New Account Verification System

Dear SOE,

• How impossible is it to require a credit/debit card verification for creating new accounts, or a phone number verification system?

For those unfamiliar with such systems, here's a rundown (if you are already familiar, the rest of the post isn't much else, just post thoughts on such a system to combat hackers/griefers):

Card Verification:
-> When creating a new account, the user is asked for a credit/debit card to do a "verification" of the user's identity. This is a required unit of creating a new account, failure to provide this information prohibits creating the account.
-> The user is charged a few cents onto the card, labeled " SOE*123456* " or something similar.
-> The number code (123456) is unique to the transaction, and to finish creating a new account the code must be entered in the required field. To view the code you simply look at your online transaction page from the bank company the card is provided by - a modern tech, not having this feature is basically stone age.
-> During this process, the few cents charged to the account are credited back - sometimes even with the additiona of a few pennies (charged 14 cents, given back 17 cents, for example).
-> New Accounts cannot be made linked to the same card.

Such a system requires an automated process, but would be well worth it to combat hackers and griefers.

OR.... use can verify via....

Phone Verification:
-> User enters phone number (required field) when creating new account. This is usually the final step.
-> User receives a text/call (able to choose) and receives a verification code e.g 12345.
-> User input 12345 into the required field, verifies account.
-> New Accounts cannot be made with this number, and banned accounts linked to this number are obviously ineliglbe to be recreated.

This tends to be an easier barrier to overcome than credit card verification. Ask your buddy (though I bet most hackers are lonely failures with no friends *wink wink) for his phone, make a new account. Eventually these run out.

The only other loophole I can thing of is using proxy phone numbers via computer software. Still, that's a lot of work to simply play a game to grief/hack, but lonely pathetic cheaters may have nothing better to do.

-----------------------------------------

Issues?:
Now, obviously there are loopholes, just like any other online verification system these days, that scum hackers could use to get by a few times.

However, this is a very useful deterrent to people trying to make multiple accounts for hacking/griefing purposes.

Deterrent to Abusive Players:
With the amount of reported hacking going on, a system like this seems necessary at this point. As others have said, it's an uphill battle to combat hacking in a free-to-play game. There is no punishment for a banned user. Make new email, use fake name, make a new account. That's how it goes. A system like this would deter these easy loopholes and make harder loops to overcome.

This system would add another element to catching people attempting to make new accounts to cheat/grief/etc, and limit their power to do so.

Existing Accounts:
While some would not enjoy this, I would recommend that, if a system were ever implemented, all existing accounts undergo the verification process in waves (e.g. select 5,000 random users per day for verify -- so servers don't explode with queue time overload). Prompted via login/email message, etc. This is up to the company, of course.

A big Sony division such as yourself should not have trouble with this. I have faith in you, SOE.

As for current non-scum cheaters, what do you think?

The SC/month thing I think is a legit complain. It was advertised differently from how it functions. With that said I think account creation should be harder.

Facebook does that........and Facebook is ********. I've had to create 3 different ones due to random account locks. Recovering and account with such personal information will create a lot of problems.

It would dissuade more players from trying the game free game than it would dissuade cheats. Most I know are very hesitant about putting CC numbers on the internet. Add into this the fact that SOE has been hacked a few times and had peoples information stolen in large quantities and you are looking at a serious hit to the free player base.

you do know they ban ip's along with the account right ?

In modern times it's:

Disconnect from internet.
Reconnect.
Enjoy new IP.

Then the fun begins:
People may randomly get the IP of a banned player and not be able to log in until the dynamic IP changes itself again.

Not very hard to get a new IP, not many people who game have static IP's

I'm never giving Sony my credit card info. I'm all for account verification, but not at the cost of having my identity compromised.

I recommend mandatory blood testing, and shock collars for all F2P players.

It's very easy to get a temp phone number (multitude of applications for smartphones, etc) and an online prepaid credit card that would most likely bypass this system. It's not like in Korea where you require your KSSN to play games

I didn't use a credit card since i was eligible for one, and im not planning on using one now.

no thx.

Credit card verifacation would be great but the whole point of the sony cards are so people who dont have them can still play.

How about at the very least flag anyone who names their charecter 111111!!!!!!!lllllllllll!!!!!! since for the last 10 years they are always hackers.

How about changing the font type that was so abused a decade ago in ps1 so all those ones , L's etc dont look like lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll in the end.

And how about Hyperlinks when peoples names show up in killspam/chat text. This code is already written and used in many other soe titles that dont need it nearly as badly as this one where you cant report people use the aforementioned names.

It saddens me greatly that I have been writing this same suggestion for like 10 years now since ps1 went live and the entire collective of soe cant put together these few common sense ideas.

Then get a debit card? Or use a phone?

Did you read?

Feel free to suggest an alternative hacker deterrent instead of complaining about the merits of credit cards (which I assume is what you were doing with your... yea I'm not sure what you were saying).

Prepaid card just to be a scum hacker/griefer? Lot of extra work to get into the game just for that - has to deter some of them who don't want to go that far to cheat. Unless you are insane cult hacker, maybe you'll waste away your life using $10 prepaid cards to make new PS2 accounts >.>

People already answered this post. Banning IP? Hah. Naive.

You do know you can reset/proxy/change IP on a dime right ?

People - there's a blatant alternative option to use phone call or text.
Please read.

The SC per month argument is not mentioned in the original thread. I don't see your point in bringing it up

This thread is about forcing account verification on elements that are not easily replaceable without effort (or... you just run out of them eventually/give up).

Mainly to combat hackers/scum.

Nothing to do with SC/month.

That seems like a problem with the company operating the system. Also, vague details - why were your accounts locked, how could SOE prevent similar issues? Please feel free to elaborate.

Facebook =! Sony

--

So from the responses people seem to fear...

-> Their info in SOE's hands
My rebuttal: use a phone. The people at Sony are professionals, they aren't going to be prank calling you any day now. I would never condone a system that FORCES you to use a credit/debit card. Don't have a phone? Well, you are playing a video game that requires a moderate computer yet you don't own a cellular device. Ask a friend. Ask mom. Ask a neighbor. Ask a stranger at the Apple store. Landline phones work for these systems as well - and everything is automated, never a point to talk to someone in person.
-> Loophole with prepaid cards
My rebuttal: easy to track prepaid cards these days with modern tech. Very easy. I have personal experience via google and Microsoft Adcenter. Simply don't allow prepaid cards. If you don't have a phone, dont have a debit/credit card, or dont have friends to borrow a phone or debit/credit card for such a simple task... may want to reconsider life priorities.
-> Abusing the phone number verification system
My rebuttal: it's not a rebuttal - I agree that people would find loopholes in the phone verification system. That said, it's still extra work on the scumbag's end. I'm not too familiar with how a phone system would work mechanically, but I'm certain that some methods of fake phone IDs could be tracked. Thanks for that input, Kyuu

Edit:

That wouldn't solve the issues on a mechanical level. Those are just blatantly obvious hacker... "traits." And not all hacker scum do such things - there are legit idiots who like to name themselves CoolLLlllllLlllGuy and play hack-free.

You realize a debit card doubles for a credit card right?

Not all do, at least a couple years ago anyway.

No thanks I would never play a FREE game that required a credit card to authorize you. And they do HWID bans here.. Sure some ppl can bypass them.. you can bypass anything if your determined.

Get over it take a deep breath and get over people owning you with hacks.

Mine doesn't and I'd like to keep it that way.

Issues?

Its a F2P game. Its goal is to attract as many players as possible. Having to enter credit card info or predatory telephone #'s will easily scare tons of potential players away. If I had to enter either just to create an account I would have told this game to go ---- itself. Not to mention Middle/High school age range won't have a credit card.

I personally think they should ban IPs. Or do that confirm the use of device email that Guild Wars uses and ban all devices they confirmed also.

So your debit card doesn't say "Visa" or "Mastercard" or anything else on it that you have to enter in to make online transactions? Because if so, you probably don't have a debit card.

It does, I just didn't enable that functionality.

I just like to have a hard limit on my spending that is governed by how much money I -actually- have instead of the imaginary money I might get in the future.

I'm a freelancer, I can't work with credit cards because my income fluctuates too much for them to be useful and safe.

I don't like debt, because it creates a downward spiral of expenses for me. If I don't have the money this month, I just simply don't have the money.

For everything else I have bank transfers and/or paypal online.

I'm not in the US, the European "culture" is less interested in credit cards and we don't use them as often, if at all, its perfectly normal here. It might be upsetting for you, but my preferences in how to manage my money are entirely reasonable.

You can buy prepaid visa cards in australia at the post office. Whats to stop people loading up on those using the cash on them for normal purchases then making more accounts? I think its just another inconvenience for the majority of the playerbase as opposed to something the griefers can buy easily to overcome with no loss.

Plus and seriously if you are just free to playing it do you REALLY want your card details with yet another company that could have its database hacked? This happened a year or so ago didn't it?.

Pass....... another system is needed.