Fraud Prevention FAQ
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Fraud Prevention FAQ
Originally posted by Fricassee on the official LOTRO forum on 13 June 2015[1] Updated and adapted for this Wiki
- Note that this information applies to both LOTRO and DDO.
Account Hacked / Stolen – What to Do
If you believe that your account may be hacked or stolen, here are the steps you should follow to reclaim ownership:
- Immediately run antivirus and anti-spyware programs on your machine to detect any possible viruses, key loggers, etc. If you have trouble doing this, please review any of the common antivirus websites or programs. This step is VERY important, especially if a keylogger has ended up on the PC. A key logger will record not only your LOTRO game login, but any keystroke you enter. This can also include your email login, any credit card and billing details you type in while it is installed, and more. I cannot stress how important it is to remove a key logger from your computer ASAP if one is installed, and not just for game security.
- Attempt to login to your account at https://myaccount.standingstonegames.com to determine if any of your login information has been changed. If it has, and you cannot log in, attempt to recover your password through the "Forgot Password?" link.
- If you were unable to log in and recover your password, you will need to contact the Account Support department to update your account information. Please have the card holder call (or email) with the following information:
- the last 4 digits of the credit card on file
- the name of the card holder
- the billing address on file
- the email address you want to have on file.
- After running antivirus/anti-spyware programs and logging into your account, change your password immediately to a new and secure password you do not use anywhere else.
- Please note that your account may have been identified as potentially being accessed by a third-party by our In-Game department. Your account may be temporarily suspended to prevent any further access to your account. Please note that this does not indicate in any way that Standing Stone Games has been compromised; in most cases this indicates a security issue on the computer used to play Dungeons and Dragons Online or The Lord of the Rings Online. If this has happened, please understand that this suspension is not a punishment, but a way to prevent further unauthorized access to the account. If the account is banned, please contact Fraud Prevention by e-mailing via the form here. State your account name, that you have completed these instructions, and ask for the suspension to be lifted.
- Once you have regained control of your account, log into each character. If you believe any items or currency are missing; please submit a separate in-game ticket for each character. To ensure that your reimbursement ticket is dealt with as quickly as possible, please select Cheating as the primary category, then Account Compromise as the secondary category. These will be researched and a GM will contact you after the investigation. Please note that this process may take up to a week or more but you do not have to remain in the game and can play your character(s) while you wait to hear back. If you believe you are missing characters, please submit an in-game ticket listing the names of the characters missing and the In-Game team will research further. If you do not have the ability to open help tickets from within the game but you feel your characters are missing items, currency, or were deleted due to a compromise; you can submit a single ticket at https://help.standingstonegames.com to request assistance. Be sure to select "Game Support", “Game Moderation Appeal” and "Compromised / Hacked Notification" for your type for the fastest response (as tickets to other departments may need to be re-routed).
How To Keep Your Account From Being Compromised in the First Place
- In most cases accounts are compromised due to malware (keyloggers) on a player's system, the use of gold buying websites, exploit programs, or phishing scams. We will always help provide access to the owner of the account; however the security of the account is always the responsibility of the end user.
- Keeping your system clean and secure, not accessing suspect websites, not creating accounts with suspect websites, and never providing your password to anyone should prevent the vast majority of hacked account issues.
- We recommend that you do not use your specific game login (username and password combination) for other websites. Especially other gaming websites! Using a password manager can help with keeping passwords unique.
- A few important things to note:
- GMs will always have a + in their name. Only GMs can have a + in their name. For example, "+LilBeholder" would be a GM.
- No one who works for Standing Stone Games will ever ask you to give them money (in game or out of it) to avoid being banned.
- No one who works for Standing Stone Games will ever need your password.
- No one who works for Standing Stone Games will ever ask you to log into a website to keep from being banned.
- You should only ever log in with your game/Account Management username and password combination on official Standing Stone Games websites (which include):
- -the game
- -the Account Management website: https://myaccount.standingstonegames.com/
- -the forums
- If you have questions about the security of your account (username, password, email) please contact the Account Management department. If you have questions about your account in-game, please contact a GM. If you can't because you are banned, or want to provide additional feedback for GMs, you can email the supervisors of the GMs via the form here.
- If you are the payment method holder, we can also remove your information from an account. Please note that in order to remove the card, the next billing plan may need to be changed, since you can't have a re-occurring billing plan without a credit card on file.
Why Gold Buying, Account Selling, and Power Leveling is Bad
- Gold farming, gold selling, gold spamming, gold buying, powerleveling, account sales and purchases, and/or the unauthorized purchase of in-game items with real-world money is strictly forbidden on all of our servers.
- The Code of Conduct clearly states:
- "...10. You may not advertise the intent to, commit the act of, or facilitate the ability of others to commit the act of, unauthorized selling, buying, transferring or sharing access to any Game account."
- "...11. You may not advertise the intent to, commit the act of, or facilitate the ability of others to commit the act of, unauthorized selling or buying of Game items for real-world monetary values or other consideration."
- Any time you pay real money for a service, item, or currency to an unauthorized third-party, you are violating the Code of Conduct and may be subject to disciplinary action. This can range from a warning to a permanent account suspension, even for a first offense. These penalties are harsh because these actions affect significantly more than just your account.
- All of the activities above directly encourages and supports the following:
- Disruption of the in-game economy
- Hacking or theft of player’s game accounts
- Theft of credit cards from third-party sites
- Spamming in the game
- Identity theft
- There are other reasons not to engage in these activities. By buying gold or items that are not available within the LOTRO Store, you devalue the efforts of your fellow players and seriously damage the fun of playing the game. Additionally, you put yourself at risk of theft from risky websites and organizations; please understand the majority of our compromised accounts are a result of visiting websites or engaging in services of this type.
- Be safe! The only authorized way to purchase items or services is through Standing Stone Games websites, games, or Standing Stone Games authorized online stores.
- If you have any questions about whether a service being offered or a website is authorized by Standing Stone Games, please contact a GM in-game or submit a ticket to https://help.standingstonegames.com BEFORE you make the purchase. The Fraud Prevention team will be happy to research that for you without you putting your money and account in jeopardy.
The Difference Between Compromised Accounts and Friendly Hacks
- First, a reminder: The security of an account is the responsibility of the end user. It is up to you to be diligent and make sure that your account is and remains secure. Always choose a unique password for your account that is not used on any other online game. Never share your password with anyone, not even trusted kin/guild members. Keep your account information up to date so that in the event of unauthorized changes you are notified via email. And finally, be wary downloading programs or add-ons (especially programs that claim to get you free points or access) as they could contain malicious software designed to steal your login information.
- Second, a definition: A compromised account is when a third party accesses your account and possibly does harm to your characters, items, and currency. If you believe your account was compromised, please follow the instructions at the top of this post!
- Third, a clarification: A compromised account is NOT when:
- You have shared or traded your password with someone and they won’t give the account back.
- You have purchased an account off an auction website and you’ve lost access.
- You have sold an account on an auction website and are having second thoughts.
- These are what we in the business call “Friendly Hacks” and the difference now is that Standing Stone Games’ Terms of Service has been broken. When this happens our ability to assist becomes limited and the Fraud Prevention Department must make a determination on the account based on the details we have available. Please understand that we may not be able to assist with account recovery or with missing items, progression, or character restoration if the Terms of Service has been broken. Sharing, trading, buying and selling game accounts is against the Terms of Service to protect you and prevent this kind of stress in the first place.
- Finally, a warning: Standing Stone Games does not assist with or get involved in ownership disputes. If we receive conflicting information regarding an account owner from two (or more, it’s happened) different parties, the account in question will be permanently banned so that no one will have access. If you are currently struggling with any of the issues from Point Three, we at the Fraud Prevention Department urge you to contact the person accessing the account and attempt to resolve the issue with them directly. We are not in the business of barring players from enjoying the game, but we must uphold our company’s Terms of Service. It’s kind of our thing.
I Didn’t Spend That! What to Do When You Don’t Recognize a Payment
- Firstly, be sure to breathe! The Fraud Prevention team regularly monitors all payments for fraudulent activity. Additionally, there are multiple fraud systems in place to prevent unauthorized payments on your account. There’s a few sanity checks below but when in doubt you can always call Account Support or submit a ticket at https://help.standingstonegames.com and we will be happy to look into your account activity for you. We are on your side and we are here to help.
Turbine transactions will appear on your statement with some form of TWX WB Games.While you’re looking at your statement, you may want to make sure that the payment has completed all the way. Payments that are in Pending status on your statement have not finished; if something is in Pending status for longer than a day, it will NEVER finish and the funds will clear back to your account in a few days.
- Payment still there? Now it’s time to check your Standing Stone Games account. Log into https://myaccount.standingstonegames.com to check your VIP status. Many times when customers think they have a fraudulent payment on their hands they actually have a reoccurring VIP payment. If you have a yellow banner over your subscription you are active as a VIP. You can view your next renewal date and cancel your reoccurring subscription from this page at any time.
- You should also log into the game to check your recent point purchases in the store; perhaps you had forgotten a really good points sale which is why there’s now a charge on your credit card. In addition to the sales receipt that is sent to the email address on file, the in-game store also holds a record of recent purchases by character.
- Finally, we urge you to contact Account Support by email or phone BEFORE you claim a payment as fraud with your bank, credit card company, or PayPal. The Fraud Prevention team takes claims of fraudulent payments very seriously (it is in our name after all) and action may be taken against the account while a fraud investigation is ongoing. In order to save yourself the headache and heartache of not being able to play the game, we always suggest you contact us first!