Guild Wars 2

Out of idle curiosity, what exactly can be done to re-secure a compromised account? Off the top of my head I can only suggest changing passwords (both email and login), changing the login email, and changing account name, but from what I can see these phishing scams ask for a lot of details (basically everything ANet would ask you to verify your identity) – enough to potentially steal an account even after the above steps are taken, so it seems like a lost cause.

What can I realistically suggest to someone who wants to save their account? Request a CD-key change? Request certain personal details be flagged as invalid for purposes of verifying their identity? Change the names of all their characters? Sacrifice a goat to culturally-appropriate deity?

The could enable the mobile authenticator if they have a phone capable of doing so.

Tell the person to never click on a link directly from an email unless THEY started the conversation (like don’t click on a link to change your password if you didn’t request a password reset). To go to the site and try to navigate to that link if they think it is at all legit.

If they can’t reach the link, post on the forums or send in a support ticket.

Any official link should be able to be reached by navigating the official site. And not only through clicking the link in the email.

They can read through these articles and follow the suggestions: https://help.guildwars2.com/forums/22305053-Account-Security

Good luck.

I think there’s an android app for securing an account. There would prolly be an iTunes store app too.

It is bad practice to give your cd-key over email for ANY reason. If they have that, you might be better off buying another account and transfer what can be, for peace of mind.

Thanks for the suggestions! Sadly in this case it’s a bit too late for precautionary measures, but I’ll see if they have a smartphone to install an authenticator on. I also have to remember to suggest this because I certainly forgot to check after posting (yes, I’m a wonderful friend, always attentive of ohh, shiny!)

Pandaman.4758:

Thanks for the suggestions! Sadly in this case it’s a bit too late for precautionary measures, but I’ll see if they have a smartphone to install an authenticator on. I also have to remember to suggest this because I certainly forgot to check after posting (yes, I’m a wonderful friend, always attentive of ohh, shiny!)

It can prevent it from happening to them again.

These suggestions are also applicable to other sites your friend may visit. So they can prevent other accounts from being hijacked.