Banned? Hacked? Database Error?

Hello people. A terrible tragedy has occurred. I don't know if this is LL's way of playing a practical April 1st joke, but it's not funny. The last time I logged into my regular account it was April 1, around 10:00PM SL time. The next day, Monday, April 2nd, 2007, I could not log into the forums or the viewer. I get an error message that says my password is incorrect and to make sure my CAPS lock key is not on. My CAPS button is not pressed, no one else uses my computer, and no one in the world has my password. It is stored only in my mind, and nowhere on my computer. I have checked my emails to see if I were banned (for what I don't know), and there is no message. I have sent an email to [email]support@secondlife.com[/email] about this issue tonight and will be checking for a response. My screen name does not show up in searches anymore. I contacted some of my friends; I am still on their lists; my screen name still shows up in groups I joined. I'm not sure if that is usually what happens when an account is hacked/banned/error stricken into limbo.

I tried using the Help Request service for advice on what to do. At first they told me to go to the "lost password" link on the website and reset my password. I logged out of SL with my Marvin alt and tried that. It said my regular account does not exist. I went back in world and told them what happened. They said to please hold on the line while they get a Linden to speak with me. I waited for an hour and a half with the Help Request Volunteer. The occasionally told me to be patient and that it was a busy night for Help Request. I responded by saying, "no problem, this is important to me". Then, the help volunteer left the session. Now, I was rather angry, but tried to remain polite. This is the conversation I had with a 3rd Help Request volunteer and a Linden. I have been courteous enough to exclude their actual names. I am also going to exclude the name of my regular account. It will appear in asterisks. It was spelled correctly.

[21:18] *** Welcome to Help Request ***
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[21:18] Mr Marvin: Hello, it's me again, i have new details on my hacked account problem...
[21:21] Mr Marvin: as soon as i know someone is listening i will tell u all about them, lol
[21:23] Help Request Volunteer: if you're account has been hacked, please contact [email]support@secondlife.com[/email]
[21:23] Mr Marvin: well, remember what i told u earlier?
[21:24] Mr Marvin: my friends can still see my profile and name, my name still shows up in groups, i cannot log in, it says password is wrong, my name doesn't show up in search
[21:24] Help Request Volunteer: yes I know, unfortunately help request can't help you with hacked accounts. you'll need to contact support
[21:25] Mr Marvin: they said a Linden was going to talk to me, then the session was closed, do Lindens still work here?
[21:26] Linden: -what is the account name
[21:26] Mr Marvin: ugh, nevermind, i will call in the morning, or go hunt a linden down in the abandoned village
[21:26] Mr Marvin: omg
[21:26] Mr Marvin: my regular name is *********
[21:27] Help Request Volunteer: ?
[21:27] Mr Marvin: it doesn't show up in search anymore, when i click lost password on the site, it says the account doesnt exist, my friends still have it on their list and can see my profile
[21:27] Linden: are you sure that is the right spelling
[21:27] Mr Marvin: yes, it the exact name
[21:27] Mr Marvin: *********
[21:28] Second Life: Help Request Volunteer has left this session.
[21:28] Linden: that name does not exist
[21:28] Linden: you can phone the office
[21:29] Mr Marvin: lol, ok, can u tell when or if it was deleted?
[21:30] Linden: sorry I cannot tell you anything about this account
[21:30] Linden: considering it doesnt exist
[21:30] Linden: there is nothing to tell
[21:30] Linden: sorry
[21:30] Mr Marvin: lol, then why do my friends still see it on their list and can see the profile?
[21:31] Linden: i have no idea
[21:31] Linden: i don't see the name
[21:31] Mr Marvin: ty for trying though, i will call in the morning
[21:31] Linden: unless you spelt it wrongly
[21:33] Linden: *waves
[21:33] Second Life: Linden has left this session.

I am going to call in the morning, but I don't have much faith in this being resolved to my satisfaction. It would appear that my account and all of my assets have been terminated. This is very disheartening and depressing. My question is: has anyone ever experienced this? Do they send emails telling people that have used their service with no infractions that they have been banned and why? Does someone's screen name stay on a buddy's list after the account has been deleted/banned? Do the profiles of banned names become blank? Mine is not blank if it is checked from a friend's list. My account did nothing wrong, and they didn't mind me using the exact same credit card to verify this account. What is going on???

No, not according to my recently-banned (and re-instated!) friend.



Yes, I think hers did.



They don't become blank, but they can no longer be found by a conventional search. The only way you can see the profile of a banned/disabled account is by clicking on an existing friends list entry, or via properties tab buttons of an item that the person owns/built.

Is this why you IM'd me in-world? As much as I would like to help you, as would the others here in Resident Answers, this situation can really only be resolved via direct contact with Linden Lab. There are Lindens participating in Live Help, however they are only Liasons, and they do not have the ability to assist with back-end account issues such as this.

If you don't get anywhere with the support email, try calling:
(Try and be patient, they have limited staff and a heavy queue)

Toll-Free Support Line

If none of the above resources can help, give us a call! We have toll-free support lines staffed during our office hours: 9am-6pm PST, Monday through Friday (we are shrinking our hours just a bit in anticipation of more extensive live phone service in the near future).

1. 1-800-961-6851 (US and Canada)
   
2. (00) 800 722 00010 (UK)
   
3. (0011) 800 722 00010 (Australia)
   

Our direct number (not toll-free) is available worldwide:

1. +1 (703) 462-1695
   

PLEASE NOTE: If you call us after business hours, please leave a voice mail with your Account name, Real name, email address, phone number and short description of the reason you called. Please remember to give all of the information needed and speak clearly and slowly! We will get back to you as soon as possible.

I know its hard to keep calm when this happens but if you call them and stay cool, dont holler at them im sure that they will resolve it for you, a friend of mine got caught in a situation similar to this but it was resolved after a telephone call.

Good Luck but i know you will get it sorted as you have done nothing wrong etc.

Any ban should be backed up with an email

If the fact is that it isnt- Than this is a shoddy customer service practice.

Sorry - If they beleive youve done enough wrong to warrant being banned the LEAST they can do is tell you for how long and why.

I think it's more likely the account evaporated. Probably cosmic rays turned a store request into a delete request or just corrupted it beyond recognition.

From a moderator that is a p**s poor excuse, doesn't even include a statement along the lines of forwarded for linden attention.

Yes as an engineer I've done calculations into radiation induced errors in silicon, that aside the OP deserves a more respectful reply.

I would hope that all banning's would require hardcopy authorisation, so as provide a documentary trail, and if they cant find it then a PDQ re-activation of the queried account.

Youd hope they at least had an electronic "paper trail"

My guess though is they have more information on the account than is being relayed in this thread.

The Linden did ask if there was a spelling error- Said no such account exists. Of course a banned acount would have existed at one time, The Linden didnt say that. There should be a record of such. If there is not , why do they bother being on help request and taking such questions?

Yes. Thats what I find ignorant about the Linden`s response. They should be trained and taught to know these things.

I don`t even bother going to them when I have a problem because their responses are usually laughable.

With situations like this, you have to go to someone who works there though. Hopefully when you call you talk to someone who knows what they`re suggesting.

when a person is banned you still have their calling card so they stay on your friends list and ive seen that they often stay in group lists but if banned they do not show up when you do a search for them

The same thing happened to me, April 1st, all my accounts passwords were changed, I couldnt log into my account or my alternate... it doesnt appear as anything was touched when my accounts were recovered, and LL has given be no info in regards to this...
Now I read this thread and it appears I am not the only one this has happen to...
WTF is going on?

Mr Marvin, do you run vista by chance?

http://blogs.zdnet.com/security/?p=150

No, I do not use Vista. It's hard to say what happened yet, but It would appear that I have been banned or my account was deleted for some reason. I checked my bank account, and no unusual purchases have occurred. Friends have confirmed that my screen name wasn't running around while I was not actually online. I didn't have time to call them today, but I will try again tomorrow. I sent them 3 emails before work. One email they answered; it was not linked to the account so they said they could not give me any details about the account in question. I couldn't remember which email was associated with my account (no way to know for sure since the account is totally inaccessible), but it is definitely one of three I use regularly; so I sent emails about my problem with all three. There have been no responses since then. I will post again tomorrow, hopefully with a happy ending.

I am going to have to vote for the cosmic ray theory. Or maybe magnetic decay.

One thing to remember with the help requests is that there are limits to what they can do. Including the Lindens. Reading what you have posted, it seems that the account was not banned, because there would have been a trace of it. It seems that the account was canceled. But I don't know for sure what happened. Calling them is the best best to get a direct answer on what happened. I wish you luck!

As the asset system is now known to be quite lossy, is it possible that the login server has reached a similar state of overload whereby failures are manifested as the OP describes?

With 5M+ accounts to keep track of, perhaps they're beginning to hit a limit there also.

You have GOT to be kidding me.

omfg.....



I hope all your inworld stuff is intact, cause your forum count is that of a new poster.



for some reason im always left surprised they do things like this, but really i shouldnt be.




Are you a "payed account" holder?

Linden lab should have contacted you about this, paying or not, and asked what you would like your name changed to and explain why. Not just change it to "faybot" and never tell you.


de de de

What were they thinking? I didn't find "gaybot" offensive. Had you heard any complaints about your name?

Would seem 'polically incorrect' to ban the name Gay... although adopted as a descritive by some genders these days, its true (former) meaning was 'Happy'. Will they ban the use of Mars as a TM for a planet conceived prior to SL, or used by the Mars confectionery company?

On a lighter note.. some people ask me how I pronounce my first name... I normally reply A M W

*blinks* Well... that'd be why we didn't see too many posts from the perpetually perky and disgustingly cheerful Gaybot during the day! Ouch. They really should have emailed you a choice, especially as we have to USE our names to login to the webpage. Get on the phone and start politely chewing, if for nothing more than an apology for not sending an email!

(For note, anyone that is cheerful that early in the day my time... is obscene to me. I am NOT a morning person without loads of coffee.)

And umm.. note to the Lindens: Raudf is the female form adjective for Red in Icelandic... unfortunately, my keyboard couldn't handle the last letter, so I split it into the d and the f. To pronounce, please look at the forum title If you need help pronouncing Fox.. umm....

Oh wow.

They could have least emailed you and told you.

And should have let you pick your own name.



wow - this stuff really is going to far.

WTF???!!! *I smell a rat..rather a Mouse in this*

Wrong, wrong, wrong. *Shakes head sadly*

By far the lamest thing I have seen LL do - and that's saying a lot. The only saving grace I see in it is that at least it was politically incorrect.

I know someone whos name is based on 'Dyke'

I should probably tell her to be careful that her name might get changed without LL even telling her.