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Bethesda Pulls The Plug On Fraudulent Elder Scrolls Online Keys
If you have trouble logging into The Elder Scrolls Online today, you might want to ensure that you've purchased a legitimate key. Bethesda has announced that it is cracking down on keys purchased with stolen credit cards and re-sold on unauthorized third-party sites.
Bethesda says that often keys are purchased in bulk from Steam, a violation of the marketplace's terms of service as well as the publisher's own. If you are locked out, you'll get an email with instructions that include purchasing a legitimate copy. Worse, customers who have purchased from a reseller might find themselves victims of credit card fraud.
"The companies selling stolen keys make a practice of using stolen credit cards, or misappropriating credit card information from their own customers to buy codes from legitimate retailers," Zenimax Online Studios community coordinator Jason Leavey writes. "Often these companies have the lowest price available anywhere for the digital item they are selling. Customers who purchase from these vendors are at increased risk for identity theft."
In its forum post, Bethesda lists global and regional retailers that are authorized to sell the publisher's games. This issue popped up earlier this year, as Ubisoft moved to shut down illegitimately acquired codes. This is a matter we also reported on extensively in 2014, with a network of code resellers abusing Humble Bundle against that company's terms of service.
[Source: Bethesda via Polygon]
Our Take
You might think you're getting a deal on a game, but you could end up paying a much heftier price. Identity theft and credit card fraud are not easy things to combat. Just be smart about who you shop with. If a deal sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
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