I have troubles when leveling

[Utildiin]

Yes, it is quite inconveniences to me for the golds and levels. Fortunate for the many player who is likely me, there is a service available! And they are spamming all the servers, near as I can tell, trying to get us to pay them to play for us, and violate the EULA, making our accounts ripe for the ban hammer, in the process.

Is it just me, or is anyone else wondering if all the spam in public channels and tells, offering in game money and PL services are actually being offered by SoE?

I really have to wonder if Sony isn't investigating the idea that selling plat outright might be a hidden profit center. Seems to me, if they are still opposed to it (as I believe the EULA once said, and probably still says), they could stop those spammers pretty quickly, with a little scripting.

Maybe not, maybe Sony is just ignoring the whole EQ environment, or maybe they are biding their time until some magic moment when they swoop down and deal with the issue decisively.

I gotta wonder what is taking so long, though. It's been going on at least a month+ and is annoying to many of us, maybe all of us.

I still just don't get why anyone would pay someone else to play the game for them, after paying to play it in the first place, but maybe I have blinders on.

Conspiracy Theory anyone?

[Pootle]

I really have to wonder if Sony isn't investigating the idea that selling plat outright might be a hidden profit center. Seems to me, if they are still opposed to it (as I believe the EULA once said, and probably still says), they could stop those spammers pretty quickly, with a little scripting.

And how would you suggest that this 'little scripting' worked?

For something to monitor every channel and tell for keywords? If a keyword is found then boot and ban the account?

Block all channels for any char under lev 20???

I have been thinking about the possibility of tracking down the website that is doing this, finding the company, and then owner of it and finding the business phone number. I mean that should all be public information. Then spamming them,.... but its probably in some foriegn country, where the calls would bankrupt me.

I think the problem is that the spammers can create new accounts just as quickly as SOE can ban them.

It is beginning to be a pain in the butt, especcially as they are sending direct tells now. I just try not to get bothered about it... ignore and move on.

[Rinikku]

I used to report every tell I recieved with the plat buying or PLing offers; however, like someone else pointed out to me, those chars are usually level 1 created just for an hour probably at the most, then most likely deleted. It seems to me like there isn't a good way to get rid of those people :P

[Twistagain]

Putting all trial accounts on a special server would "fix" it for everyone else...but people who really are trying the game would still be vulnerable.

IP bans could ban real players potentially.

Filtering off of keywords wouldn't work...they would just become more and more "inventive" to get around them.

The inability to post to public channels under a certain level wouldn't allow real newbies to get help easily...though, I wonder if some sort of image verification system would work. Say, each time you try to speak in a public channel under level X a window with an image verification would popup. It would, at the very least, be inconvenient for new players...but it should stop the spam.

The problem I have is that petitions/reports seem to have no effect. I've done that to a character sitting in Crescent Reach spamming...and the next day, they are still there.

Ultimately, though, I'm just annoyed by these characters. I'm offended by the level 80s who insist on using foul language and rude comments in public channels repeatedly. Yes, there is a filter...but the occasional bad word doesn't bother me. It's the slurs, repeated profanity, and constant degradation/name calling in open channels that really bugs me.

[Orelli Virbonus]

Putting all trial accounts on a special server would "fix" it for everyone else...

I've started to get cross-server spam, annoyingly enough.

[Bara]

Yep, I have become very calloused to those frequent spam attacks from "spamergm93.whatever they are". But I have to admit, if I heard that their computers spontaneously combusted destroying ALL their data taking their "business" down the tubes, I would would not have to fight back any tears.

[Utildiin]

Points well taken

And how would you suggest that this 'little scripting' worked?

They have a bad word filter, don't they? Using the same technology, they might send a CS Rep into the game to make a note of what the message was. The spammers all seem to be using the same wording, in both tells and /ooc, etc, so use that fact. Input text strings that are being used by the spammer. Mark them in the script as bad words. They will adapt, but it will cost them money to do so. At some point, they are business people, it becomes cost prohibitive. Then they stop, or lay low a while.

Maybe it wouldn't be absurdly simple. Maybe it would take some effort. And yes, it will cost SoE a few bucks to do this, or anything. The question is, do they value the EQ property enough to try and do anything at all?

Is it worth their while to make an effort? My point wasn't that I could do it in my sleep; I could not or I would have by now. My point was that Sony could do it. They have the tools, and I would think they would have the motivation.

The fact that this seems to be continuing unabated, or even accelerating makes me wonder if there is a good reason for them to not want to stop it.

BTW, I have looked up a few of the different sites that are being spammed.

The main offender is registered in China. This is the one that just sent my tinkerer a tell 5 minutes ago.

Domain Name: GM963.COM
Registrar: HICHINA WEB SOLUTIONS (HONG KONG) LIMITED
Whois Server: grs.hichina.com
Referral URL: http://whois.hichina.com
Name Server: DNS15.HICHINA.COM
Name Server: DNS16.HICHINA.COM
Status: ok
Updated Date: 07-sep-2007
Creation Date: 19-apr-2007
Expiration Date: 19-apr-2008

Another was registered through a service that witholds the name of the actual owner.

I am just getting a much bigger ignore list, but I wish it were being taken care of by the server owners.

[Bobaten]

This site hasn't been spamming for a month (though it sure can seem like it). It was actually just under 2 weeks ago they started. In that time the site name has changed twice (similar name, and same words mispelled the same way in the tells). Prior to two weeks ago I was getting tells from a company with a different looking name, and different style tells (only offering plat, not powerleveling). Those tells were about once every other day, and had been going on for months (April). I haven't had a tell from that company since the new tells started (about once every hour or two). Either they are the same company, with a greatly ramped up spam program, or they sold out to this new company, and brought their name list. Btw, the EQ producer had a post about this somewhere, they aren't actually using trial accounts, they use stolen credit card numbers to sign up for accounts. The chargeback fees are costing Sony quite a bit, and they would LOVE to get rid of them forever.

[Twistagain]

This site hasn't been spamming for a month (though it sure can seem like it). It was actually just under 2 weeks ago they started.

Not on Nameless. That exact site has had a representative sitting in Crescent Reach spamming since at least Thanksgiving. Granted, the name changes fairly often...but I've seen some that last overnight at least.

[Kcalehc]

Trader up all night last night. 6 tells on it this morning from plat/PL sellers. first 4 from one character, last 2 from another. All 6 used the exact same text (with, most annoyingly, the exact same spelling and gramatical errors despite my efforts to correct them ).

Think I recall seeing them around thanksgiving too, certainly more than 2 weeks (as I got them before I went awayo for my xmas vacation). I can't see a scripting way around this; most e-mail spam filters are avoided easily by changing the words, and they can hardly ban the use of the word 'plat' can they? So either there'll be some corporate law thing coming into effect, or they'll just do nothing and our ignore lists will continue to be added to.

Although, the spammers routinely change characters and I'd assume they rarely use the same one twice, to avoid detection. So with a little effort your ignore listy cna be kept small by clearing out old names; this is if you can remember who is a spammer and who you're ignoring anyway.

[KyrosKrane]

My philosophy is, if I can't remember why a name is on my ignore list, it's safe to remove it. Odds are I'll never see that person again, and if I do, his behavior will likely get him landed on my ignore list a second time.

[Bara]

Heh, I've been known to put people in my guild on ignore. Sometimes ya just gotta do it for your own sanitys sake.

And maybe Sony needs to give players customizeable filters for certain bits of text. Say for example... any text with a *gmworker.com* in it.

At least those that are REALLY annoyed by the tells can filter them out and those that don't care can read them to their hearts content.