RMT Messages

Im just curious to see how many other people have been recieveing RMT messages through POL? And also if anyone knows how its being done, I was always under the impression only people on your friends list could send them?

Scizor~

I've been receiving these messages through POL about once every 3-5 days, and always advertising the same site. I thought only people on your friends list could send messages as well but apparently they've figured out a way to circumvent this which I'm not sure how. Adding these senders to ignore list does not seem to prevent future messages either.

i have also been receiving these messages and i have sent messages to the task force and GMs. Mor likeyl GMs just tell you to email the task force. it worries me as it might be spam email to try and steal your account but i don't know. i just don't like it.

I have been receiving them as well. Most people I've asked in my LS about it have been receiving them as well.

My theory on it is they are attempting to spam now more than previously, because of the free (No Credit Card Required) trial Square is offering for Final Fantasy XI. It seems they can create POL accounts now, with no CC information or registration code to purchase, and not worry about it getting banned (Since they didn't put any money up for the account in the first place).

It's a shame that the good ideas Square comes up with to bring in new players into the game, can get twisted around like this.

me too >< I made a GM call about it but they did nothing as always

I just thought of something on how they might be sending these messages...and it's a random thought and never tested out but might on my other account....
Ok say the rmt get the 14 play for free trail.
Make the account, maybe not make the char or do just to fish bot or w/e...
Anyways...
Do a friend search from PoL and search whatever server they're told to or feel like. Search all names A-Z that arent /anon when they search, (Another thought anyone get these messages while /anon or a mule that's anon? Or from a handle that's set to public or private or friends only?) then add to ingore via PoL. And I have some ppl on my ingore list. But it gives me the opption to send them messages....so maybe they're doing that if putting on ingore lets you ingore them but they can send messages....this is just a thought and I haven't test either. If anyone can test it before I get the chance post it and see what happens if it lets you send a message to someone on your ingore list....if that's case SE needs to rework the PoL messageing/ingore list.

Sepihroth/Onewingedangel

Funny.. i don't get any messages through POL, but i get them sent to my POL email instead... Does anyone else get them like this either?

All of our POL accounts have a email address. It just means the spamers have figured it out is all. Give them time and they will stop that too.

I hope the irony of complaining about RMTs on a site where my page has 5 different ads for gilsellers at this very moment isn't lost on anyone here.

oh, and FFXIah.com happens to be an easy way to tell which accounts are actually active...

It amazes me how many people there are that have absolutely no idea how ad services work.

I haven't recieved any but a friend of mine who had bought gil when he first started recieved a few. At first I thought it was just him until another friend of mine recieved them. I'm assuming it's just random /tells. In both instances the /teller and the email it provided were different but asking to add to an Instant Messenger. To me it seems more of a phishing attempt. As far as I know, neither have used the email on their IMs.

You only need to be a friend to send a friendlist message, not a playonline email.

emails can be sent to anyone with a POL email account. Your email address for POL is under your account info and is something like 732498987987987@Playonline.com or whatever. You do not need to be on someones friend list to send those types of messages. You can send them from any email client as well.

What they are probably doing is just going through every single number with a @playonline.com address, sending emails out and seeing which ones don't come back "could not send". Thats a sure fire way to see which are actual email accounts and which are not.

If you reply to it, you are giving them even more proof you actually exist -- same with any other form of spam, RMT or not.

this is not true. You can search for ppl on POL and send out a friend request to anyone at any server, and also send a message with that friend request. The RMT messages I've got have been the message typ, not the email type. ofcourse adding them to /ignorelist doesnt seem to make a differens since every message is sent from a different char name anyway. Been reporting every message to the STF with name of the char and the website adress. I wish they would give you the option to not recieve any messages from ppl that arent on your friendlis. Ironic how RMT's are using SE's own system to advertise for their activities...

since every message is sent from a different char name anyway ....

I don't see why SE doesn't do something about the RMT company that's sending them through POL. Every message I have received thus far is all from the same site/company. www.hugecheap.com. My gf had received them as well through tells, from www.Brogames.com. About the www.hugecheap.com website though, wouldn't you think SE could do something about that? Maybe they are, but are extremely slow... GF Suggested not replying to the messages for they could possibly some sort of keylogger attempt at stealing your account. Be careful!

I own two accounts and I've gotten messages on neither. One of my irl friends has though, as well as some LS mates. Hearsay and all, but I know someone that claims that upon making a GM call, they got a tell from a GM and a message from said RMT ppl at the same exact moment. Again she was probably just exaggerating but, *shrug*

Reading all the news, I too have been recieving it. It too, is unnerving...but what can you do but just block it. IDK if you can fill up a friend's list or fill up a list of names on your list that are filled with RMT messages.. but sometime soon, SE has to do something about this. If someone has reported it to the Website, have't they used this forum as proof that many ppl are getting nailed by RMT messages, to show as proof?

I know it will be some time until SE does something about this problem, till then , I guess we will be playing the waiting game, just like a Tornado.. waiting out the calm before the storm or maybe not. Something has to give though....

Ok well checked the ignore idea is a no go. so only thing I can think of is they they're prob hacking to send the messages out. I've gotten tells and messages but no e-mails yet.
I don't have the numberd e-mail gives you, I made my own when I started up FFXI so doubt I'll be getting any e-mails from them.
Just hope they do something about the messages....it's making me nervous to play or even start up my chars on pc lol
Been playing on PS2.

Well, from what ive heard, these tells are hacked Friend request messages. I dont know if anyone else noticed, but even the Headline was changed from, i believe its "Friend Request" to someones name. Usually w/o a capitalized first letter. < I've gotten 2 or 3 of these so far, i wasnt logged into game for 2 of them. The third one i was, but seeing as it was a lower cased name, the char did not exist. I've also recieved a tell from an in-game advertiser. I WAS /anon fyi, and i sent him an immediate nasty tell. ^^ A friend of mine got one from a different char at the same time. So what they are doing is coming on in bunches as lvl 1 noobs and spamming random ppl. I don't usually make alot of AH action on my main char either.

Oh and to point out to Shamaya, its very possible that happened, but don't forget, a friend and I recieved those /tells from 2 ppl at same time, so its possible your friend just got one from 2 of the same logged in people, being a coincidence.

Webjester made a very good point tho, and i wasnt aware of this myself. I didn't know you sign up for an account w/o using any personal information. So w/o worry they can create, spam, dump and repeat. Only reason they would dump, is b/c after getting reported SE isnt gonna let that char log back in. Btw, this is probably how they are using the friend request hack program as well, thru a free char.

Now of course with these being the reasons for in-game advertisement. What can SE really do? Take away the free trial?
Im also not worried about anyone stealing my information through this game, idk how that can be done really. If its at all possible, I dont see why it doesnt happen very often.

Fyi for those keeping track...
I was /anon
Usually have little AH activity
Recieved (FR) messages from nonexistent char's
Have NOT gotten any POL email.
Called GM everytime, (they do apologize) /laugh

I replied to one message with a *** you.. ignore is all..

I was anon and recieved a /tell last night asking to sell gil I don't use. I checked with both my friends and behold, same company. THsale..

First noobs now RMTs are asking for handouts.

I've been getting these also through my pol email also. What the hell?

Just Lovely... just ????ing lovely....

HAHAHA

I've received 2 in the last 3-4 days, about a day or two apart. Same site as mentioned previously, hugecheap.com. Didn't bother calling a GM as I didn't think much would come from it. Other people I know have gotten some too.

yea friend got it in the mail to
same poeple hugecheap

they do this stuff on WOW to and they yet to stop the spaming

i called am GM about this he said there was a leak in there server account info, well POL not the "FF game" one he said am like sure...

I used to get these about once a month.
Then I created a filter for my POL-mail that blocks any e-mail with the word "sale" in the title or body. I have been spam free since.

awesome idea. ill have to try. thanks blue

Just an idea, maybe they're using the POL mail function on SE's community site or something. All I've gotten are POL -messages-, never POL mail or friend requests. You can tell if it's a friend request or a message by the menu options it gives you when you open it. I.E. Reply for mail, or Add Friend for a friend request.

By the way, I talked to a GM the first time this happened and all s/he said was that they're doing it with pending friend invites, but couldn't disclose how it's being done. YAY FOR INVISIBLE FRIEND INVITES!