are unpredictable and often act against the impression that they've given their acquaintances. ...

...Just because someone's behavior isn't in keeping with their normal behavior doesn't mean that we can divert immediate resources to an investigation, and that's the truth of it.

http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/thread.html?topicId=4071469304&postId=39996986961&sid=1#3

Our support departments are extraordinarily busy as there is a large number of folks that have requested our assistance and we have granted the request to have these things investigated after they are brought to our attention. Because we have delegated a lot of resources to helping those who have informed us of strange occurrences, be it with their accounts or with a boss fight, it can take some time to help everyone.

We have always treated each situation with the exact same dedication towards helping you; provided that there is nothing questionable brewing underneath the surface, and even then we dedicate our time to resolving an issue in the most agreeable way possible. The issue merely lies in the sheer amount of time that it takes to address a singular issue and then that is compounded by the large number of players that we have playing at any point in time.

As we have a large number of players, we are bound to get a lot of issues that need our attention. This means that we do not have the time to determine whether or not an account was actually compromised when we find that it was in violation of our policies. You are wholly responsible for any activity that transpires while someone is on your account, with or without your permission. It is because we understand that these things aren't always your fault that we have a dedicated team of individuals who will look into these issues when you bring them to their attention.

We could very easily just say "No, you were responsible for it because it's your account" and leave it closed. But, we don't do that. We want you to come back and play; but that requires you to report the issue to our Account Administration department. Yes, they are busy. Yes, it takes time to to receive a response from them. But guess what? That's a good thing. It means that they are spending a lot of time investigating issues that are brought to their attention.

I'm sure they could easily be done with their work if they just sent out a mass of e-mails that say "sorry, not doing anything about it". But, they don't do that, so it's going to take some time to receive a response. Patience is the key here.

Do we want to make you wait? Of course not. Do we have to make you wait? Unfortunately, yes. Each issues is addressed in the order in which they are brought to our attention, and that is the way it will remain.

I understand that it can be frustrating to wait for a response from one of our departments, but we strive to respond as quickly as possible. Unfortunately that is sometimes several days later, and sometimes even a week or so later. It is certainly a regrettable situation, but it must be done when we have tens of thousands of issues that are brought to our attention every week. There are even times when this number skyrockets due to one reason or another; patches tend to skyrocket the petition count and therefore skyrocket the amount of time that it takes our Game Master staff to answer them.

The same thing goes for our Account Administration department, but those are usually other situations.

You have my sincerest apologies that you have had to go through this situation, but it must be done to protect the game itself. There are those that wish to use accounts in a very malicious fashion, and we do not want them in the game. If your account is found to have been participating in these activities, the account will be actioned regardless of circumstance. That is why we have the dispute system with our Account Administration department.

I would also like to direct you to the following information page as it goes into what we generally consider "Exploitation of the Economy".

http://us.blizzard.com/support/article.xml?articleId=21506

I hope that clears up any misunderstandings.

We're done here.