2008 - (10/22/2008) Special Task Force Report

{{SE Community Today's report will outline our actions conducted from September 26, 2008 to October 22, 2008 in dealing with players violating the user agreement, as well as details on the activities, results, and goals of the Special Task Force.
 * title = Special Task Force Report (10/22/2008)
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Click {{color|red|here}} for details on the Special Task Force's activities in dealing with players violating the FINAL FANTASY XI user agreement.

Special Task Force Activities and Future Plans


We will start out today's report discussing the issue of illegal fishing. The number of reports received in September has increased in comparison to August. A total of about 1,500 reports were received, an increase of about 400 since August. Because of the significant jump in the number of reports, we performed an investigation that revealed an increase in violators of the user agreement successfully avoiding the Special Task Force's mass bannings through certain activity patterns. As a result, the Special Task Force created new criteria for bannings and, starting this month, strengthened its activities in dealing with players involved in illegal fishing. With the new changes, players who had avoided mass bannings up until recently can now be easily dealt with, and we believe these results will be clearly visible in future statistics. We are continuing to change our methods of dealing with violators of the user agreement as they find new ways to avoid bannings.

Next, we move to the issue of unauthorized access. About 300 more accounts were banned in September than in August. The reason for the increase is due to the proliferation of accounts involved in such access. Previously, all items obtained through unauthorized access were sent to a single account and were turned into gil through auction houses. Currently, however, items obtained through unauthorized access are distributed to multiple accounts so that the maximum possible number of items can be sold simultaneously at auction houses and then turned into gil in a very short period of time. We believe that this method was chosen to reduce the amount of gil and items seized by the Special Task Force. The number of accounts involved in unauthorized access has increased, but so has the number of accounts banned, demonstrating the Special Task Force's ability to adapt to the situation.

Lastly, we move to the issue of hunters, which has considerably calmed down. One particular issue of concern is that the number of accounts obtained through unauthorized access being used for hunter activities has been on the rise. In addition to catching and dealing with such hunters, we can also properly deal with the accounts they have illegally obtained to use in their activities. The number of accounts currently being used for hunter activities is quite low and is continuing to decrease. Because we have confirmed positive results from the mass bannings, we are continuing to proceed with these same actions against hunters.

Matters of Concern Within the Community
In the following section, we will be explaining the Special Task Force's direction and plans in dealing with matters of concern within the community.

We have received a large number of reports about violators of the user agreement involved in RMT abusing the messages sent in friend registration mails to advertise for RMT sites. If you receive such a message, you can use the PlayOnline Viewer's Ignore List to block all future messages from the sender by opening the message and selecting "Ignore." If you continue to receive a considerable number of such messages from other players, please make a GM Call or a report to the Special Task Force.
 * - I've received advertisement messages for RMT sites from characters I don't know.

Anticipating that there may be violators of the user agreement involved in RMT abusing the 14-Day Free Trial, the Special Task Force made preparations in strengthening our activities against violators before the downloads began. We expect that these accounts will be used mostly for illegal fishing. Therefore, starting this month, we will be strengthening our activities in mass bannings and similar undertakings.
 * - Now that the 14-Day Free Trial has started, it's easier than ever to obtain an account. I'm worried that this will encourage users involved in RMT.

Warning Against Unauthorized Access
We are still receiving reports from users whose accounts may have been accessed by unauthorized third-parties. As mentioned in our last report, there have been reports of malicious third-party link scripts embedded into users' web pages, which link to external sites rigged with programs designed to steal PlayOnline IDs and passwords. There have also been confirmed cases of web pages that haven't been updated for long periods of time suddenly being embedded with such scripts. If you possess a webpage and it becomes too difficult to manage, we ask that you either get someone else to manage it or that you shut it down to prevent the spread of such malicious link scripts. It is, of course, also necessary for website users to be careful.

Due to these risks, if you happen to view general websites on the computer you use to connect to PlayOnline, we ask that you always use the latest software versions by performing regular Windows Updates and browser version updates, and that you use internet security software. Additionally, it is also important to not use old versions of software or to access suspicious websites.

By introducing preventative measures such as anti-virus software, even if your computer is infected by a virus that steals PlayOnline IDs and passwords, you can drastically reduce the chances of your account being accessed by an unauthorized third-party. In order to protect your PlayOnline ID, PlayOnline password, and game data, please remember to periodically verify the above preventative measures.

Reporting to the Special Task Force
The Special Task Force relies on everyone's information regarding violations of the user agreement to help keep FINAL FANTASY XI an enjoyable environment, and we appreciate your continuing support and cooperation.

Report to Special Task Force

"* *Please contact the Square Enix Information Center by telephone or through the "Contact Us" e-mail support under Service & Support in regards to unauthorized access or other concerns regarding your account. If you become aware of unauthorized access outside of the Information Center's hours of operation and possess multiple PlayOnline IDs, log in from another PlayOnline ID and contact a Game Master (GM). The GM will make the accessed account temporarily unavailable. However, please note that a GM cannot perform account related actions such as changing one's password, so it will be necessary to contact the Information Center at another time." }}