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Safety Tips

At Wizards of the Coast, we know that great play experiences are an important part of having a strong Magic: The Gathering Online community. Our goal is to make sure Magic Online is a safe, friendly and fun environment for all of our players. That's why over the next month, we'll be running a series of articles with quick tips for protecting yourself and your account to ensure you have the best online gaming experience possible. Here are some tips for making your account more secure:

Keep Your Password Private

Protecting your password is essential to keeping your account safe. Sharing an account, even with friends, is extremely risky and can lead to loss of items or even deactivation for violating the Terms of Service.  Magic Online accounts are not transferrable and belong only to the original purchaser.

The only time you'll be asked for your password in the Magic Online environment (game, store, message boards, etc.) is when you're logging onto our systems. No employee of Wizards of the Coast will ever ask you for your password. If you suspect someone is posing as a Wizards employee, and they ask you for your password, immediately report it to the Wizards of the Coast Fraud Team.

Don't Reuse the Same Username/Password on Other Games/Websites

Using the same username and password on multiple sites can compromise your account. While we do our best to make the Magic Online system a safe and secure place to play, if you use the same login information with other sites such as forums, social networking sites, other games, etc. your login identity is only as safe as those sites keep it. In the case of some forums, administrators may have direct access to your password information. If you have "recycled" that password, you may be giving it away.

There are even fraudsters who set up Gaming-related community sites like forums just to exploit users who use the same password across multiple areas. If your account is compromised as the result of a reused password, we are unable to replace any items that are lost.

Use Security Questions/Answers That Are Not Publicly Available

Choose strong security questions to which only you know the answer and make sure that information isn't available anywhere else. For instance, if you have a social networking site which shows your pets names, using those names as a security answer can make it easy for your accounts to be hijacked. A good strategy is to provide security questions and answers that are not real life answers (i.e. "mother's maiden name?"/"Darth Vader"). Also, be alert to any user who asks you questions that are frequently used as security answers such as where you met your spouse. These seemingly insignificant pieces of information can be used to compromise accounts which are protected by commonly-used security questions.

You're Not Required to Make Your Personal Information Public

You have the option of entering as much or as little personal information about yourself in your profile screen as you'd like, but be cautious with information you don't want other players having access to (i.e. your real name, phone number, address, etc.). Keep this in mind when using forums and social networking sites as well. This information can potentially be used by a fraudster to compromise your account or contact you in real life.

Be Wary of Websites That Offer Magic Online "Cheats"

There are several informational websites out there for Magic players and fans, including Wizards of the Coast's official Magic: The Gathering and Magic Online web pages as well as many reputable, third-party sites. It's important, though, to be wary of websites purporting to be "official" or "authorized", as these sites often engage in scams.

There are no sanctioned cheats, hacks, mods, bots, or any other kind of attachments for the Magic Online game. Many times, when someone advertises a site that offers these things, the site will attempt to "mine" your password from your computer. Talking about, advertising, or patronizing such sites is a violation of the Code of Conduct, which means you may be suspended for doing so.

Watch Out For Other Scams

Other sites will offer you something for free or at reduced value (i.e. "Free tix!") just for logging in. These sites often require you to log in for your "free product" and then attempt to track your login and password. Don't put your account in jeopardy for the promise of something free! As with most things in life, if the deal seems too good to be true, it probably is.

Another version of this scam requires you to fill out "surveys" or click on websites in order to earn your "free product". Many of these surveys have hidden costs, especially those that have to be completed by cell phone. You may incur a large charge for taking these surveys on your cell phone bill. Clicking on unknown links and visiting unknown websites always carries a high risk. There's always the potential for inadvertently installing malicious malware programs to your computer. These programs can do anything from logging your keystrokes as you enter login information to falsely alerting you of viruses and convincing you to buy more malicious programs to remove it. Always make sure that your computer's virus protection is up to date!

This information also applies to the download of any "Bot" software. Remember that unless you have programmed the bot yourself, you can't be sure of what it will do. In some situations, malicious bot programs have been created and sold to unsuspecting users. These programs can compromise the safety of your account by communicating your password to the bot seller, or allowing them to access your account through "backdoors" in the bot. Wizards of the Coast cannot be responsible for any loss incurred as a result of using third party programs such as bots.

The Wizards of the Coast Fraud Team fully investigates all reports of suspicious behavior. If you feel that you have been the victim of a scam, or if you have seen suspicious activity, please report it.

Anything Done Outside the Game Is Unenforceable

Only purchases made from the Magic Online storeare supported by Wizards of the Coast. Any other agreements you make with players outside of the Magic Online game interface (i.e. other game sites) can't be enforced by Wizards. If you agree to purchase cards from someone outside the game, make sure you trust that player and, if you find that someone has scammed you, please report it to the Wizards of the Coast Fraud Team. While we can't replace your product, we can attempt to keep scammers from taking advantage of other players.

Be Careful When Trading

The current system allows for trades of no more than 75 items at one time. Any trades larger than 75 items should be broken down into smaller fair trades. Be sure to treat each trade as one individual trade and understand what you are trading for prior to pushing the confirmation button. If you suspect your trading partner is up to something fishy, simply decline the trade. Wizards cannot be responsible for "promises" made by your trading partners.

Be sure to also watch out for any trades that seem "too good to be true." If you are purchasing a product for an extremely reduced price, it may be because a fraudster is trying to get rid of it before being caught. In these cases, you may face consequences for receiving stolen product, up to and including termination.

Be especially wary of anyone who:

· is receiving funds using multiple PayPal (or other) accounts

· is providing you with product from a large number of different Magic Online accounts

· requests that you communicate with them outside of the Magic Online system (via a social networking site or instant messenger)

· sets time constraints on the trade or attempts to rush you to complete it

These are often signs that the fraudster is trying to avoid detection. We recommend that you walk away from any trades like this, and report them to the Wizards of the Coast Fraud Team. No matter how good of a "deal" fraudsters are providing, it is not worth the loss of your Magic Online account.

Wizards of the Coast May Contact You Regarding Your Trades with Other Players

Wizards fully investigates accounts where there is evidence of fraudulent activity or a violation of the Magic Online Terms of Service/Code of Conduct. Like many games, we may take action against users who provide a marketplace for fraudsters to sell stolen goods. This type of behavior creates an imbalance in the game and encourages the use of unauthorized credit cards in our system. We want to make the game environment a fun, safe, and fair place for everyone and purchasing from users selling stolen product disrupts this.

If you feel that a user is having a negative impact on the Magic Online community by scamming or defrauding players or the system, please report it and be sure to include as much information as possible.

Wizards May Remove the Ability to Trade from Your account

Temporarily flagging an account for investigation is one method we use to help prevent illegally-obtained product from flooding the marketplace and devaluing your cards. Users with flagged accounts are still able to make purchases from the store and use product to enter events, they are just unable to trade with others users for a period of time. Removing the ability to trade can also help to protect your items in the event that your account is hijacked. We will reactivate the ability to trade once our investigation has concluded.

If you are having trouble trading from an account you own, it is likely your account is under investigation. If you feel you have information you can provide to aid our investigation, contact us using the email address associated with the account. Note that we are unable to discuss accounts with anyone other than the registered owner.

Is It an "Official" E-mail?

If you receive an e-mail that looks like it's from Wizards of the Coast, first take the time to check the address it was sent from. Does it come from a "@wizards.com" address? If not, then it is not an official Wizards e-mail.

Be suspicious of any e-mail that asks for your password or offers you free cards. You can forward these to spoof@wizards.com or report them via our Report Suspicious Activity system. Most official communications from Wizards of the Coast can be found in your Customer Services Help Account. If you are unsure whether or not a message is legitimate, check your account first. Once you've logged in, your recent messages will be visible on the "My Stuff" tab.

Don't Sell/Share Accounts

Sometimes fraudsters attempt to purchase old accounts in order to appear more legitimate. If someone offers you money for an account that you aren't using, or asks you to create a new account for them, don't do it. Magic Online accounts belong to the person who purchases them, and are not transferrable. As such, you are responsible for all activity conducted on any account you have created. If someone uses an account that belongs to you in order to scam others, you may be held responsible. This could lead to the loss of your account(s). Additionally, providing a fraudster with a used account may also give them access to your order history and lead to the theft of your personal information.

Report Suspicious Behavior

Scammers are always evolving and looking for new ways to take advantage of players and exploit game systems. Always remain cautious of questionable trades and avoid participating in actions that may get you in trouble, such as accepting free product. If you witness suspicious behavior, or you feel you have been the victim of any of the scams we've discussed in this series, report it to the Wizards Fraud Team so that we can begin an investigation and ensure scammers are disciplined.