EA, UO, & Acct Mgmt Discussion

[BajaElladan]

Hail Folks,

For Me, as well as for many others, the Account Management Migration was a Disaster from the moment it began on August 5th. When it was "completed" on Aug 12th the Disaster only worsened. End of Subscription Emails escalated. Accounts refused to Link, Billing Info though appearing, didn't really exist, and rather than recurring Billing occur, billing info vanished and Accounts began closing, blocked from Log On. Daily and multiple daily emails, phone calls, and Incident Reports mounted up. Finally I was Double Billed, I think AFTER we were told all was now Fixed and Working.

Within the past 4 days, despite the supposed "Tighter, Improved" security provided by the New Account Management System ... One of My Accounts was logged onto by someone other than me, My house was either demolished or sold (replaced by someone else's), its contents gone, the Characters Armor and Robe and Backpack contents stolen, and the Character left logged out along a coastline.

EA Customer Service Rep has NO explanation how this could have happened, but helped me change passwords and said it should never happen again. This Rep said they could do Nothing to investigate the matter, and referred me to In Game Support for all further Aid.

The In Game GameMaster (GM) said he was sorry, but Nothing could be done. He Thanked me for Playing Ultima Online and asked if there was "anything else he could to for me."

I emailed Mesanna aka [email protected] Co Producer and In Game Lead Admin. I have yet to hear back from Mesanna, but hope and expect I will hear back as She is now my only Hope.

The New Account Management page says "EA Account" where it really wants an email address entered, it refers to Mythic Master, EA, and UO accounts in a most confusing manner, it displays billing info even when the EA Rep verifies no such info is present nor will recurring billing occur, it has an upper page and lower page "change password" button or bar with no explanation of what each or either changes, ... in summary, it remains a DISASTER.

For this, we are offered a single use pigment dye (1 per Account per shard) though many have no characters on most shards, and today I even heard speculation a Subscription Fee increase may be coming.

Many, I still hope most, Players still love and support Ultima Online. However, the Current State of Sosaria, EA Customer Service, In Game Support (or lack thereof), and the Disaster called the New Account Management System all serve as powerful reasons for many, if not ALL, to question our committment and support for EA, BioMythic, and Ultima Online.

We NEED, we DESERVE, far better than we are getting for the money we pour into this endeavor. We need all of this FIXED and Improved, and we need and deserve an unambiguous, easy to use and comprehend, Tutorial for this Disaster called the New Account Management System.

I post this that others may be at least Aware and Forewarned, that Players might offer useful and constuctive feedback for EA, the Dev Team, In Game and out of game support, and for civil and constructive discussion of these matters, that something we Love may be improved and continued, rather than potentially ... Destroyed.

Lastly, NO, I have NOT shared the account info nor password with ANYONE, YES, I use excellent Hardware and Software defenses against virus, trojans, key loggers, etc, and have NO reason to suspect anyone "hacked my PC." I have Played for 14 years and have more than enough reason and accounts to take security very seriously, which I have and Do.

Let's Discuss and Hopefully find Solutions and Improvements.

 

[Europa Trader]

First we need to remember that the Account change thing has very little to do with the UO team and that the dye we got was from them and not the people who actually messed up and demanded the change

Last I'm sorry for your loss but somehow I still feel in a way its your own fault, because somehow they got your account name and password.

 

[iamscotia]

First we need to remember that the Account change thing has very little to do with the UO team and that the dye we got was from them and not the people who actually messed up and demanded the change

Last I'm sorry for your loss but somehow I still feel in a way its your own fault, because somehow they got your account name and password.

You never know the extent of the problems with the account migration.

 

[RalphLauren]

I cant even get the pigment thing because my account is blocked due to billing issue.. thats ridiculous..

 

[Zosimus]

I emailed Mesanna aka [email protected] Co Producer and In Game Lead Admin. I have yet to hear back from Mesanna, but hope and expect I will hear back as She is now my only Hope.

Really dont understand what she could do for you in your situation. The policy of items cant be replaced has been in the TOS for years. So not sure what kind of help she can do for you or I am misreading it.

I even heard speculation a Subscription Fee increase may be coming.

Rumors fly around like breathing air. Unless you have absolute proof from EA or UO itself that they are increasing the subscription then I wouldnt feed into it. It was probably spread around by someone whose cousin has a friend that has a half sister that works in the mail room at EA as a janitor. She dates a guy that works from Blizzard and he made it up to create panic so they could get more WoW subscriptions

Now lets say there is some truth to it. If that is true, who in their right mind would continue to pay a higher subscription for a game the same state as it is in now at the price you pay now.


The only way EA is ever going to listen to their customers is when players quit spending their money on EA services. As long as you feed the monster it will still be around.

 

[Salivern_Diago]

Cept where EA is concerned, stop spending the money on UO, they'll just can it and state no interest/low subscriptions.

Either way we loose, they win.

 

[Viper09]

Fee increase? Probably just another baseless rumor.

And sorry to hear about the loss. But account hacking happens. Probably nothing related to the mergers and it probably it is just a coincidence that it happened around the same time. I don't really expect any dev to be able to help you there. They never have been able to help anyone else who has been hacked.

 

[Tina Small]

Elladan, I'm very sorry to hear about your account being hacked! Have you checked the e-mail that is attached to the EA Account to which that UO account was linked to see if you received any e-mails for lost password requests? Lady Michelle mentioned yesterday that she had received several e-mails that seemed to indicate someone was trying to hack her account(s) as well. Also, was this account one of the ones that you were having trouble accessing for a while and that the CS people were telling you to just wait it out?

I'm very worried that there may be some place such as the Origin forums or somewhere else that our EA Account names, game account names, and possibly e-mail addresses are being displayed without our knowledge and clever people are using that information to attempt to hack into accounts. Because we all already have Origin Accounts by virtue of having an EA Account (login uses the same info), but probably most of us have done nothing to update the information for our Origin accounts, is it possible that we have default EA Master IDs for our Origin accounts that consist of our EA Account names and/or the first Mythic Master Account that was associated with an EA Account through the linking process? Or could people have unwittingly entered their EA Account name in that darn Public Profile URL box that pops up when you sign in to your Origin account?

Or, dare I say it, could there be EA employees or contractors who are taking advantage of the confusion and chaos (e.g., by viewing reports or information they normally wouldn't see but for being in an "all hands on deck" type situation where they got pressed into providing some sort of customer support) to gain and use account information for their own ends?

I really hope that with the supposed increased security over our accounts, that also means Customer Support and/or the Account Management teams have better tools to investigate reports of account hacking and theft. If they don't, then it would seem as if this whole account migration process was done for nothing.

Elladen, don't let this issue die. Press anyone you can for better answers. It's BS that you've gone through everything you have already and end up in the situation that an account has been hacked, plus I think from what you told me the other day, you may also still have accounts you can't even access.

Edited to add the following information that is from the Knowledgebase on the Origin.com site. Answer I think it's a bit dated with the links, but hopefully the bulk of the information is still useful:

QUESTION
What should I do if I think my account has been hacked?

ANSWER
If your password is not working, the first thing to check is your Caps Lock key. Passwords are case sensitive, so if your Caps Lock is on, toggle it off and try logging in again. If you are certain that you are typing your account name and password correctly, make sure your account is active by visiting the Ultima Online Account Management Site and attempting to login in there.

While we are more than willing and pleased to assist in hacked account cases, please know that we cannot reimburse you for anything lost. This includes characters, objects, skills, money, properties, and any other game asset associated with the account. However, we do have a method by which you can recover your account. In order to get rid of the hacker's virus and regain control of your account, please follow this procedure:

1.Immediately contact our Account Support department and let us know your account has been hacked. If you are in North America, the number is 1-866-543-5435 (option 2,1). If you live elsewhere, our department may be reached at (650) 628-4306 (option 2,1). Electronic Arts recognizes the person who has most recently paid for the account and whose payment method has been on the account for at least one billing cycle (30 days) as having rightful access. The only exception to this rule is if an account has been transferred using the Account Access Transfer Program.


2.Scan your entire system for viruses. If you have the McAfee or Norton's Symantec anti-virus program, you should be able to update your .dat or definition files to detect any infection. Both of these will detect Back Orifice, NetBUS, SubSeven, and a variety of other malicious programs. These viruses (also known as "Trojan Horse viruses") allow someone to get inside your system without your knowledge. Removing the virus is your first and most important step to preventing this from happening to you again. Another virus detection program is The Cleaner located at MooSoft Development. This program will detect and remove trojan viruses. Thanks to the good folks at Symantec Security, we have included a link that has detailed information and FAQs about the Internet and Internet security. The page also contains guides to various dangers on the Internet, a glossary of hacking terms, and an online Security Check to test your vulnerability on the Internet. We highly recommend becoming familiar with some of the information as well as some of the solutions that are presented.

•http://www.symantec.com/securitycheck

Electronic Arts is committed to assisting hacked account cases as much as possible. However, because Electronic Arts has not technically been hacked or broken into, it is not a crime for which we can press charges. But we will help you as a victim in bringing those who engage in such acts to justice. We strongly urge any individual who has been hacked to contact your local authorities and/or local District Attorney so that this person can be held responsible for their actions.

Hacking is a crime, and if you have had your system or account genuinely hacked, you are the victim of such a crime. By filing a report, the authorities will attempt to prosecute individuals who decide to engage in this act. When investigating the matter, the authorities will need evidence that the hacker accessed your account. This is where we come in. By faxing the Account Administration department at (650) 628-1360 and asking for the IP logins of the accounts, we will immediately return the proper documentation back to them, as well as any other pertinent information needed. This information can only be discussed with the proper authorities - in all other cases the information is private and will be held confidential.

If you have any further questions or concerns, contact us to submit an inquiry to our account support team. We can then forward your request to our Account Administration Department. You will need to include the following information:
•Your Name:
•Your Account Name:
•Date of Birth
•E-mail Address:
•Phone Number:
•If you pay with a credit card, include the last eight digits:
•If you pay with a game time code, include the last game time code you applied to the account
•Description of the Issue:

Please be sure to include any additional information that you think will help the Account Services team resolve the issue. You can include additional details like your ICQ numbers, player names as well as any other pertinent information.

Please do not page Game Masters or contact our billing staff with information about a suspected hacker, or to tell them who hacked your account. A Game Master is able to block your account if you feel it has been hacked, but Game Masters does not investigate the hacking of your personal computer or Ultima Online account and cannot tell you who has accessed your account.
​

 

[Kayne]

Or, dare I say it, could there be EA employees or contractors who are taking advantage of the confusion and chaos (e.g., by viewing reports or information they normally wouldn't see but for being in an "all hands on deck" type situation where they got pressed into providing some sort of customer support) to gain and use account information for their own ends?

Have to say having discovered that some people have been read their EA master account passwords by CS reps that I too am worried about people taking advantage as you say above.

Always been the case that passwords were stored as such that not even the highest employee could read it - which is why they can only usually reset it to something and get you to change it yourself.

 

[Tina Small]

Or, dare I say it, could there be EA employees or contractors who are taking advantage of the confusion and chaos (e.g., by viewing reports or information they normally wouldn't see but for being in an "all hands on deck" type situation where they got pressed into providing some sort of customer support) to gain and use account information for their own ends?

Have to say having discovered that some people have been read their EA master account passwords by CS reps that I too am worried about people taking advantage as you say above.

Always been the case that passwords were stored as such that not even the highest employee could read it - which is why they can only usually reset it to something and get you to change it yourself.

Yep, that's been on my mind as well. Passwords shouldn't be visible to the support folks. I think EA likely has bunches of untrained and poorly trained CS people manning the phones. Very disconcerting.

 

[NASA]

They actually triggered a fraud alert on my credit card, trying to hit 6 times in one day. Then when i called today to complain they hung up on me , not once but twice.
Thats some great customer service ya'll got

 

[Korik Bloodguard]

Last I'm sorry for your loss but somehow I still feel in a way its your own fault, because somehow they got your account name and password.

Just curious, why would you want to blame the victim?

 

[Snakeman]

They actually triggered a fraud alert on my credit card, trying to hit 6 times in one day. Then when i called today to complain they hung up on me , not once but twice.
Thats some great customer service ya'll got

Mine also, then they proceeded to dbl bill for 6 mos again..... Just what I always wanted to do, be Paid up in UO for a Year.... NOT!

 

[Nine Dark Moons]

very sorry for your loss Elladan!!! my account was hacked 4 years ago and they dropped my house it was a horrible experience.
and i agree about passwords and the new accounting system - the confusion and the number of ea support people that have never heard of Ultima Online is terrifying. i am one of the people Kayne is referring to who called ea and had the representative read me my ea.com pw over the phone and try to tell me it's my game pw too (which thankfully it's not) but this is scary stuff. i had 2 customer service reps hang up on me out of the 4 i talked to the other night. worst customer service ever. still haven't been able to retrieve a lost game pw although i'll try calling again after work.

 

[Tina Small]

If someone were to pick up the phone now and call Customer Support to get help with a forgotten UO password, it seems to me that if the UO account has been linked to an EA Account, they should have to do the following:

1. Tell the CS rep the name of the UO account for which they need password help.
2. The CS rep should look up the UO account and see that it is linked to an EA Account. They should then ask the customer for the EA Account name and the "secret word" question for the EA Account.
3. If the customer successfully provides both pieces of information for the EA Account that overlays the UO account, then the CS rep should determine if the UO account has been updated with its own "Secret word" question and answer. I believe this happens when you update the billing info for the UO account.
4. If the UO account doesn't have its own "secret word" Q&A, perhaps because its been closed since before the account migration and no cc info or gametime code was entered after the migration, the CS rep should access the old UO account management system and ask the caller to provide pertinent information stored on that old system, such as the cc info or gametime code used for the last payment made on the account.
5. Once the CS rep has received the game account's "secret word" answer (or old billing information if the account was closed), then the CS rep should reset the password and send to the e-mail address on the EA Account an e-mail message with a link to use to get to a web page for resetting the UO account's password. The CS rep should not be able to view what the current password is and tell it to the caller or ask the caller for a new password and input it into the account management system for them.

Is this what anyone else's thinks SHOULD happen if you need help with your UO account password, i.e., you should have to jump through a lot of hoops to prove you're the account owner and the CS people should not be able to see any of your passwords? Is this the experience people are having today if they call in?

 

[Arcus]

Always been the case that passwords were stored as such that not even the highest employee could read it - which is why they can only usually reset it to something and get you to change it yourself.

EA and back to Origin have never hashed the passwords. They are stored in plaintext.

 

[Kayne]

EA and back to Origin have never hashed the passwords. They are stored in plaintext.

Nice to know my passwords for EA stuff are safe in the hands of EA. Especially with all the publicity hacking is getting since the big Sony hack

 

[Woodsman]

EA and back to Origin have never hashed the passwords. They are stored in plaintext.

Wait after the Sony hack, they still do this? What a bunch of ****ing idiots. Somebody needs to pass this along to the gaming websites and make EA change it.

 

[Kayne]

I dunno about you Woodsman but I really don't want it publicised that EA do this - makes it more likely we get hacked and lose access to UO for ages while they fix the problems

 

[Nine Dark Moons]

tina that is basically what just transpired when i called the 1-866-543-5435 number and pressed 6 for warhammer/daoc. the super nice woman asked for my name, the email associated with the account, the account name and the account's secret word. when i verified all of that, she reset my password for me. she repeated it over the phone, and also enclosed it in an email to me. i'm now (finally) able to login to the game.
thanks to everyone that helped me!!!
and i still find it very scary that the other representative i talked to (from support.ea.com) had my ea.com password in front of him.

 

[Woodsman]

I dunno about you Woodsman but I really don't want it publicised that EA do this - makes it more likely we get hacked and lose access to UO for ages while they fix the problems

If it's been posted on the internet, then it's known. Given that this system powers Origin.com including SWTOR and Battlefield 3, I still have a hard time believing that EA has such ****ty password management, but it is EA. The gaming media won't much care about UO, but they would definitely care about SWTOR or BF3 and anybody who can screw around with that stuff knows that SWTOR and BF3 would probably get the attention of even the non-gaming media.

As for billing issues mentioned above, you could always ask in the Origin.com Bugs and Issues forum because the Origin.com support team actually reads and posts in those threads.

This is a thread I mentioned earlier in other posts that deals with people having billing problems. Origin.com support people do read that thread and do respond.

 

[Kayne]

Might be worth a shot getting some input from that team. Chances are they will go with the wall of silence on password storing methods though

 

[Woodsman]

On my Star Wars issues, I had more success with the Origin.com people than I did with the dedicated Star Wars support team (the one they spent 10s of millions setting up in Ireland). They did pass me off to the Origin.com team though, so at least they recognized when something was outside of their area.

Agreed about the password thing, they would probably ignore it or delete the post. If they are not encrypting passwords, it would require the media to get them to change.

 

[Ahuaeyjnkxs]

You are priceless these days Woodsman... this is great ; good luck however because I don't think this would qualify as an easy task.

Matter of pride mhm.

 

[Woodsman]

The Origin Bugs and issues thread on the EA forums is pretty damn priceless.

There are people seriously stressing out over not being able to pre-order Battlefield 3 and being able to play the day it launches.

 

[Ahuaeyjnkxs]

We are extreemly lucky to be still in one piece over here and be able to share ideas with people who are like minded... not many people share our desire for a sophisticated game with old graphics.

A game about virtue in which money is put back in its rightful place as a commodity...

People these days will turn about every damn thing into heroin, in fact in the last years the situations in which I tought to myself : what a freakin bunch of adrenaline/endorphin junkies... is alarming.

I have seen many things and at 28 years of age I have lived through the evolution of the internet... I can honestly say that what used to affect a minority of people who developped mental deviances due to accessibility of quickly gratifying hormone rush of which graphical stimulation can be an example in many ways... now affects 95% of internet users.

However in many cases people have fine-tuned it to a slow release... someone very close to us and no I am not willing to accuse anyone. Just like the mighty pharmaceutical industry they realised that giving methamphetamine to kids for ADHD at doses which are equivalent to 10 coffees wasn't such a good idea (even if it somehow still available) so they will do this extended release so you have your 10 cofees spread over the day.

You feel mighty fine on them I hear, and you also get used to them.

Drink 10 cofees straight and you'll think wth I want to die, this is no good for my body... drink one sip every 15 mins and you probably will be able to handle it and eat food to balance it out.

And this is exactly what happens here, on the internet as a whole... addiction is building up slowly, insiduously and in so many ways (some people get their kicks just posting on this forum and challenging people's logic, which is what I would classify as one of the sanest ways to get your kicks, ironically) that we simply forget how it all began.

How our heart beat so fast when a guy made out of pixels on our screen engaged us in UO and we REALLY DIDNT WANNA LOSE THAT VAINQ !!!

If we take time as a community we can see very very well how at many times we forgot how strong it was, and that slowly we replaced (as the game was modified) the short strong rushes for many many many small not even perceptible rushes.

This is what the business became, and we are the last remnants of a dying race, sane people who have found more than a game. A group of very different fellows who think its a brighter thing to get your kicks on UO than going in a bar or any commercial place for that matter.

In fact money has become the enemy of our community in so many ways, because we need virtue to achieve satisfaction, the higher complexity that we now need to have GAME.

Not better graphics, not more devs... more virtue and lore.

In fact these discussions will be remembered for a long time Woodsman ; they will be seen as a turning point in human history and the irony is : we don't even need EA to make it true.

How hard would it be for stratics to create its own shard (buy a freakin liscence FCS) and make everyone happy again ?

I can even provide a system that prevents money from ever taking over.

The ourboros has eaten its tail...

From Timaeus :

Soc. Do you remember what were the points of which I required you to speak?

Tim. We remember some of them, and you will be here to remind us of anything which we have forgotten: or rather, if we are not troubling you, will you briefly recapitulate the whole, and then the particulars will be more firmly fixed in our memories?

Soc. To be sure I will: the chief theme of my yesterday's discourse was the State-how constituted and of what citizens composed it would seem likely to be most perfect.

Tim. Yes, Socrates; and what you said of it was very much to our mind.

Soc. Did we not begin by separating the husbandmen and the artisans from the class of defenders of the State?

Tim. Yes.

Soc. And when we had given to each one that single employment and particular art which was suited to his nature, we spoke of those who were intended to be our warriors, and said that they were to be guardians of the city against attacks from within as well as from without, and to have no other employment; they were to be merciful in judging their subjects, of whom they were by nature friends, but fierce to their enemies, when they came across them in battle.

Tim. Exactly.

Soc. We said, if I am not mistaken, that the guardians should be gifted with a temperament in a high degree both passionate and philosophical; and that then they would be as they ought to be, gentle to their friends and fierce with their enemies.

Tim. Certainly.

Soc. And what did we say of their education? Were they not to be trained in gymnastic, and music, and all other sorts of knowledge which were proper for them?

Tim. Very true.

Soc. And being thus trained they were not to consider gold or silver or anything else to be their own private property; they were to be like hired troops, receiving pay for keeping guard from those who were protected by them-the pay was to be no more than would suffice for men of simple life; and they were to spend in common, and to live together in the continual practice of virtue, which was to be their sole pursuit.

 

[Pandora of Baja]

was this an account you bought and the ex owner came on and took it back????

 

[BajaElladan]

My account that was accessed without my consent or knowledge was created originally by someone else. The account was Gifted to me, I did NOT buy it. Immediately upon receiving the account name and password I logged onto the old account management system and changed the email address to mine. I then saved that and logged off account management. Next I returned to the Account Management system (the original one, not this new one) and changed the password, entered my billing info, etc. In later days I added upgrades to the account.

No problems ever. Then along comes the Account Migration. Despite all the problems I linked the account and renewed recurring billing on my CC around Aug 18th, 2011.

While it is true the original creator of the account would know the account name, no one except me knew the password which was a strong one of letters and numbers.

EA and UO claim no one could get my password from an EA Rep. I have no idea who or how my account was accessed. All I know is that on 9/6/2011 someone either traded or demolished my House and performed other mischief on the account.

This is the only time in 14 years this has happened to any of my accounts. However, I now question if ANY of my, or anyone else accounts are really secure. EA and UO need to formulate some ways to track who accesses accounts. Either track by IP Address or some other way or ways.

Hackers, or whoever does this stuff need to be stopped. Account owners need to know our accounts are secure. And this New Account Management System needs FIXED and a Tutorial and FAQ need created and available to Subscribers to end all this angst, stress, confusion, and frustration.

I am convinced many have quit due to this MESS. Others are almost surely considering quitting. I am definitely closing several accounts and will seriously reconsider keeping any open during the next few months.

 

[Ahuaeyjnkxs]

For having been part of the hacking "elite" back in 2000 when our hacking had a political meaning :

"freedom of will in our SANDBOX"

I can tell you without any doubt that if you got hacked it was for a very good reason.

I know for a fact EA never bothered changing their security system so when the system goes down (like 10 years ago) there is some very mischievous people with VERY POWERFUL computers (no wonder they sold UO gold for 10 years) can easily crack an unencrypted password while most of the safeguards are off.

But then again I know for a fact that they are very organised and would not do such a thing for trivial reasons. You had to have involvement with some events that would compromise their integrity for them to take such a risk, because if you were as experienced as me, you would have found them very easily.

Think, think harder, because this did not happen randomly. We are talking about a multi-million dollar business that started in UO but then rooted in all other MMOS and has generated enough money for this organisation to be more powerful than EA itself in many ways.

They not only control the value of gold... think... think harder.

 

[BajaElladan]

Bumped for Fig