A note on in-game deception and name impersonation for ArcheAge

We'd like to discuss our policies on scamming in ArcheAge. Being a cutpurse can be a way of life in Erenor, if you don't mind burning a few bridges. As the player got the items via name impersonation, we here on the team did make the decision to reverse the accidental trade and send the items back to Therapist.

This weekend we'd like to take a moment and discuss our policies on scamming in ArcheAge. As you all know, ArcheAge is a sandbox game filled with adventure, but it also has an edge of danger and possible betrayal. Scamming within ArcheAge is defined as being able to get another player to give you their items or gold via trade, the Auction House, or mail (in-game tools). In these cases in the past, we have not assisted with players who may have trusted another player to offer them a service, only to find that the player has run off with their items. This act has been allowed in ArcheAge since the game launched, and it is an aspect of the game that we currently support. Being a cutpurse can be a way of life in Erenor, if you don't mind burning a few bridges.

However, our Customer Service policies do not allow impersonation of another player. Impersonating someone else, even if it's by name, to separate someone from their hard earned goods is not allowed and has not been allowed in ArcheAge. In the past, there have been situations where a player impersonated another player and, in those situations, our Customer Service team has reversed the outcome of the scam no matter if it was items or gold. However, this was a policy that has not been made public until now.

This weekend, during Therapist from Morpheus's Regrade Stream supporting the charity Doctors Without Borders, one intrepid adventurer saw fit to create a character with a similar name to one of Therapist's guild mates. On accident, Therapist did trade a large sum of items to this impersonated character, losing some of his earnings through regrades. As the player got the items via name impersonation, we here on the team did make the decision to reverse the accidental trade and send the items back to Therapist.

We realize that this policy has not been made public in the past, but this high profile incident has made us realize that we need to publicly acknowledge and reinforce our stance on name impersonation within the game. This is not a new policy that was made simply for this stream -- this is a policy that we as a company have had for the past year and beyond, and it is a policy that is referenced within our Terms of Use (11. Code of Conduct, Rule A.)

If you were involved in a scam that included name impersonation in the past and you did not have the trade or accidental mail overturned by Customer Service, please contact us at http://support.trionworlds.com and we will be happy to re-investigate your case.

Remember Adventurers, intentionally deceiving another player through in-game tools is part of ArcheAge. But using methods that violate our policies, like name impersonation, will lead to us taking action.

Good luck in all of your travels, Adventurers. Be safe out there!