Deactivation Of Fraudulently Obtained ESO Game Keys

Due to an increase in the sale of fraudulently obtained digital game keys for The Elder Scrolls Online, Zenimax is deactivating all accounts created with fraudulent keys. Thanks to cageymaru for the heads up.

We want to remind gamers to shop wisely and only purchase online keys from a reputable source. Fraudulently obtained keys obtained via Steam and then re-sold via third-party websites is a violation of both our and Steam’s Terms of Service. We will be deactivating all game accounts created with such stolen keys starting on Tuesday, May 26th. Affected users will receive an email with instructions on how to regain access to their game account via a valid game purchase.

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Damn. Sucks to be those people, though. Bought a key but it was a scam. Lose the key and have to pay a second time to continue playing. Damn. I buy through legit and trustworthy sites (if I have a question about it, I check online to see what others say...).

Wow, I thought that game was a free to play now. Checked and it's actually the opposite, no subscription fees but you still buy the key, like Guildwars.

Ur_Mom said:

Damn. Sucks to be those people, though. Bought a key but it was a scam. Lose the key and have to pay a second time to continue playing. Damn. I buy through legit and trustworthy sites (if I have a question about it, I check online to see what others say...).

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Generally speaking, you can't con an honest person. People looking to grey market keys to save a couple of bucks aren't doing it with good intentions in mind.

Grey markets are like grey water. Don't forget why they are grey.

Couldn't happen to a nicer group of people. They knew what they were doing.

Better to wait for Steam sales rather than a cheap grey market RU copies.

That said, I'm not sure if by fraudulently obtained keys, they meant keys bought on Steam with stolen CC, or region locked copies.

Either way, the people buying the keys for $20 at release when everyone else had it for $60 weren't ignorant of what they were doing, they were just hoping it wouldn't be caught or even if it was deactivated.

techrat said:

Generally speaking, you can't con an honest person. People looking to grey market keys to save a couple of bucks aren't doing it with good intentions in mind.

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Sorry, but bullshit. If two stores are selling something, and one is cheaper that the other one I'm not going to go to the more expensive place just because it's the "official" place. I consider be the official outlet for something to mean paid sponsorship. IE. "Gatorade, the official sports drink of the NFL". I'd rather pay less for a product and not subsidize the sponsorship.

canna said:

Sorry, but bullshit. If two stores are selling something, and one is cheaper that the other one I'm not going to go to the more expensive place just because it's the "official" place. I consider be the official outlet for something to mean paid sponsorship. IE. "Gatorade, the official sports drink of the NFL". I'd rather pay less for a product and not subsidize the sponsorship.

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These people were using VPN services to change their IP address, or buying off of random schmucks on Ebay for way under market price... cmon.

Ducman69 said:

These people were using VPN services to change their IP address, or buying off of random schmucks on Ebay for way under market price... cmon.

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I understand the arguement if it's clearly stated that VPN's to bypass region were used, but the under market price of games on ebay / websites isn't all that un-common for legitimate games.

For example how many people sold the witcher or are selling the next batman game for $30 (have of retail, in the case of batman it's not even release yet). They may be promo codes that are reduced for buying gaming hardware but at the end of the day they're still reduced codes.

It's hard to know or differentiate when a key is *russian* or foreign. Not to mention i've even bought game keys on amazon from third party sellers (listed under physical copies) where they emailed the key. I'd have no clue where they were from and if I was foolish I might think I was buying legit because it was on amazon.

It's a sticky situation, it's why I suggest using a credit card you trust and know you can charge back if something happens.

If you aren't buying from a reputable source, then you know what you are getting into. Your average person isn't going to go to ebay to look for codes to get a deal. Anyone doing that has enough knowledge to know that there is a risk. Especailly if the game is going for $60 and you get it for $20 off some unknown person. I know there are sales and special deals but if that's the case you should be buying during the sale yourself or using the special deal yourself. Rolling the dice and gambling on something that may or may not be legit is on you.