Hey Everyone!
I just wanted to make a post that talks about some ways to keep your account safe.
Keep your username and password to yourself!
This includes anyone and everyone. We do not support the sharing of accounts. Regardless of how much you trust someone, you are putting everything on your account at risk whenever you give another person access.
Never visit websites that offer in-game currency for real money
The primary reason for this is that that it's against the rules. We track account activity and will completely remove game access from any accounts that are found purchasing energy credits for real life currency.
The secondary reason is that many of these sites are fraud operations. The websites use several techniques to bait users into sharing confidential information.
Examples:
- The website requires your game username and password so they can log into your account to give you the resources. DON'T DO IT.
- The website requires you to create an account with a password. They will then hope that you will create an account with the same username and password as your game account. DON'T MAKE AN ACCOUNT ON THEIR WEBSITE.
- They will offer you the ability to purchase something with a credit card. They do this so that they can steal your credit card information. DON'T EVER ENTER YOUR CREDIT CARD OR PERSONAL INFORMATION ON ANY WEBSITES THAT CLAIM TO SELL STO CURRENCY OR ITEMS.
- Their website may contain viruses or trojans that will eventually end up stealing your game account or credit card information for fraudulent use. A reason to completely avoid these sites altogether.
Comments
Who would have thought that people who are in the business of systematically violating game rules and numerous international trade laws can't be trusted with personal identity, game account and credit card information?
Sage advice; of course, it would've been nice to know that your username can show up in-game (by clicking the "Show account names" checkbox under Chat Configuration -> Options) before we were able to create our accounts... but, if you never learn from your mistakes...
And yes, I'm aware they've got a fix in testing.
my name that shows up in STO and on the forum (Eleriel) is completely different from the one I used to log in (no, I aint telling you what it is).
but... if, when you created your account you put the same thing in both fields, then yes.. your accountname and username is the same, and as you say, you'll soon(tm) be able to fix that.
This post has been edited to remove content which violates the Cryptic Studios Forum Usage Guidelines ~GM Tiyshen
thank god I got a life time back at release helped me prove I was the owner and I got my account back
so my advice learn from me dont let any friends know your password even if you been friends so long your like brothers!
No offense to Cryptic but this will work if only Cryptic takes a active part in stopping these spammers and actively not accept thier money when they buy new copies after getting thier accounts ban.
In a usual week I will get roughly 8-9 spammer mail in my mail box and used to get 10 or more spam messages before turning off TELL. Often times will see spammers parked outside SOL system and in zone chat and even with the complaints to the GM's nothing is done about it. So it leaves me and others with the impression that Cryptic Supports these spammers to make a profit.......
As for the other fools who click on those sites you deserve to have your accounts stolen and banned....
I like to think of myself as a normal bloke that happens to play mmo's.
When something as easy as a post like this 1 is you still find time to find a fault.
This is a simple warning and already the vulture's are around,they did not mention gold farmers only how to protect your account!
Honestly guys get a grip!
*sighs* and why do people think spammers actually stand out when buying games?
As for some that have their account name as their handle... ok so? Use a secure password. It's not that difficult.
I have to say I agree with whats been said here a great deal. Cryptic unless your willing to deal with the problem of these people spamming us to the point where using chat in game has become a pointless exorcise, then taking the "just say no to drugs" sort of policy doesn't wash.
You want this to end? Track the spammers IP's and ban the subnet from logging into the game, when their ISP complains give them the logs of which IP's it was and have them deal with the users under most countries anti spamming laws. You have options but if you refuse to use them then you are just as guilty as the spammers.
As for the gold sellers here's an idea, sell credits in the c-store in amounts that undercut these sites if they don't have a product they will move on to other games.
I want to be social in game but until cryptic gets their spam problem under control why bother?
Why not send that information to the ISP's immediately? Just make it part of the banning process.
Ty..not mention buying credit's destroy's the economy of the game
Agree. Or go 1 step farther and don't allow new account to be created from IP subnets where the spamers have been reported. Post an error message. Something like, "We are sorry, there was a problem creating your account, please call Customer Support...". I doubt the gold-energy-sellers-spammers would call.
EDIT: Back on topic... get good Anit-Malware anit-Keylogger software and run them often.
So basically I can't go Exploration Mark Farming to buy Weapons or other fancy stuff (besides consoles) for other fleet members...
In game ways to make credits
(1) play the exploration missions. Besides badges there are "Drops" to gather
(2) play the exchange market game.. i.e. Buy and Sell
(3) Become a "Crafter" at Memory Alpha
(4) Become a "Tribble Breeder" and sell rare tribbles
all these are open, and I have done all of them.
I assume that it is ok to buy from these since they are apparently allowed to run rampant in your game.
HAHA.
Companies with more resources than Cryptic have already tried.
These are not kids in bedrooms. Modern day RMT companies operate more like organised crime than anything else. They actively study ways to exploit, hack, and bypass measures to stop them. These are people who have no problem with using stolen credit card info to buy game accounts, rest assured they've already thought of ways around most common methods to stop them.
They definitely are organized crime. Someone is responsible for stealing those credit cards, but that someone is not the same as the guys entering the game to farm gold. Spamming alone is an organized crime, with someone "higher up" developing the tools to enable spamming (breaking filters, hacking computers to create their bot nets) and someone else sending/writing those spam mails. It is kinda impressive and frightening what's going on in the world of spam, gold farming and credit card fraud and theft.
And like with everything else, the only way that this is actually worthwhile is because people buy gold/credits/accounts/powerleveling and so forth.
I'm not sure, even with restrictions, that Cryptic could stop the gold farmers/spammers... without hindering their customers...
Blizzard have tried for years to reduce the spam, stop the farmers and so on, and yet, they still have spamming bots all over the main cities...
How to fix it? Come up with a great idea, to stop them, and you'll have revelutionised the market!
1 yes spam sucks
2 to fix this all you need to do is expand your store for ship items not just ship skins
3 i have not buy from 3 party but it hard when item's worth 19k sell in game for 375k or more
4 i part time gamer i dont have time farm game 20 hours a day
5 to banace thhis out give death penlty so market be fine
good thing i looked here
You'd be surprised.
I just report/delete the mailbox spam. Mostly just delete now. Reporting though adds to the "Ignore" list. Which I tend to do anytime I'm being annoyed by it anyway.
Kill a spammer by not using their stuff. If no one clicked on the links, no links would be sent out. Unfortunately, even just regular email spam is a billion dollar industry, so until internet users wise up and realize there is no free iPod, iPad, Laptop, etc., it won't go away.
And filtering is a "reaction", so at best a band-aid solution.
Welcome to the interwebs!