Secret Question Does Not Secure Your Account - They Hand it Over Anyway

[JC the Builder]

A guildmate has been having some issues with an account he received over 6 years ago. Apparently the original owner somehow convinced an EA account representative to give him access to the account. When our guild members saw him acting suspiciously we killed the character for over an hour to prevent him from looting the account. After an inexcusable length of time the current account owner (our guildmate) finally got EA to lock the account.

Lucky right? Well then he was somehow able to convince EA to hand over the account a second time. Our guildmate called and got it transferred back and this time the representative put a secret question on the account, supposedly to prevent this from ever happening again.

But it didn't matter. He somehow regained control of the account a third time. At this moment the person who sold the account 6 years ago is playing for free because there is almost a month of play time left on it. The EA representative has stated they don't want anything else to do with this mess and are tossing it "upstairs" (whatever that means).

Each time he has gained control of the account it was by EA handling over the keys, not a hacking. The secret question means nothing if they have the proper information. The only saving grace in this situation is that our guildmate had a good idea to remove all items and transfer away the house after the first time it happened.

Before anyone says email Jeremy: that is what I told him to do. He has received no reply in 2-3 days.

 

[Tazar]

A guildmate has been having some issues with an account he received over 6 years ago. Apparently the original owner somehow convinced an EA account representative to give him access to the account. When our guild members saw him acting suspiciously we killed the character for over an hour to prevent him from looting the account. After an inexcusable length of time the current account owner (our guildmate) finally got EA to lock the account.

Lucky right? Well then he was somehow able to convince EA to hand over the account a second time. Our guildmate called and got it transferred back and this time the representative put a secret question on the account, supposedly to prevent this from ever happening again.

But it didn't matter. He somehow regained control of the account a third time. At this moment the person who sold the account 6 years ago is playing for free because there is almost a month of play time left on it. The EA representative has stated they don't want anything else to do with this mess and are tossing it "upstairs" (whatever that means).

Each time he has gained control of the account it was by EA handling over the keys, not a hacking. The secret question means nothing if they have the proper information. The only saving grace in this situation is that our guildmate had a good idea to remove all items and transfer away the house after the first time it happened.

Before anyone says email Jeremy: that is what I told him to do. He has received no reply in 2-3 days.

I think this is exactly what the UO-secure account transfer thing is supposed to prevent...

 

[Lord Kynd]

A guildmate has been having some issues with an account he received over 6 years ago. Apparently the original owner somehow convinced an EA account representative to give him access to the account. When our guild members saw him acting suspiciously we killed the character for over an hour to prevent him from looting the account. After an inexcusable length of time the current account owner (our guildmate) finally got EA to lock the account.

Lucky right? Well then he was somehow able to convince EA to hand over the account a second time. Our guildmate called and got it transferred back and this time the representative put a secret question on the account, supposedly to prevent this from ever happening again.

But it didn't matter. He somehow regained control of the account a third time. At this moment the person who sold the account 6 years ago is playing for free because there is almost a month of play time left on it. The EA representative has stated they don't want anything else to do with this mess and are tossing it "upstairs" (whatever that means).

Each time he has gained control of the account it was by EA handling over the keys, not a hacking. The secret question means nothing if they have the proper information. The only saving grace in this situation is that our guildmate had a good idea to remove all items and transfer away the house after the first time it happened.

Before anyone says email Jeremy: that is what I told him to do. He has received no reply in 2-3 days.

i'm really starting to believe Jeremy has given up on us, she doesn't hardly post anymore and trying to get replys from PM's are near impossiable.

 

[DHMagicMan_1]

If this "Original Owner" has the original CD Key, Original Credit Card info and/or Original email address used when creating the account xxx years ago (I don't know if you need 1 of the 3, 2 of the 3 or 3 of the 3) then this is what Customer Service would do by policy if the account wasn't transfered through EA's Transfer Service (even if it didn't exist when the transfer happened??)...

I'm not saying it's right or wrong... just that EA has no way of knowing who is the "right" owner... and if someone has a CD Key that started the account and/or other undisputable ORIGINAL info about the account what else could EA do?

 

[JC the Builder]

I think this is exactly what the UO-secure account transfer thing is supposed to prevent...

No, the account transfer is supposed to be a secure way to trade an account so someone doesn't sell you an account and take it right back. Our guildmate has paid for the account for 6 years. They are supposed to go by the billing as it says on their website.

If this "Original Owner" has the original CD Key

The original CD key is not supposed to be used for owner verification process anymore. There have been too many instances where old owners just decide to steal accounts back. They are supposed to go by whoever pays for the account. The current owner paid for 6 years and is currently paying for this idiot who decided to take it back. This is what he was told by the representative the second time he got it back, the one who appeared most knowledgeable.

 

[Theo_GL]

Moral of the story : don't buy someone else's account.

 

[JC the Builder]

I apparently missed some of the details. I am now informed the original account owner had a secret question put on the second time he got the account back. Then our guildmate had his own secret question put on.

So that is twice in a row the secret question did nothing to prevent access. This new protection they added is useless.

 

[DHMagicMan_1]

it would appear that the original owner weaves a very impressive pile of bull to get two EA Reps not to follow policy, if that's what the policy is...

I would say only secure way is through EA Account Transfer Service.

 

[laurlo]

that, wow.. *blinks then shakes her head*

 

[a slave girl]

"When our guild members saw him acting suspiciously we killed the character for over an hour to prevent him from looting the account."



I have to wonder how you accomplished that?

If you guildie killed him after the first or second time why didn't he just resign the guild and then go loot the account in peace?

If you killed him inside a Fel house owned by the account he was on (alleged stolen account), then why didn't he kick you all out so you couldn't continue to kill him? (Not sure if he could do that while dead though).

It doesn't sound at all like this person was trying to loot the account to me.

Something about this story doesn't add up.

Once or twice we have forgotten passwords and had also lost access to the old emails attached to our accounts and once, even had the account my daughter plays on hacked very briefly, and EA used last form of payment, the actual credit card or gametime code NUMBERS, to confirm we owned the accounts every single time, they never once asked for original cd codes.

Maybe you accidentally left out some important details that might make this story a bit more believable?

 

[Der Rock]

A guildmate has been having some issues with an account he received over 6 years ago. Apparently the original owner somehow convinced an EA account representative to give him access to the account. When our guild members saw him acting suspiciously we killed the character for over an hour to prevent him from looting the account. After an inexcusable length of time the current account owner (our guildmate) finally got EA to lock the account.

Lucky right? Well then he was somehow able to convince EA to hand over the account a second time. Our guildmate called and got it transferred back and this time the representative put a secret question on the account, supposedly to prevent this from ever happening again.

But it didn't matter. He somehow regained control of the account a third time. At this moment the person who sold the account 6 years ago is playing for free because there is almost a month of play time left on it. The EA representative has stated they don't want anything else to do with this mess and are tossing it "upstairs" (whatever that means).

Each time he has gained control of the account it was by EA handling over the keys, not a hacking. The secret question means nothing if they have the proper information. The only saving grace in this situation is that our guildmate had a good idea to remove all items and transfer away the house after the first time it happened.

Before anyone says email Jeremy: that is what I told him to do. He has received no reply in 2-3 days.

many years of playing, at peak period with 4 acc, never had any problems,
so my personal impression is
-DONT use this damn scum xxxx.uo prog
-DONT use suspect webside´s
-DONT klick on links in ICQ messages (NEVER)
-DONT think everyone is ure friend in game
-DONT use the uo-account email adress ever for other things as uo account related
-hands off from free porn links

i think in 99% of all cases the people are self fault or try unfair means

 

[Lady Aalia]

I dont see how polecies they come up with can change so easily.

Its been some time ago when my hubby noticed that one of the accounts he had but wasnt plaing and dormant, wasnt abled to be reopened by him and non of the passwords worked anymore.....

Having been told before that with the CD key and original email/CC we could get it back from the Hacker we called EA

If i remember right the account had not been active from us for about a year when we tried to reopen it for a house. And luckily it didnt have any valuable items just 3 developed chars.

Called EA only to be told by a young man that even thou we had all that info they could not return the account because the "new owner" had paid for it now for over 4 Month with his CC and that made him now the Owner of the account.


Wonder when Policy changed...
Would have been nice to be informed.........


So now what is with the people that have been given accounts from friends that quit?
When a Guildmate of mine quit in 2001? 2002 he gave us his 4 accounts....
How can i be sure he can't claim them back?

A way to be able to officially make them mine now since i have been paing for them for 6 years would be nice...

 

[JC the Builder]

"When our guild members saw him acting suspiciously we killed the character for over an hour to prevent him from looting the account."



I have to wonder how you accomplished that?

I was not there when it happened. If the person hasn't played for a very long time then they might have forgotten how to quit a guild. It isn't exactly obvious.

many years of playing, at peak period with 4 acc, never had any problems,

Thanks for the advice but he didn't do any of those. The original owner called EA and tricked them into giving him access. Then he did it a second time. Then he did it a third time and now is the "owner".

 

[BbqLou]

I just wanted my account back

 

[kelmo]

Nothing is gonna get done on this over the weekend. *nods* Bring it up again on Monday. I just see this turning into drama and a trollfest. Again. Not until monday. *narrows eyes*

 

[kelmo]

forgot this part...