Reaccessing an account

[Langston]

So, here's the story:

I played Ugzug(z) till I was done playing EQ. At that point, I sold off my plat, sold off the account, uninstalled EQ, and threw the boxes in the garbage. I've never looked back - and never will.

I got a call yesterday from the guy who bought the account. Seems that he can't get into the account. The password he was using no longer works but he has seen someone else on the character. He called me to see if I could, using the original activation information, reaccess the account and give it back to him.

I, at first blush, said that I would help him. Why not, right? Someone has cracked his new password and he doesn't have access to the account he legitimately purchased from me.

However, as I thought more about it later, I start to wonder if this is a case of someone re-selling the account and then now wanting to reaccess it from the second-hand purchaser. I'm worried that by retaking the account that I will actually be screwing some third party that may or may not have purchased the account in a straight-up transaction only to help the middle man steal.

I really have no way of proving one way or another if this is what's going on or not.

What are your thoughts? Should I reaccess the account and give it back to the guy who bought it from me or should I just tell him "tough luck bud - can't help you"?

[DangerPaul]

No one cracked his account, unless he has a virus on his machine. Without the original CD keys, they won't reset the password for you anyways. SOE's phone customer support is a brutal hell, just tell him you no longer have the keys and they won't help you.

[Donnel]

he doesn't have access to the account he legitimately purchased from me

how do you legitimately selll something that doesn't belong to you in the first place ^.^

Tell him tough noogies. Nyah nyah.

[Langston]

I have the email where I told him the original CD keys. He has them, as well. I *COULD* reaccess the account.

It's possible someone brute-forced the password. It's not likely, but it is possible.

The question is, should I reset the password and give it to him?

[Langston]

he doesn't have access to the account he legitimately purchased from me

how do you legitimately selll something that doesn't belong to you in the first place ^.^

Tell him tough noogies. Nyah nyah.

Don't argue semantics. You know what I mean.

[Anonymous]

tell him exactly what you typed here--you don't know he isn't trying to fuck someone. and that's not your bag, baby.

you got your $ for your account. when dude_01 bought it, it became his. that's all fine and dandy. but possession also implies responsibility for the account. it's not your account, it's not your responsiblity to make sure dude_01 keeps his shit squared. he's a grown fucking man, yes?

and how the fuck does his account pw get haxored? not just the pw, but his login too? i call bullshit on that. he let someone use the account and they fucked him. or he sold it and now he's trying to fuck someone. it isn't your problem either way.

that being said, you could be the Noble and try and help, but do you need the drama? you sold the account, gave him the relevant info. maybe the original cd keys and all that? if yes, i'd say your job is done.

maybe i'm a cynical fuck, but this is why buying accounts is a fuckover waiting to happen. what happened to sharing? =p

try eqim ugzug v. 3.0 and see if you can chat him up about wtf is going on w/ the character.

;t ugzug wtb info, yo. when you get this account?

[Donnel]

Tell him you stole it back because you are h@rc|K0r3 733t and you will sell him the toons on the account for 3 easy payments of $29.95.

[Aryylas]

Maybe not being a dick is a good option.

[Tossica]

I think your are probably right about him wanting to "steal" the account back from someone he sold it to. Fuck him.

[Langston]

Maybe not being a dick is a good option.

Which way is being a dick? Reaccessing or not reaccessing? Either way could be viewed as being a "dick" - depending on the real situation and which point of view you are taking.

Thanks for sharing, though.

[Menlaan]

I agree with cabernet. Either tell him that you won't help him, or try chatting with the new Uguzugz to try to figure out what's what. If the new one is a dick, then retrieve your password. If he's not, don't. You also might think about doing a quick search on PlayerAuctions to see if your char has been resold recently.

Have any of your old guildmates seen the char running around? Do you still keep up with them?

Menlaan

[Langston]

Part of the sale of my account was a server transfer. No one that I know plays on the that server that I'm aware of.

I've considered trying to chat to the current person playing the account. I think I'll try that first. However, that could be easily foiled, too. All the person that has the account now has to do is tell me "yeah - I bought it from him" and then I'm not going to reaccess on him. Who's telling the truth, y'know?

[runamonk]

I probably wouldn't get involved with it at this point. It's pretty unusual for someone's account to actually be hacked without them giving out the login and password or a keylogger installed on their system.

The worst case scenario is that you end up wasting a bunch of time on this whole thing and really you don't know what this person has done. :/

[Langston]

Yeah. That's my problem.

I feel for the guy if he's really been hacked. It was a very honest, straight-forward transaction between him and I... he seemed like a nice guy and has never bugged me since it was done. I hate to withhold the power to help him if he's truly innocent in this... there's just no way, that I can see, to prove his innocence.

Guess I'll chew on it a little more... can't do anything about it till tomorrow anyway - I'm on the road and don't have the email with the CD keys on my laptop.

[Darcler]

tell him exactly what you typed here--you don't know he isn't trying to fuck someone. and that's not your bag, baby.

you got your $ for your account. when dude_01 bought it, it became his. that's all fine and dandy. but possession also implies responsibility for the account. it's not your account, it's not your responsiblity to make sure dude_01 keeps his shit squared. he's a grown fucking man, yes?

and how the fuck does his account pw get haxored? not just the pw, but his login too? i call bullshit on that. he let someone use the account and they fucked him. or he sold it and now he's trying to fuck someone. it isn't your problem either way.

that being said, you could be the Noble and try and help, but do you need the drama? you sold the account, gave him the relevant info. maybe the original cd keys and all that? if yes, i'd say your job is done.

maybe i'm a cynical fuck, but this is why buying accounts is a fuckover waiting to happen. what happened to sharing? =p

try eqim ugzug v. 3.0 and see if you can chat him up about wtf is going on w/ the character.

;t ugzug wtb info, yo. when you get this account?

I agree. It is no longer your account, which means it is no longer your responsibility. If he gave the account or sold the account to someone and wants it back, he is a mean mean man and too bad for him. You shouldnt help him. If, somehow, he got haxxed, too bad for him. Not your problem.

[Lyion]

Trust your gut. You can generally tell if someone is trying to screw you over.

He's your customer. He paid you the cash. If he has reasons or problems then it is between whoever he sold the account to and that person.

If he seems a good sort, and the check cleared, then hook him up.

[Langston]

Trust your gut. You can generally tell if someone is trying to screw you over.

He's your customer. He paid you the cash. If he has reasons or problems then it is between whoever he sold the account to and that person.

If he seems a good sort, and the check cleared, then hook him up.

He seemed really honest to me... everything was very smooth and the check cashed, as you said.

What I've done is this: I called Sony and had the password changed. The billing information didn't match mine or his - so there's a third party involved somewhere - or he used a fake name with me, which is entirely possible. I had them cancel billing. I sent the guy an email telling him that I had a new password, the account was cancelled and for him to prove to me that he wasn't doing something shifty before he got the new account info.

If he doesn't satisfy me, the account dies completely.

[Donnel]

How long does it take for you to realize your account has been hacked?

How many hackers actually want to PAY to utilize what they steal (isn't that the point of stealing in the first place) I mean, wouldn't the stealer want to use out whatever time was already paid for? If he'd used all that time, do you think he would then put his OWN info in?

So if it doesn't take long to figure out you got haxored and the billing info wasn't in this guys name (meaning that the crook put in new info)...

[Langston]

Well - he admitted to me that he hadn't been playing EQ - he had been playing WoW. He went back to try to use the account, and it didn't work for him any longer.

This kind of supports my thoughts that he might have sold/given the account away. He was going to play WoW, didn't need the EQ account any more, sold it, and now wants to go back... for free.

We'll see what he has to say for himself.

[10sun]

When you sold it and passed along all the pertinent information to the fellow, you washed your hands of Everquest.

-Adam

[Lyion]

A more likely scenario is a friend/guildmate of his online changed the password, Ugz.

[runamonk]

How long does it take for you to realize your account has been hacked?

How many hackers actually want to PAY to utilize what they steal (isn't that the point of stealing in the first place) I mean, wouldn't the stealer want to use out whatever time was already paid for? If he'd used all that time, do you think he would then put his OWN info in?

So if it doesn't take long to figure out you got haxored and the billing info wasn't in this guys name (meaning that the crook put in new info)...

Yup good point. I don't think someone who steals an account will actually put their name on it. They strip it and move on. Sounds a little iffy to me. :/

[Langston]

Well - what I'm going to do is if the guy doesn't satisfy me with a good explanation, I'm going to log in the account (Maeya still has EQ installed) and wait for someone to contact me. I'll then give that person (if it sounds legit) the password and let him know to renew the billing after explaining the situation. The last thing I want to have happen is for some innocent third party to be screwed because of all of this.

This way, if the account was legitimately hacked, the guy who bought it from me has the chance of getting it back. If it was an attempt to steal the account back, the guy who bought it gets it back.

[Menlaan]

What server did you transfer to? I'll do a quick search of PlayerAuctions if you'd like. Also send me your most recent magelo.

If someone legitimately bought it from the person you sold it to, he might not have established himself enough to get tells yet. It could be a friend of the person who bought it from you who sends you a tell (rather than a friend of the new legitimate buyer).

Menlaan

[Langston]

I checked PA - didn't find it.

I've traded a few emails with the guy today... and I decided to give him the password. He admitted that he had given the account to his guild to use while he was away - and he was away for a while. I looked at the billing and he was on a 1 month renewal, so the account very well might have expired and the guild decided to renew the account and changed the password.

I made it clear to him that I will never reaccess the account for him again and that if he's screwed someone over, it's on his conscience - not mine.

*washing my hands of it*