Steam Ticket

This Question's Message(s)
1 Message by you on Tue, 3rd Jan 2012 1:25 am
Hi, at 1:15am EST on Tuesday, January 3, I was playing Team Fortress 2 when I received a notification that my account was logged in at another computer. Steam prompted me to re-enter my password, but my password did not work. This happened to me recently, and it turned out I was being hacked for my Team Fortress 2 items. I am concerned this is happening again, and I wanted to be proactive in reporting the issue.

There does not appear to be a way for anyone to guess or hack into my account. What steps can I take to make sure that this does not happen again? I have Steam Guard enabled, my password is quite secure...I am at a loss for what actions to take.
2 Message by you on Tue, 3rd Jan 2012 1:51 am
My verification e-mail addresses have been compromised as well. I am going through the process of reclaiming those accounts.
3 Message by you on Tue, 3rd Jan 2012 11:18 am
I have reclaimed my e-mail addresses. There were two separate accounts with different passwords.

Some of my Team Fortress 2 items have been stolen. The list is as follows:
1x Hat of Undeniable Wealth and Respect
1x Max's Severed Head Level 1
1x Earbuds Level 63
3x Bill's Hat (One Painted White, two painted Waterlogged Lab Coat)
1x Unusual Coupe Di'saster Burning Flames
1x Unusual German Gonzilla Massed Flies
2x Reclaimed Metal
2x Scrap Metal
1x Physicians Procedure Mask (Level 76)
8x Mann Co Keys
1x Dark Salmon Injustice Paint
1x Detonator
1x Boston Basher
1x Machina
1x Battalion's Backup
1x Tomislav
1x Back Scratcher
1x Conniver's Kunai
1x Brass Beast
1x Buffalo Steak Sandwich
1x Black Box
1x Bushwaka
1x Enforcer
1x Le Entranger
1x Darwins Danger Shield
1x Mad Milk
1x Killing Gloves of Boxing (Vintage, Level 7)
1x Homewrecker (Vintage)
1x Sydney Sleeper (Strange)
1x The Essential Accessories
1x Demoman's Fro Level 98 Vintage
1x Tough Guy's Touqe Level 33 Vintage
4 Message by you on Tue, 3rd Jan 2012 11:59 am
I have tried to reclaim my Steam account, but the e-mail address where a verification code is sent has been changed. The addresses that were compromised are no longer linked to my Steam account. This was done by the intruder.
5 Message by you on Tue, 3rd Jan 2012 12:11 pm
I have taken two pictures of my CD-Key with this ticket number on it.
6 Message by you on Sun, 8th Jan 2012 9:23 pm
If there is any information I can provide to help you reclaim my account, I would be happy to help. Let me know what you need.
7 Message by Support Tech Rudy on Mon, 9th Jan 2012 6:04 pm
Hello,

Thank you for contacting Steam Support.

We apologize for the delay.

Please exit Steam and go to the folder called C:\Program Files\Steam\ (this is the default location for a Steam installation - if you set a different installation directory, you will need to browse to it).

Delete all of the files in this folder except:

The \Steamapps\ folder and Steam.exe (this file is listed as an application and features the black and white Steam logo)

Restart your computer.

Then, launch Steam.exe from within the Steam installation folder, and not from a pre-existing shortcut.

With Steam running, re-test the original issue.

Note: This process will not affect your currently installed games.

If the issue persists, make sure your network is optimized for Steam:

Title: Troubleshooting Network Connectivity
Link: http://support.steampowered.com/kb_article.php?ref=1456-EUDN-2493

Additionally, disable any programs from this guide to further test the issue:

Title: Programs Which May Interfere with Steam
Link: http://support.steampowered.com/kb_article.php?ref=9828-SFLZ-9289

If you have any further questions, please let us know.
8 Message by you on Mon, 9th Jan 2012 8:45 pm
Please go ahead and address the issues that were presented in my previous messages.

To recap: I need my verification e-mail changed, and my Team Fortress 2 items restored.

Thank you.
9 Message by Support Tech Rudy on Tue, 10th Jan 2012 9:48 pm
Hello James,

It appears as though the account may have been hijacked by another user. Please follow the link below and take the prescribed steps to ensure the security of the account in the future:

TITLE: Account Security Recommendations
URL: http://support.steampowered.com/kb_article.php?ref=1266-OAFV-8478

I have reset the account password and sent the new login information in a separate e-mail. If you do not receive the e-mail and you are running a Spam filter, check and make sure the e-mail is not being filtered as spam.

Note: Passwords are all numbers.

The new Secret Question will be set to "What did customer service reset your password to?"

The answer to the Secret Question is the new password that we have sent to you as mentioned above.

Once you login to the Steam Account, please change your password, secret question and validate your email address as outlined here:

Title: Resetting an Account Password and Secret Question
Link: http://support.steampowered.com/kb_article.php?ref=7058-AFZC-7069

To safeguard your account further, please take advantage of Steam Guard:

Title: Steam Guard
Link: https://support.steampowered.com/kb_article.php?ref=4020-ALZM-5519

Steam Guard is an additional level of security that can be applied to your Steam account. With Steam Guard, a second level of security is applied to your account, making it harder for your Steam account to fall into the wrong hands.

Please let us know if we may be of further assistance.
10 Message by you on Wed, 11th Jan 2012 12:58 pm
Thank you for restoring access to my account, you don't know how much you miss something until it is taken away from you.

I would appreciate it if my Team Fortress 2 items could be restored to my account. The list is as follows:

1x Hat of Undeniable Wealth and Respect
1x Max's Severed Head Level 1
1x Earbuds Level 63
3x Bill's Hat (One Painted White, two painted Waterlogged Lab Coat)
1x Unusual Coupe Di'saster Burning Flames
1x Unusual German Gonzilla Massed Flies
2x Reclaimed Metal
2x Scrap Metal
1x Physicians Procedure Mask (Level 76)
8x Mann Co Keys
1x Dark Salmon Injustice Paint
1x Detonator
1x Boston Basher
1x Machina
1x Battalion's Backup
1x Tomislav
1x Back Scratcher
1x Conniver's Kunai
1x Brass Beast
1x Buffalo Steak Sandwich
1x Black Box
1x Bushwaka
1x Enforcer
1x Le Entranger
1x Darwins Danger Shield
1x Mad Milk
1x Killing Gloves of Boxing (Vintage, Level 7)
1x Homewrecker (Vintage)
1x Sydney Sleeper (Strange)
1x The Essential Accessories
1x Demoman's Fro Level 98 Vintage
1x Tough Guy's Touqe Level 33 Vintage

Any help you can provide would be greatly appreciated. Thanks again!
11 Message by you on Sun, 15th Jan 2012 10:26 pm
My account has been suspended by Steam Support. I would appreciate my account being unlocked, and I would like my TF2 items to be returned to me as well.

This coming Tuesday will mark two weeks since this situation began. Thank you for your help.
12 Message by you on Sun, 15th Jan 2012 10:29 pm
I have attached two pictures of my CD-Key with this ticket number on it.
13 Message by you on Wed, 18th Jan 2012 9:42 am
Please let me know if there is anything I can do to get my account unlocked and my items back, thanks.
14 Message by you on Thu, 19th Jan 2012 1:01 pm
Get back to me on how I can reclaim my account and my items please. Thank you.
15 Message by you on Thu, 19th Jan 2012 3:30 pm
Hi. I would appreciate it if someone could take a look at ticket #7300-YUCB-1760. I am being ignored by the tech named Rudy, and am sick of waiting for a response. The ticket has been open for over two weeks now. Thanks.
16 Message by you on Fri, 20th Jan 2012 12:24 pm
It'd be great if I could play my games this weekend. Hopefully you can help me out, or maybe update me on where we stand in getting my account back up to speed. Thanks.
17 Message by Support Tech Rudy on Sat, 21st Jan 2012 1:46 pm
Hello James,

We apologize for the delay.

It appears as though the account may have been hijacked by another user. Please follow the link below and take the prescribed steps to ensure the security of the account in the future:

TITLE: Account Security Recommendations
URL: http://support.steampowered.com/kb_article.php?ref=1266-OAFV-8478

I have reset the account password and sent the new login information in a separate e-mail. If you do not receive the e-mail and you are running a Spam filter, check and make sure the e-mail is not being filtered as spam.

Note: Passwords are all numbers.

The new Secret Question will be set to "What did customer service reset your password to?"

The answer to the Secret Question is the new password that we have sent to you as mentioned above.

Once you login to the Steam Account, please change your password, secret question and validate your email address as outlined here:

Title: Resetting an Account Password and Secret Question
Link: http://support.steampowered.com/kb_article.php?ref=7058-AFZC-7069

To safeguard your account further, please take advantage of Steam Guard:

Title: Steam Guard
Link: https://support.steampowered.com/kb_article.php?ref=4020-ALZM-5519

Steam Guard is an additional level of security that can be applied to your Steam account. With Steam Guard, a second level of security is applied to your account, making it harder for your Steam account to fall into the wrong hands.

Please let us know if we may be of further assistance.
18 Message by you on Sat, 21st Jan 2012 3:31 pm
Thank you for unlocking my account.

It is important to me that you return my TF2 items. Can you please make sure to return my TF2 items in your next reply? I appreciate it.

The list is as follows:

1x Hat of Undeniable Wealth and Respect
1x Max's Severed Head Level 1
1x Earbuds Level 63
3x Bill's Hat (One Painted White, two painted Waterlogged Lab Coat)
1x Unusual Coupe Di'saster Burning Flames
1x Unusual German Gonzilla Massed Flies
2x Reclaimed Metal
2x Scrap Metal
1x Physicians Procedure Mask (Level 76)
8x Mann Co Keys
1x Dark Salmon Injustice Paint
1x Detonator
1x Boston Basher
1x Machina
1x Battalion's Backup
1x Tomislav
1x Back Scratcher
1x Conniver's Kunai
1x Brass Beast
1x Buffalo Steak Sandwich
1x Black Box
1x Bushwaka
1x Enforcer
1x Le Entranger
1x Darwins Danger Shield
1x Mad Milk
1x Killing Gloves of Boxing (Vintage, Level 7)
1x Homewrecker (Vintage)
1x Sydney Sleeper (Strange)
1x The Essential Accessories
1x Demoman's Fro Level 98 Vintage
1x Tough Guy's Touqe Level 33 Vintage
19 Message by you on Tue, 24th Jan 2012 10:02 am
Hi, I have a friend who just got TF2 and I want trade him some weapons he likes. If you could restore my items for me it would be really helpful for the two of us.

If that is not possible, just let me know and we can work something out. Let me know what you think. Thanks.
20 Message by you on Tue, 24th Jan 2012 7:44 pm
Hello, my name is James. I am having an issue with another ticket (7300-YUCB-1760). More specifically, I am having an issue with a Tech named Rudy.

Three weeks ago (January 3), my Steam account was hijacked and my Team Fortress 2 items were stolen. My account has since been secured, SO THERE IS NO NEED TO LOCK MY ACCOUNT OR SUSPEND MY ACCOUNT. Sorry for the caps, but Rudy already suspended my account once and I do not want to go through that process again.

However, Rudy has been unable/unwilling to restore my Team Fortress 2 items to my account. He/She has had over three weeks to perform this action. I am assuming they do not know how to do it, or are unwilling to restore the items. Either way, Rudy is not communicating with me at all on the issue. I am rather tired of waiting for my items to be given back to me, so I am hopeful that the mentioned ticket (7300-YUCB-1760) can be transferred to another Tech, or another Tech can assist Rudy on how this process is completed.

I am very unhappy with how I have been treated by Steam Support these last three weeks. I do not believe I will do business with Steam again in the future, but I am hoping that someone can help me here.

The stolen items are listed here:
1x Hat of Undeniable Wealth and Respect
1x Max's Severed Head Level 1
1x Earbuds Level 63
3x Bill's Hat (One Painted White, two painted Waterlogged Lab Coat)
1x Unusual Coupe Di'saster Burning Flames
1x Unusual German Gonzilla Massed Flies
2x Reclaimed Metal
2x Scrap Metal
1x Physicians Procedure Mask (Level 76)
8x Mann Co Keys
1x Dark Salmon Injustice Paint
1x Detonator
1x Boston Basher
1x Machina
1x Battalion's Backup
1x Tomislav
1x Back Scratcher
1x Conniver's Kunai
1x Brass Beast
1x Buffalo Steak Sandwich
1x Black Box
1x Bushwaka
1x Enforcer
1x Le Entranger
1x Darwins Danger Shield
1x Mad Milk
1x Killing Gloves of Boxing (Vintage, Level 7)
1x Homewrecker (Vintage)
1x Sydney Sleeper (Strange)
1x The Essential Accessories
1x Demoman's Fro Level 98 Vintage
1x Tough Guy's Touqe Level 33 Vintage

Thank you.
21 Message by Support Tech Rudy on Thu, 26th Jan 2012 6:02 pm
Hello James,

Your account security appears to have been compromised.

Your account was disabled when we found out it was compromised.

You must do the following to ensure that the account is secure before it will be enabled again:

1) Scan your computer for viruses, key loggers, spyware, and other malicious code with a virus scan utility that has the most recent virus definitions.

2) Do not access the Steam Account from internet cafes or shared computers which the hijacker may have access to.

3) Change your SteamPowered.com Support Account password and the password for the e-mail account you are using to contact Support.

The account will be disabled until you have completed the list above (in the order provided).


After you have completed the checklist, we will need you to verify the following informationfrom a purchase on the account:

-Last 4 digits of credit card number, card type (Visa, Mastercard, Discover, American Express), and card expiration date:

-Valid daytime phone number including country code (if applicable) or area code:

Please reply to this ticket with this information included in the response. This ticket is not posted publicly and no other users will be able to view this information.
22 Message by you on Thu, 26th Jan 2012 7:44 pm
1) I have done this. No viruses, key loggers, spyware, or other threats appear to be present. I used Ad Aware, Spybot S&D, AVG, and Windows Defender.

2) This account is only accessed on my personal computer at home.

May I ask what keeps happening to make my account suspended? I feel like either someone actually hacked my account since last night when I had access to it, or you keep suspending it yourself which makes no sense.

Four weeks is an unreasonable amount of time to be without my game and items. I am very angry about this.
23 Message by Support Tech Rudy on Fri, 27th Jan 2012 2:26 pm
Hello James,

Your account has been enabled.

We have twice before returned items that you have lost due to a hijacked account. These lost items/gifts will not be returned.

As the account holder, you are responsible for the security of your account.

We will be unable to assist you further with this issue.

Thank you for contacting Steam Support.
24 Message by you on Mon, 30th Jan 2012 10:16 am
Hi, I am having an issue with Ticket 7300-YUCB-1760. I would like to reopen the discussion for having my items returned to me. It is not fair that I was hacked several times and therefore do not get my items returned. I understand your view, but you cannot prove that I am abusing Steam Support. If you are under the impression that I am abusing your support, that is not the case.

I worked extremely hard to earn those items. I also paid over $300 for one of the items via the Great Steam Treasure Hunt. I am a good customer. I urge you to reconsider your stance on this issue. Please do not leave me out in the cold like this. It is simply not fair that I was attacked more than once, and therefore should not get my items back.

Lets talk about this.
25 Message by you on Tue, 31st Jan 2012 11:48 am
I guess I'm just going to say what I feel on the issue and let you do what you will. I do not have a lot of hobbies. I have over 2,000 hours on TF2. I've played for over two years, and I have enjoyed my time with the game. Its the first online FPS I've ever played, and I loved it so much that I just kept playing. Its a deep game that I keep finding new ways to enjoy.

I've played on a few servers almost exclusively over the years. I learned to get good enough at the game to finish in the top of leader boards on one or two servers with several thousand players. It wasn't easy, but I loved TF2 enough to put in the time and effort to make myself a better player.

I got burned out a time or two on the gameplay, so I checked out the trade scene. I fell in love with this as well, and was soon learning all about the trade economy (paints, metal, keys, hats, weapons). I must have spent over 100 hours trading. I don't regret it too much, though it got a little tiresome at times. I started with one inventory page full of crates. I currently own 2 unusuals, all sorts of promos, most of the weapons, and a personal collection of favorite hats that I really like and wouldn't trade.

All of these items make me happy. I put so much time and effort into acquiring them that I feel like they represent an accomplishment. They are the result of the love I have for TF2. I even get to wear them in game when I play the regular game of TF2, so its really fun for me to decide which hat to wear depending on how I feel on a given day.

I do not know how I got hacked the first, second, or third time. Every instance involved an attack on my email. I was naive at first with my passwords, and have gotten better with them on every occurrence. I now have what I feel to be a highly secure password on a highly secure site for my e-mail verification. I have many virus scanners running, and my computer appears to be completely clean of any malicious programs. This appears to have been done too late, however, with your decision to block me from my items.

I ask you...does it make sense for someone with over 2,000 hours to risk their items in an attempt to scam Steam Support? Does it make sense for someone who had to trade up from nothing to risk it all in an attempt to benefit other people, none of whom are on my friends list or even live in my country? Most of all, does it make sense for someone who was given an additional Hat of Undeniable Wealth and Respect from Steam Support in a previous item recovery to have given such a hugely valuable item back, simply because it was the right thing to do? I had the opportunity to benefit HUGELY from that hat. I could have gotten nearly any unusual I wanted. But instead I sent an email to Steam Support and told them to remove it, because I did not earn it and it was therefore not mine.

Would THAT person try to scam Steam Support? No, I would not. Please help me. I want to love this game again.
26 Message by Support Tech Rudy on Wed, 1st Feb 2012 12:49 pm
Hello James,

I appreciate your frustration with this issue, but unfortunately we cannot return the items to the account as this has already been done twice before.

As the account holder, you are responsible for the security of your account.

If you have any further difficulty, please let us know - we will be happy to assist you.
27 Message by you on Wed, 1st Feb 2012 1:50 pm
I can understand where Steam Support would want to prevent abuse of the item returning system, but this is clearly a case where this is not an abuse. I returned a Hat of Undeniable Wealth and Respect without being asked to do so. I could have kept it, and traded it for $300 or any unusual I wanted. The fact that I did not do this is clear proof that I am not gaming the system. I am asking you to make an exception for a clear case where Steam Support is not being abused for the sake of free items.

I understand that I am responsible for the security of my account, but there is no real reason that since I was hacked three times, I therefore do not get my items back. It should not be applicable if it can be proven that the account holder is truly being hacked and not trying to get free items. For what it is worth, unless I have a highly sophisticated key logger that is hiding its presence from multiple virus scanners and a clean system install, I will not be hacked again.

Can you please make an exception for me? I will agree that if I am hacked again, all bets are off and I lose my items. You can have my account if I am hacked again as well. To be honest, I don't care about my account if I can't get my items. It ruins the experience of even logging on to Steam.

Help me out Rudy. I'm a good person trying to enjoy a game. I'm not one of the bad guys.
28 Message by Support Tech Rudy on Thu, 2nd Feb 2012 3:49 pm
Hello James,

Unfortunately, we will be unable to assist you further with this issue.

Thank you for contacting Steam Support.
29 Message by you on Mon, 6th Feb 2012 5:23 pm
I have begun the process of contacting major video game news outlets about this situation and Steam Supports handling of it. I am doing this with the aim of spreading awareness about e-mail and account security, along with the pitfalls of dealing with Steam Support. I will be advocating giving other video game digital distribution platforms a fair chance before choosing Steam, as there are many instances of Steam Support employing anti-consumer policies that damage the user's experience and prevent them from enjoying content they rightly acquired. I will go through all this trouble in order to warn users of how difficult it is to get Steam Support to help them, should something go wrong with their account that conflicts with Steam Supports anti-consumer policies.

I am stunned at how thick you are being in regard to sticking to a policy that is aimed at stopping abuse. A clear-minded person would look at the overall situation, determine if there is abuse occurring, and make a judgement call on how to proceed. Steam Support looks at the policy, blindly follows it to the letter, and leaves a good customer out in the cold. You have made the wrong choice, but I thank you for the inspiration to spread my experience out to large volumes of people. They will be fairly warned of Steams nonsense, will be more reluctant to do business with the platform, and will seek out superior alternatives.

Just to run down what has occurred in this ticket:
1) You took 20 days to reply to a message (message 10 to 17)
2) You replied to a message with a canned response that had nothing to do with the original message (message 7)
3) You took 6 days to reply to the original message, which was of critical importance (a hijacked account)
4) You closed the ticket without reaching a reasonable conclusion twice (a rude response to the user)
5) You suspended my account two more times after originally locking it due to the hijacking (unnecessary, careless actions on your part)
6) You never attempted to 'make good' with the user (did not apologize for taking up lots of my time, causing lots of stress, and locking me out of my account for extended periods of time)
7) You never returned my hijacked items due to bogus policies (you cannot prove that abuse is taking place, which negates the intent of the policy)
8) You never treated me with respect (all of the above)

It is not surprising that I am so motivated to bring Steam Supports shortcomings to light.
30 Message by Support Tech Rudy on Tue, 7th Feb 2012 1:00 pm
Hello James,

You have had items returned to you twice before.

This is the third time that you have lost items.

I hope you understand that we cannot continually return items to your account.

As the account holder, you are responsible for the security of your account.
31 Message by you on Wed, 8th Feb 2012 10:06 am
What is the specific reason why items cannot be returned to an account more than twice? Especially when I have returned an item worth several hundred dollars without being asked to do so? I was just asking for my items back one more time, not continually (with a strong password and e-mail verification system now in place).

Would anyone on your end like to speak for the other items I outlined in my previous message? Let me know.
32 Message by Support Tech Rudy on Thu, 9th Feb 2012 2:41 pm
Hello James,

As the account holder, you are responsible for the security of your account.

As a customer gesture we will refund items one time.

Unfortunately, we will be unable to assist you further with this issue.

Thank you for contacting Steam Support.
33 Message by you on Fri, 10th Feb 2012 2:51 pm
Restoring items to a customer's account is not a 'gesture'. That is like saying a bank will restore a customer's money to their bank account when it is hijacked only once as a 'gesture'. They will do it as many times as it happens, provided that the account is really being hijacked each time. That is the case here.

You do not have a leg to stand on in this situation. You are telling me to 'get lost', but I will not do so. I will get my items back, whether I have to talk to someone else, whether I have to raise awareness of Steam's nonsense policies via every video game blog/site I can find, or whatever else I have to do to make this situation right.

I appreciate you continuing to take the time to talk with me.
34 Message by you on Mon, 13th Feb 2012 2:05 pm
Is there any other way that we can discuss the situation, perhaps through AIM or non-Steam e-mail? I'd like to explore alternatives to getting this taken care of, even if we have to find creative ways to not discuss it on Steam Support. Considering how patient I've been throughout this process, I'd appreciate it if you did not close the ticket out again. I'm willing to work with you on any solution to get my items back, lets keep talking and working towards that goal.

Is there any judgment you are able to exercise in this situation, or are policies dictating your actions? Can these items be restored to another account perhaps? I'd be willing to create a new account with Team Fortress 2 and buy something so it becomes a premium account. Let me know what you think.
35 Message by Support Tech Rudy on Mon, 13th Feb 2012 7:54 pm
Hello James,

We will be unable to assist you further with this issue.
36 Message by you on Tue, 14th Feb 2012 1:33 pm
I would like to request that my issue be escalated to a manager, or anyone who is in charge of your department. I have questions regarding your policies. I would prefer they be answered by someone who is knowledgeable about their creation and implementation.

I feel like I am being treated very poorly. It makes me feel sad and helpless.