TruthScape.com  9  The Truth About RuneScape Account and Password Scamming and “Hacking”

The Truth About RuneScape Account and Password Scamming and “Hacking” The Basics of Account and Password Scamming and “Hacking”

Jagex (rightly) considers account and password scamming to be one of the most serious violations of basic fair play and decency in RuneScape. Accordingly, the company has set up one rule specific to this issue, and several others that help support the prohibition on scamming in various ways.

Rule #3 in the RuneScape Rules of Conduct specifically covers password/account scamming. The rule is summarized simply:

“Asking/trying to persuade another player to give you their password for any reason is against the rules and will not be tolerated.”

Note that the rule is against asking for the information, not specifically using it. This means that if someone even tries to get your account password or related information, you can—and should—report them for abuse. It also means that someone can be reported for tricking a victim into giving away a password, even if the scammer never tries to use the account.

Rule #3 also prohibits:

• Tricking someone into giving them your password
  
  
• Asking for a password in a different language
  
  
• Asking for, or trying to get, someone's bank PIN

The importance that Jagex places on account security can be seen in just how many of the other 15 rules are related to preventing password scamming, or play a supporting rule in ensuring account security:

• Rule #5 prohibits Jagex staff impersonation, which is one way that some scammers try to get victims' passwords;
  
  
• Rule #6 does not allow you to share accounts, an act that is often used for cheating but also sometimes leads to accounts being stolen.
  
  
• Rule #7 prohibits third-party software. Scammers often try to convince players to use software that they say will help them, but actually steals their accounts.
  
  
• Rule #10, about false representations, makes it illegal for scammers to try to use customer service to steal others' accounts.
  
  
• Rule #11 makes advertising web sites or providing web links within the game illegal, which is done in part to prevent people from being victimized by sites that steal passwords.
  
  
• Rule #12, banning real world item trading, helps discourage people from being scammed, and also limits the market for stolen accounts.

Of course, Jagex's rules only allow them to control what happens within the RuneScape game itself. Many scammers will try to use tricks outside the game to compromise your account—game rules won't help you with these, only knowledge and common sense. Read on and you'll learn more about protecting yourself.

The Truth About RuneScape Account and Password Scamming and “Hacking” The Basics of Account and Password Scamming and “Hacking”