Scourge of RMT

[TullemoreAsuraFFXI]

There is a old "In-Game Bug". Various websites www.~"namedRMTwebpage"~.com are polluting the /yell chat on FFXI servers with advertisements for the real money trade of ffxi content (most specifically gil). This website and it's counterparts need to be dealt with harshly.

If Square Enix has authority within their online games, they need to file law suits against these illicit RMT web businesses and have the illegal commerce of in-game currency and items terminated.

[Isola]

You understand that that's basically impossible right. The BEST they can do is add more/new to the autoblock feature and be faster on the bans of the shouters. Autoban anyone stupid enough to say "website" or anything similar.

[TullemoreAsuraFFXI]

A business can file law suits and be awarded verdict with financial compensation in addition to legal restraining orders.

[Isola]

Yeah. Good luck finding the Chinese guy running a "business" and getting him to pay legal fees.

Not saying it's impossible. It's highly impractical to even try. There's a reason these "companies" are international.

[Justuas]

There's literally a handful of popular rmt websites that have been running for years. SE just doesn't care or they don't have enough resources.

[TullemoreAsuraFFXI]

Difficulty of identifying the culprits, tracing the I.P. address, tracing that information to actual biological humans isn't a walk in the park. That is true. This concerns multi-million dollar industry now at this point as far as the community of businesses and developers that are professionals creating, marketing and servicing online gaming.

The illicit RMT not only plague our fine and loved FFXI, but any vulnerable online game where their nefarious talents can reap profit. Every company and all online titles are targets and prey for the RMT; as are the customers that populate the online gaming community.

I call for the entire business community of online gaming developers to unite and coordinate to exterminate the RMT internet business. Every method of transaction takes place among the financial institutions through credit cards (Visa/Mastercard/Discover/American Express) or a financial intermediary like Paypal. That's where the exchanges must be disrupted.

I also call for every online gaming player to abolish the demand for these RMT activities by eliminating all traffic to the RMT webpages. Additionally by your own conduct within our online games to practice respectable and honorable ethics and refrain from predatory or obstructive decisions.

[Dragoy]

This sort of "bugs" should be reported to the Special Task Force (unit) via the 'Found RMT related web sites or web sites distributing third-party software' option at the Square Enix Support Centre:

- https://support.eu.square-enix.com/contacttop.php?id=455&la=2 (EU, though it shouldn't matter which one is used.)
- https://support.na.square-enix.com/contacttop.php?id=20&la=1 (NA)

Furthermore, I would remove the site URL from your first post, as it is (even if inadvertently) helping spread its name. :]

[TullemoreAsuraFFXI]

Edited; unlikely less than 5% of playerbase wouldn't be aware of the corrupt pages, but yes ideally no need to spread their locations.

[TullemoreAsuraFFXI]

This issue with the reporting portal is it for all intents and purposes is a silent proceedure. Not much response or resolution concerning this category of topic.
This topic doesn't just involve the employees Square Enix assigns to receive those reports.
It is an infestation that crosses any gaming title it can sink it's tentacles into.

[Dzspdref]

Also if you notice the shouters promoting their RMT sites get around the insta-block feature of /yell & /shout by placing spaces between the letters of the internet site so they are literally NOT a technical name for the site, and avoid getting blocked by the already-implemented filter of anything having the "www.####" intro or any with the ####.com or .org " ending suffix.
These RMT's will create a character; land in north or port San d'Oria, do approximately 3 /yells promoting their site, then log off.
** (Most I have ever seen from one name is 5; least is 1 when i sent them a /tell saying i already reported their RMT /yell to the STF)
The names are never used again; ever. They create another character, repeat.
There MUST be a way SE can see these /yells, trace the name to an account, and block that credit card and payment and/or IP address or such stuff from remaking more accounts.
Is that feasibly possible?

[Isola]

It's not possible because square makes too much money from them.

it's entirely possible to track and block their CC, not so much IP. But that's what prepaid cards are for. so no. they can't. And if they could. They wouldn't. Square makes more money just from RMT accounts than total active "players" lol.

It's still a business at the end of the day, and I mean seriously, it would be stupid to do it. It's just logic.

[TullemoreAsuraFFXI]

The one penalty that used to be wielded was the financial expense of a banned game key. Any title utilizing "no cost" or "trivial cost" marketing with "trial" access or "free time" gimmick policies will suffer from the ad pollution within the internal communication interfaces of said game.
The illicit yells are a symptom; the disorder is the existence of the violating web addresses and the apathy of the credit card companies and financial intermediary businesses. Developers are going to have to use their leverage to exterminate the means of the violating webpage(s) from collecting any payment from any respectable financial business that is currently being exploited.
Heavy upfront buy-ins for gamers and a large staff of real humans employed as a policing force is the future for online gaming where player to player trading/marketplace occurs; unless the violating web addresses can be demolished.