Banhammer stroke upon me - Abuse of the economy

[almanekra]

Banhammer stroke upon me - Abuse of the economy UPDATE: Banned for hacking, probably

***Notice of Account Closure***

Account Name: XXXXXXXXXX

Reason for Closure: Terms of Use Violation -- Exploitative Activity: Abuse of the Economy

This account was closed because one or more characters were identified exchanging, or contributing to the exchange of, in-game property (items or gold) for "real-world" currency. This exchange process negatively impacts the World of Warcraft game environment by detracting from the value of the in-game economy.

Even if this behavior is the result of a third party accessing the account instead of the registered user (for example, a friend, family member, or leveling service) then the account can still be held responsible for the penalty because of the impact it had on the game environment.

We've found the above behavior is many times directly related to groups responsible for compromising World of Warcraft accounts; we take these issues very seriously. To better understand our position against exploitative activity and the risks involved, please review this article: World of Warcraft Europe -> Info -> Gold Selling: Effects and Consequences

The exploitative activity that took place on this account violates the World of Warcraft Terms of Use. We ask you take a moment to review these terms at Blizzard Entertainment: Blizzard Legal Documentation. Any recurring subscriptions on this account have been suspended to prevent further monetary charges.

For any disputes of this action or further information on Exploitive Activity, please visit the Exploitative Activity FAQ and contact page here:
Blizzard Support

Regards,

Customer Services
Blizzard Entertainment Europe
World of Warcraft
___________________________________________

1)Were you using Honorbuddy, Gatherbuddy or both on the account?
Honorbuddy - GB2
2)If so, when was the last time?:
One hour ago
3)What profile were you using?:
Custom profile in Uldum
4)What combat class were you using? if None Just put Default then the Classname:
FPSWare Hunter
5)What plugins are you using?:
Auto Precision
Refreshment Detection
6)How many hours per day did you bot for?:
0-6hrs in Cataclysm, I used to bot a little more at WoTLK. Never had it run for very long periods, though.
7)How many auctions per day did you have?:
I rarely put anything to AH.
8)Did you Use Any Other Bots, Hacks, or Mods?
I have been using a pay-to-use hack for a long time.
For the past few days, I've been using it with my Gatherbuddy 2, I had a script which toggled my speedhack (200%) off when a player is on my map.
9)Was your account involved in gold selling?
Yes - Read my story below
10)EU or US realm?
EU
___________________________________________

So, I've been botting from Vanilla till this day, for pretty much only personal use. I'm kinda surprised this "abuse of economy" was the reason of the ban. I never mass-flooded the AH or sold any gold, or well, in fact I did buy some gametime with in-game gold about three months ago, but it's highly unlikely that was the reason of this ban.

Well, this is my main account and the only one I've been using. Do I regret botting/hacking? No. I had lots of fun moments thanks to them and I really enjoy botting - what a stupid thing to enjoy!
Ofcourse it sucks a bit that I lost my raiding character... I mostly feel for my guildies giving those epics to me. Such a waste.

If I get my account back, I'll stop using bots and the hack I've been using. If not, I'll probably have a break from WoW... Maybe someday I will return. And I will certainly be botting and hacking then, again!

I'm not sure if this is a permanent ban, yet. I will update this thread later. It's the first time the account was compromised.

Finally, I would like to thank the HB crew for this wonderful bot. It's been great fun.

 

[Makelio]

sorry for your loose! :S
name of the pay-to-use hack?

 

[almanekra]

It's NoAddiction.

 

[Nayhaw]

Probably the first ban thread worth reading. I hope to hear more about your situation! Keep us posted

 

[darrefreak]

Speedhack is probebly the stupidest thing you can do..

 

[wooinau]

Speedhack is probebly the stupidest thing you can do..

The NoAddiction hack he used though is quite "fancy", in that it can detect another player nearby and auto turn off the hack. People have been using speed hacks for a long, long time, without bans and the chances of being seen (especially at 200% with the player detection enabled) is quite remote.

I wouldn't expect to see this type of ban email if he had been caught speedhacking. This email is more common for gold trading or when Blizz really don't have enough evidence to say "hack". Perhaps he did get pinged for the gold trade 3 months earlier. We also don't know how big a backlog they have, or if they process these things right away, or alternatively flag the account for manual review and then ping it later when they are more certain.

 

[allentcl82]

Banned due to Abuse of Economy = Gold Selling..

Nothing to do with Bots & Hacks..

 

[almanekra]

I sent a mail to Blizzard, trying to get my account unbanned. No. I will get it unbanned.

I haven't received a mail how long my ban is yet, but I find this funny because of 'abuse of the economy'. It's been so long since I've taken part in such actions.
Dear Blizzard, atleast give me mercy and ban me for botting or hacking. I want to die honourably.

 

[cawpet]

Get on the phone to billign and support right away man. If you've been around since classic, literally jsut say that, you're a long term palyer/customer. You've been pushing the market a ltitle lately maybe with a few too many auctions after some long ngihts gathering to make up for the kindness of guildmates.

Or some crap. This is hardly the end for you if you call them xD

 

[almanekra]

Well, I sold my account back in 2007 and started again after few months - its one thing I really regret. But I guess four years is pretty long term, too.

 

[berseck]

Just checking the guy that you sold your account and you had it back sold any gold?
Did he agree with you to give your account back?

Because if he didn't he could posted one report on your head because of that...

It happend with some of my friends that sold their accounts...

Just call them and tell them what happend and try to be ignorant and tell them u never did anything wrong etc... this should do the trick for you.

 

[Xanathos]

Speedhacking is never safe. The server tracks all of the coordinates of where you are (since the client needs the data from the server on what's around you). It is a relatively simple matter for them to check your relative speed based on fast you are going from Point A to Point B. If you are faster then a certain threshold your account is flagged for a GM to take a look at.

I don't know if WoW does this, but many other MMOs have done this/do do this.

 

[almanekra]

Well - it seems I'm permanently banned. Such a waste!

______________________________
Greetings,

Your account was permanently suspended due to use of third party programs, which is against the Terms of Use ( Blizzard Entertainment: Battle.net Terms of Use
), the relevant part of which can be found in capital letters in Chapter 17 entitled Acknowledgements, and states:

"When running, the World of Warcraft client may monitor your computer's random access memory (ram) and/or cpu processes for unauthorized third party programs running concurrently with World of Warcraft. An "unauthorized third party program" as used herein shall be defined as any third party software, including without limitation any "addon" or "mod," that in Blizzard Entertainment's sole determination:

I. enables or facilitates *****ing of any type;

II. allows users to modify or hack the World of Warcraft interface, environment, and/or experience in any way not expressly authorized by Blizzard Entertainment; or

III. intercepts, "mines," or otherwise collects information from or through World of Warcraft. In the event that World of Warcraft detects an unauthorized third party program, Blizzard may

a) communicate information back to blizzard entertainment, including without limitation your account name, details about the unauthorized third party program detected, and the time and date the unauthorized third party program was detected; and/or

b) exercise any or all of its rights under section 6 of this agreement, with or without prior notice to the user."

The use of such programs or files is clearly unfair to the World of Warcraft community playing regularly and is not tolerated on our servers.

Following a review of your case, we can confirm that such program has been used on several occasions by your account, and that the subsequent action taken is appropriate. We would not look to enter into any further communications on this issue as the matter is now considered closed.

Please be advised that sanctions in relation to this matter will not be taken against any new accounts you may wish to create, but the characters from your cancelled account will remain irretrievable. If you should wish to create a new account, you will need to obtain a new and unused CD key with a retail copy of the game.
______________________________

I fear the hack I was using is the reason I was banned. Learn from my mistake and don't use hacks. I always used my hack and bot wisely - and I'm pretty sure I wasn't reported. They probably, indeed, have some sort of tracking system for speedhack.

This is all my own fault. I should just have sticked to only using HB and not taking hacks in.

I'll probably start a new account, though I'm pretty broke on money ATM but I have few pre-TBC accounts lying around so I'll probably pick one of them and start over. It feels kind of refreshing but I still feel for my guild. I will tell them the truth.

 

[Demise]

I sincerely doubt it was the hack. As I know of several people that all use it including myself and we have never been touched. You would honestly be the first person to be banned using it, go the forums there and check yourself. No one has ever complained.