My Account Has Been Recovered! And Guide to Request Support Services
An extra big thanks to the wonderful folks at STS - especially Gnosis, who was able to recover my stolen account.
In under 60 minutes from the time the the hijacking was reported, my account was restored; albeit under a new name, with a bunch of silly pets names, no friends and missing gear, but the fact that they were able to turn it around that quick via email support is nothing short of extraordinary!
Unfortunately, my old name Kalizza is now taken (by me, to determine whether the toon name was changed), so I am working with STS to rectify that. To all my friends, I hope in the coming days that you will be able to find me and send me Friend Requests.
So once again, a heart felt thanks to STS and Gnosis for helping my poor Rogue find her way back home.
And, as a general guide for those who get hijacked, pay close attention to the emails that you receive pertaining to your account.
The information provided below is how I was able to determine my account was hijacked, and was able to provide support with enough timely information that they could take quick action.
1) 1:35 PM EST I received an email from STS stating that my account email had been changed. This email listed my original email login account and a new, unknown email account.
2) 1:54 PM EST I received a second email from STS stating that a new account was created using my original email login.
3) 1:55 PM EST I immediately attempted to login, and noticed that my toon was gone!
4) 2:06 PM EST I sent an email to support(at)spacetimestudios.com, and notified them that I did not initiate the email change request.
5) 4:46 PM EST I sent a follow up email to support and provided them with the following information:
- Character Name
- Character Level
- Approximate PvE and PvP Kills/Deaths
- Unique items and pets I had in inventory (such as my Green Arlor Vanity set)
- My original Email login name
- The new, unknown, email login name (from the support email STS sends automatically)
- The last time that I had logged in
- The time I received the account changed email (effectively establishing a window in time where the theft happened)
6) 2:30 - 5:40 PM I contacted friends from my guild to determine if there were any new, unfamiliar names in the guild, and started a friend-list hunt to find my missing account
7) 5:40 PM Account restored by STS
I believe that quick action on my part, and providing STS with enough information to track down my toon were instrumental in getting my account recovered. Ultimately, the support clock can't really start until I provide them with enough information for them to begin the search. I am a programmer in real life, so, as fair warning to everyone, whenever I receive emails stating "It isn't working" or "Application crashed", well, requests like those immediately go to the bottom of my list because there is nothing actionable I can do with it. I can only respond to concrete, specific cases, and support at STS is likely no different. We cannot expect them to read our minds, and just know everything there is to know.
So, for anyone unfortunate enough to get their account stolen, pay attention to the support emails you receive. Establish a time frame so the support folks know where to look. Provide support with as much information as you can find regarding the details of your account, including any unknown login credentials.
Time and information are the two critical factors in recovery. Make sure you are on the right side of them both and the odds of recovery increases.
