Can we get some clarity on the banning process here?

[fatbruh]

After reading through the Nostalrius twitter, it's clear that they caught ALOT of big time gold sellers. I saw one of the banned accounts was holding onto 90k gold. Awesome, good stuff.

However, it's also very clear that even more innocent/unknowing accounts were caught in the crossfire. I've even read a few topics in this subforum about relatively NEW/FRESH characters being banned for apparent gold trafficking. Like innocent lowbies leveling up who've probably dealt with less than 30g in their entire lifetime. I understand that gold sellers likely use low level alts to store gold, but really, banning characters who've probably seen less than 30g ever?

Are GM's just banning anyone who's EVER touched 'trafficked' gold, even if unknowingly? I was recently banned, but I legitimately know that 99% of my gold I've ever made was through selling vendor trash and items on the AH. Like I'm truly perplexed as to how I even came in contact with trafficked gold. (FYI - I haven't heard an official GM response as to why I was banned, but I think it's safe to assume here. It couldn't have been for cheats/botting, and I'm sure I wasn't hacked because I was playing and got DCed right when I got banned).

Yeah we play on this server for free, so we don't have much room to complain, but as players who've invested thousands and thousands of hours here, I'd appreciate hearing a little more from the staff. I'm sure it's going to take weeks, if not months to investigate all of these recent bans, so I hope we're not kept in the dark the entire time. It'd also be nice to hear how gold is "tracked" across this server. Like I have no idea how the gold system works on the server level, but is every piece of gold "tagged" on the back end, like marking a dollar bill with a sharpie IRL?

BTW I understand if staff can't really give a clear response here in order to keep gold traffickers on their toes - it just felt good to rant.

[Uzephi]

They find out how gold is trafficked and then ban any account associated with transactions from that "illegal gold" it seems. Imagine if you bought or rented a car and there was drugs (illegal ones where you live) hidden in the tail light and the cops investigate and find it. Guilty by association. Obviously, not that good of an analogy but similar enough. I hope this sheds some light on the subject.

[Arx_1]

However, it's also very clear that even more innocent/unknowing accounts were caught in the crossfire. I've even read a few topics in this subforum about relatively NEW/FRESH characters being banned for apparent gold trafficking. Like innocent lowbies leveling up who've probably dealt with less than 30g in their entire lifetime. I understand that gold sellers likely use low level alts to store gold, but really, banning characters who've probably seen less than 30g ever?

Are GM's just banning anyone who's EVER touched 'trafficked' gold, even if unknowingly? I was recently banned, but I legitimately know that 99% of my gold I've ever made was through selling vendor trash and items on the AH. Like I'm truly perplexed as to how I even came in contact with trafficked gold. (FYI - I haven't heard an official GM response as to why I was banned, but I think it's safe to assume here. It couldn't have been for cheats/botting, and I'm sure I wasn't hacked because I was playing and got DCed right when I got banned).

That's unlikely as I move hundreds of gold between my alts and I haven't been banned.

As to the "lowbies who haven't touched more than 30g", they get banned b/c they come from compromised accounts that are used to spam, whisper and mail goldseller ads.

More here:

viewtopic.php?f=45&t=38528

If they hack your account and your account is used to break the TOS, they will ban it and you will lose it.