Massive Bans Issue – Wargaming Answers

Posted on by

Hello everyone,

recently, I wrote about an issue, where a large amount of players got suddenly banned for alleged attempted credit card fraud. Today, there is a post in the Czech section, explaining the situation.

Earlier, I wrote it might be some sort of Wargaming screwup, but as it turned out, I was mistaken: it is apparently not so. According to the Wargaming post, accounts were banned that – according to the card providers, not Wargaming – did misuse or tried to misuse credit cards. This did not require the transaction successfully completed, an attempt to misuse was enough to cause your account to be flagged for ban. What that means is typically this:

- someone used someone else’s credit card (friends’ for example) and the payment was flagged as that card’s misuse
- someone tried to use some credit card data that he for example found on the internet, it did not work, but the account was flagged as well

As a result of things such as listed above, flagged accounts (according to Wargaming, it’s “less than 1 percent of players” and “in hundreds”) got banned.

I’ve been following the discussion on EU forums, I also had several mail conversations with people who happened to have their accounts banned and at least in some cases, I am sorry to say that the bans actually appear justified. Of course, whether they really are is another matter, but here is what Wargaming suggests you do, if you feel like you have been banned unjustly:

- contact the support
- you will be told about the payment and the card number, that flagged your account for ban
- you will be asked to present a photo of the credit card with first 6 and last 4 digits visible, the rest of the card data can be blurred/covered. If it was for example a friend’s cart and he did let you use it willingly, it is just a mistake and your account will of course be unblocked.
- alternatively, a bank statement with that respective credit card payment can also be presented (it just has to show the first 6 last 4 digits).

If you don’t have access to either…. well, sorry.

You can contact support here (just click on “my tickets” and “new ticket”). You can write in whatever language you want (and WG supports). I wish you swift resolution of the matter.

26 thoughts on “Massive Bans Issue – Wargaming Answers”

    • Yep. Credit card fraud is not a joking matter. On the other hand, the card can’t be guessed “randomly” most likely, the number probably has to belong to an existing (or formerly existing) card to be banned, otherwise people who made a typo would be banned. Which I did for example not that long ago and I did not get banned.

    • Since online transactions using credit cards require the following info: CC Number, CC Date of Expiry and CC Validation code; practically prevents somebody from randomly guessing numbers.

      If you enter information from a card reported as stolen, then you are in big trouble.

      As for loaned cards, what probably happens is that the card owner does not identify/remember the loan and complains for the transaction. Morals: do not use a loaned card unless the cardholder lives with you (as in family). That way you can explain the transaction as soon as the statement arrives.

      • You can easily generate valid CC numbers, except the security code (which is generated using a secret key). But as all data is usually checked online, including the secret key, it is almost impossible to generate something useful today.

          • 569m?

            Pfft!!

            I get offered at least that every week…

            ….I wonder when teh money will start rolling in…. they promised it would… Soon™

          • The usual checks, but currnetly PayPal allows them as a payment method aswell.

            When u recieve money from the buyer you see it as a regular transaction and it at first sight looks all legit, but when you check the details. Surely 95 out of 100 ppl notice that, but the 5 ppl send goods or tranfer virtual good and then notice that the actual eCheck was sent from a very suspicious paypal account and ofc the check bounces a few days later due to no funds on the bank account. I contacted Paypal about that and they cant do shit. So once scammed or fooled you are fucked up.

          • Credit Cards can be used to stamp cheques actually. They are manual credit cards so to speak. Ever wondered why your numbers are bumped out? Its so you can press the information on Cheques with a special machine. They still actively used that system in the US all the way into 2000s. In 2015 they will introduce a bill that any company that does Not have a chip terminal will be the repsonsible part for fraud etc, so cost is pushed from the bank to the companies that have not upgraded.

            • Woah, flashback of watching my parents pay for things with checks and watching the cashier do the little back and forth swipey-rolley thing. Such a distinctive sound.

    • More like do not fuck with credit card companies. They are the ones behind the ban.

      • Yep.. and if they trace you, and “they think” you are guilty, it “could” be marked on your credit rating and really fuck you up …

  3. Not a WG cock up? In fact an issue with fraud and people being liars and cheats? Who could have guessed!

    Oh, thats right, everyone including our host here at FTR before he posts alarmist nonsense.

    Edit:

    Although fair play for the follow up article and retraction.

    • No, it’s a suprise that it’s not fucked up by WG – to be honest, it’s the first fail not caused by WG.

      And with FTR you see how it should work: If you fuck up something, you make a statement to correct everything.
      WG states until today the server lags were caused by olympic games. And until today I wonder, if they are that dumbasses to believe that themselves or are WG people just human crap and liars?
      Well for Paris staff we all know the answer, but what for the WG owner living in Cyprus because the of the “russian life style”?

  4. Wonder how many of these were from the Ukraine area where a certain plane went down and there was widespread theft of credit cards from the wreckage.

  5. I had this happen.

    I had a random 12k gold show up in my account. I knew I was not so lucky so I contacted WG right away and luckily I did because it was a goldseller who must have gifted me wrong gold. ALl the users got banned but me :)

    These guys use fake/stolen credit cards then “Sell you” gold and you pay them with your legit CC number.

  6. I bank with Santander, and me and my missus have a policy of “Tank’s for Teddies” She gets Charlie Bear teddy bears and I get gold/tanks in return. However an alarmingly good thing is happening, I go to the shop and pay for a teddy for her, come home and buy gold. 30 seconds later I get a phone call saying your card may/has been used in a fraud, please confirm your date of birth and these last 5 transactions. It’s got so predictable now I actually have the phone by my side and I am ready to answer after less than half a ring of the phone.

    • I’d be worried that they query this on a regular basis more than feel happy that they do so. Sure, the first two transactions but this seems OTT. Wait until you’re away from home and they start stopping the use of your card.

  7. Pingback: Nadchodzą perm bany! | WizjerCzołgisty.pl - Codzienny blog gry World of Tanks

  9. So when you have a dubious, but _undisputed_ charge on a CC, based on some random computer algorithm, the account gets banned?

    This is a fuck up by wargaming, no way around it. They’re still randomly banning accounts, and they’ll never stop. Maybe one day someone will take them to court over this shit.