WoW account Question

[Dave]

So I gave up WoW for good about a year ago. It sat unused for some time and then a friend of mine asked if he could play it. I said sure and handed over my password.

Now I'm getting emails from Blizzard telling me they are about to ditch the account. Did I break the EULA? If so, why? If he's the only one playing it and I don't care why does it matter? I didn't sell the account and made no money off of it.

So if I DID break the EULA, is the account just screwed? I can't contact them with the password because my friend changed it.

Thoughts?

 

[Shakey]

Your account is non-transferable. You can try to explain you didn't sell it, and you gave it to a friend but they probably don't care. I believe they have the right to cancel an account for any reason they want, so you're probably SOL.

 

[Hailey Knight]

How do they know you're not the one playing it?

 

[Dave]

Not sure. I haven't been able to get a hold of my friend so I don't know if he tried to do anything stupid.

 

[Vrii]

Are you sure it's actually Blizzard? The biggest scam email going around is a fake warning/temp ban against the account asking for the login details to prevent it being closed. More than likely it's just an attempt to hack you.

 

[Dave]

Are you sure it's actually Blizzard? The biggest scam email going around is a fake warning/temp ban against the account asking for the login details to prevent it being closed. More than likely it's just an attempt to hack you.

Well, I went directly to the Blizzard site but of course I can't check there because I don't have the password. I'm trying to get a hold of my friend as it's his son that's been playing it. But they are absent from the world.

 

[sixpackshaker]

Be sure that it is not something like "worldofKworcraft.com"

 

[CynicismKills]

Something like this happened to me. My brother got an account from a friend who quit and I started using it. Just before the Ulduar patch it was suddenly closed, I guess because they somehow figured out it wasn't the same guy using it anymore.

 

[sixpackshaker]

I guess if they look at the address on the credit card receipts, the could drop you for transferring the account to another person.

 

[Chibibar]

I guess if they look at the address on the credit card receipts, the could drop you for transferring the account to another person.

I think this might be the case. If he/she wanted to play your CHARACTER, you should have use the transfer character account, but since you didn't use that service, Blizzard DO reserve the rights to cancel your account since they are not transferable.

 

[Shakey]

I guess if they look at the address on the credit card receipts, the could drop you for transferring the account to another person.

I think this might be the case. If he/she wanted to play your CHARACTER, you should have use the transfer character account, but since you didn't use that service, Blizzard DO reserve the rights to cancel your account since they are not transferable.[/QUOTE]

You can only transfer between accounts you own, so you'd still be screwed.

 

[ScytheRexx]

http://us.blizzard.com/support/article.xml?locale=en_US&articleId=20558

- Transfers between accounts can be done only if you are the registered user on both accounts. (We do not support the transfer of characters between friends, guild mates, or family members.)

They have this system to prevent Account Selling, a market that is very similar to Gold Selling. Often times power levelers will spend a week powering up an account, throw on some gold, and then sell it for $100-500 depending on how much gear they decide to add to the character. Since such a practice is frowned on, they made it policy that if they find an account changed hands, they will close it.

The only way for your friend to get around this issue would be to always buy pre-paid cards and keep your name on the account, since Blizzard would be unable to prove that you gave the account away. Since you are getting a message saying they are closing the account, he mostly likely attached his credit card to it, which is basically like throwing the account away. They are going to notice when a billing record changes from Dave to Charles, or whatever your friends name may be.

Now, that is if any of this actually happened and the e-mail is genuine. Like mentioned above, some spam e-mails circulate that talk about closing your account and act like they are from Blizzard, tricking you to "login" at the link in the e-mail, to stop the "closure". These websites are phishing websites (www.worldofwarkraft.com, www.wowblizz.com, etc), and the minute you go to the website and put in your account name (in a webpage designed specifically to mimic the exact look of the real website), it's beamed to a database where some guy is already logging onto your account, changing your password, selling all your gear and mailing it between dozens of other hacked characters till it reaches a master character used for selling (often times, ANOTHER hacked character), before using your account for advertising purposes by creating level 1 alts on other servers to spam "BUY GOLD CHEAP" ads. If they are really nasty they also attach an authenticator to the account, making it harder for you to get the account back.

This is why I personally have my own authenticator, even though I would never fall for such tricks, I would rather be safe then sorry.

 

[Bowielee]

So I gave up WoW for good about a year ago. It sat unused for some time and then a friend of mine asked if he could play it. I said sure and handed over my password.

Now I'm getting emails from Blizzard telling me they are about to ditch the account. Did I break the EULA? If so, why? If he's the only one playing it and I don't care why does it matter? I didn't sell the account and made no money off of it.

So if I DID break the EULA, is the account just screwed? I can't contact them with the password because my friend changed it.

Thoughts?

If they are asking for your password, this is NOT from Blizzard.

A Blizzard representative will NEVER EVER EVER ask for your password. They would use the account info to verify, not your password.

 

[ScytheRexx]

A Blizzard representative will NEVER EVER EVER ask for your password. They would use the account info to verify, not your password.

Reading the sentence, I can definitely see this as a scam. If they are asking you to "contact them with the password" then they are scammers, and not very good ones. Blizzard will never ask you to send them password information by e-mail or phone.

 

[Shakey]

My buddy got nailed by a scam not too long ago. I had the joy of watching as he slowly emptied the guild bank of all the valuables, sold everything on his alts, transferred all the gold to his main, disbanded the guild, and transferred off the server. Good times...

 

[Dave]

No, no, no. The email is not asking for a password. But when I go to the blizzard site I can't log into my account because he changed the password when he started playing the characters.

Frankly, I don't care much (even though if I ever get back into WoW I'm really going to miss my level 80 Rogue with Tier 5 and my level 80 Warrior tank with Tier 4. Not to mention my level 75 DK and my level 60+ Hunter), but it sucks that he may be losing them.

 

[Chibibar]

scyth: thanks I stand corrected on the character transfer.

Dave: I don't know I think you are screwed.

 

[Kitty Sinatra]

Dave: I don't know I think you are screwed.

I'd say he's been saved from temptation.

 

[Dave]

He contacted Blizzard while I was on Skype with him. He answered all personal questions.

Why did the IP change? I moved.
Why did the password change? Someone had been trying to hack into my account.
Why did you change servers? WoW stalker from one of my old guilds. They never really did anything wrong, so I couldn't report them.
Why did you change the character's name? The stalker created characters on the new server.

I can't think of any other questions they asked at this point but we had answers for them. He should be safe now. Of course, now there's 0% chance I can ever play these toons again. It's like I've cut off a withered limb. No, I haven't been able to use it, but it was still mine. I put a lot of time and effort into these characters and now they are foreign to me.

 

[ScytheRexx]

I can't think of any other questions they asked at this point but we had answers for them. He should be safe now. Of course, now there's 0% chance I can ever play these toons again. It's like I've cut off a withered limb. No, I haven't been able to use it, but it was still mine. I put a lot of time and effort into these characters and now they are foreign to me.

At the very least Gruebeard is right, you won't have the temptation. Though many see Cataclysm as a great time to start fresh, due to all the upcoming changes. You know, if you ever get weak. :sneaky:

 

[Dave]

shutupshutupshutup!

 

[SpecialKO]

Yeah, I'm actually saving a bunch of pre-10s I made years ago when I was trying out the different classes so I can restart a char with the same name when Cat hits. I think it's fantastic that the entire face of the classic world is changing, and itemization will be streamlined to make it less of a chore, along with the new races and class/race combos, and the return of Rag, and all that.



Hey Dave! ONE OF US, ONE OF US!

 

[Snuffleupagus]

Yeah, I'm actually saving a bunch of pre-10s I made years ago when I was trying out the different classes so I can restart a char with the same name when Cat hits. I think it's fantastic that the entire face of the classic world is changing, and itemization will be streamlined to make it less of a chore, along with the new races and class/race combos, and the return of Rag, and all that.



Hey Dave! ONE OF US, ONE OF US!

I'll be coming back again I think. My account is becoming a graveyard of unused 80s.

 

[ScytheRexx]

I think it's fantastic that the entire face of the classic world is changing, and itemization will be streamlined to make it less of a chore

Don't forget the improved quest design. Much like how Outland and Northrend lead you on clear "paths" from zone to zone and have plenty of quests to fill the designated level ranges, the old game is being similarly streamlined. One of the examples was that if you start an Undead character, you can start in Tirisfal Glades, loop around through Silverpine, Hillsbrad, Alterac, Hinterlands, Plaguelands, and by the time you are done with Plaguelands you should be high enough a level to head to Outland. You never even have to visit the other continent, which right now is downright required due to quest starvation in a few zones.

Now, you can always choose to mix up the zones. You never have to follow the leveling pathways, but many of us that like a smooth ride appreciate it. Can't wait to start my Goblin Priest.

 

[Kitty Sinatra]

but it was still mine. I put a lot of time and effort into these characters and now they are foreign to me.

It's kinda like seeing of my ex-wife with another man.

 

[Bowielee]

So, when are they going to drop all pretense of any lore and just make all classes available to all races.

 

[Shakey]

Probably once they finish making all the casting animations.

 

[Bowielee]

Y'know, especially right now because I'm reading all the warcraft EU books, I'm more frustrated than ever at all the concessions they've made at the behest of whiny players who want to homogenize the classes in lieu of keeping somewhat true to the lore. I still think that Horde paladins and Alliance shaman are an abomination.

And don't even get me started on the huge lore whoops with the Dranei.

 

[SpecialKO]

Y'know, especially right now because I'm reading all the warcraft EU books, I'm more frustrated than ever at all the concessions they've made at the behest of whiny players who want to homogenize the classes in lieu of keeping somewhat true to the lore. I still think that Horde paladins and Alliance shaman are an abomination.

And don't even get me started on the huge lore whoops with the Dranei.

While they shoehorned the dranei in with a hammer, I don't mind a lot of the class/race combo stuff. I can accept BE paladins, because they used to be alliance (and I like the junkie angle), and I can accept dranei shaman, and I'm totally cool with Gnome priests. If you can have gnome warlocks and mages, there's really no reason they can't be priests, and every other race is capable of assuming every party/raid role already.

Dwarven shammies and holy cows are messed up though.

And Night-elf mages. What the fuck...I mean, really.