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Dear Ms. Netiquette,
Last Friday I was in a game room where someone was chatting about how Pogo does not allow one’s password to show up in the chat room. They stated that all that would show up would be several asterisks.
Stupidly, I was curious if this was so and typed in my password. And it showed up on the chat room screen. Since quite a few people were chatting, I really did not think much about it. I mean, why would anyone want to access someone else’s Pogo account?
Low and behold, later that evening I discovered someone had done just that and my password AND email address had been changed. Since I could not access online help without a password, and I could not get a new password issued as my email address had been changed, I had no choice but to call Pogo and get things corrected. Once I regained access to my account I discovered that the person had spent all my tokens (over 4 million) leaving me only 30,000.
Since that time, I have been attempting to notify Pogo that there is someone, if not a few players on Pogo, attempting to run a scam on innocent members. And so far, I have had NO SUCCESS in getting this message across to SOMEONE that really cares such a scam is taking place in Pogo.
I have now just discovered that this incident is FAR MORE SERIOUS than I first imagined. I found out that this person (while impersonating to be me) contacted at least one other friend I had listed on my friend’s list and somehow hacked into her computer and stole her account as well. I am now concerned that this has occurred to a number of people on my pogo friend’s list, but most do not have my email address and could not report it directly to me.
Ms. Netiquette you are my last resort. I really have no idea where this will go as I continue to engage in email correspondence with Pogo support. Is there anyway that SOMEONE involved in Pogo security could be alerted to what certain Pogo members are attempting to do and have this matter looked into?
I would sincerely appreciate that.
Bonnell
| Dear Bonnell, I am so sorry to hear about your situation. It is truly terrible that some people would attempt to steal another person’s account. Unfortunately, this type of incident happens all too frequently. The representatives are aware that these types of issues do occur, and we do try to warn people about some of the ways that people try to steal accounts. Unfortunately, most people don’t hear about these things until after it happens to them. First of all, please have your friend contact our Account Support Department at 866-543-5435 to discuss getting her account back. Our representatives will verify account ownership and we are generally able to return accounts to players when these sorts of things happen. This scam is not new. This clever trick has been used time and time again for a very, very long time. And not just on Pogo. These ne’er-do-wells will try just about anything to gain access to someone’s account, and once they have it, they’ll quickly do whatever they can to cause as many problems for the original account owner and then move on. You are actually quite lucky they didn’t clear all your ranking stats in your favorite games. So, what can we do? Here are three tips to help ensure that you never have your personal information taken from you:
If you are reading this column and you want to make the online world a better place, then spread the word! If you see someone come into a room and say something like “Hey, did you know Pogo blocks your password from being seen in chat?” then speak up and let others know that this is a scam. It’s sad that these people exist, but they do. Be wary. Be careful. Be safe. |
Hi Ms. Netiquette,
I was just involved in a game with a player who quit when he was losing. He jumped right over to another game, and so I went over and warned the other player that the person I just played with had quit once, and would likely quit again if he were losing.
The Quitter, as I would like to call him, proceeded to mock me, tell me I had the wrong person (which I did not) and tell me that I was bashing him. Did I do something wrong there?
I was nice about it, but I admit I became angry after this confrontation. I come to Pogo to play nice, relaxing games with great people, but every once in a while I have to deal with these kinds of people. Is it so much to ask that a person have some kind of sportsmanship when playing online?
Thanks in advance,
Kristie
| Hi Kristie, Well, let’s think about this. What happened to you was rude, there’s no argument there. You knew that The Quitter was impolite in the past, and you decided to warn his next opponent, which is admirable, but perhaps not wise. What did you expect The Quitter to do? It certainly would have been a surprise if he’d said: “By golly she’s right. I was a horrible poor sport and I’m terribly sorry!” You took a risk when you went to warn the other player about The Quitter, and his reaction is pretty much what one might expect in this situation. I recommend that in the future if you find yourself in a similar situation, you simply leave him alone. You don’t know what you may end up igniting when you follow someone around and make an accusation (even if the party is indeed guilty) of playing dirty. He could have turned back on you and made an attempt to cause you a good deal of trouble. These things happen, and while he was rude, he was not actually breaking any rules, so you can’t report him. Your best bet is to just move on and find a nicer partner. |
Dear Ms. Netiquette,
I recently read an article in the Pogo Community News titled: “What Do I Do When A Tournament Crashes My Room?” I just wanted to thank you for publishing the letter you received and for your very insightful response. I think this is an important issue and am glad that it has been addressed.
I’m the Head Administrator for a league that hosts it’s tournaments in Pogo. I really appreciated the fact that you took the time to see things from both perspectives – the Pogo player and the Tournament Director. I know that some leagues and their Tournament Directors are not very respectful of ALL the players in the room. Some can be extremely rude and often seem like they are trying to bully everyone.
However, there are many of us who ask all our members and hosts to respect not only the people they are playing with in the league, but also all players in the room who are not members of the league. We do strictly follow Pogo Terms of Service and ask all league members to do the same. I have also had some non-league members complain about the chat in the lobby. My response to them is that we’re not trying to inconvenience them, and if they wish to mute us to feel free to do so. This way we won’t interrupt any conversations they may be trying to have. We recognize and respect the fact that the lobby should be shared by everyone in the room. We do our very best to keep our Macros short, so they do not monopolize the chat window.
Some players have suggested that leagues use Private Chat Lobbies to run tournaments in game rooms where it is permitted (like Lottso, DCR, etc.) I think this is a great idea if leagues can get their members organized enough to do this. Unfortunately not all games have Private Chat Lobbies.
I also wanted to mention that not all games have “Tournament Rooms” which leagues are allowed to use. Some Tournament Rooms are reserved for specific leagues. Other leagues do not have the right to use these rooms. That is why some leagues have tournaments in regular rooms.
In conclusion, it is my hope that all Pogo players understand that leagues are there as a service to them. We try our very best to make people feel comfortable and welcomed. We also give people a place to make new friends. We want everyone to have fun including non-leaguers. We don’t want anyone to feel alienated. It should be said that we often also bring new players to Pogo who enjoy playing not only the league games, but many of the other Pogo Games. I believe leagues, if run properly and respectfully, can really enhance the Pogo World and all it’s players.
Sincerely,
Lemin
| Dear Lemin, Thank you for writing! A good leagues gives players an opportunity to meet other players, and to enhance the games. Your words ring true and it is comforting to know that there are leagues and tournament directors who are respectful and courteous! |
