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Square Enix is telling Final Fantasy 14 players it will start suspending their accounts if they have redeemed fraudulent game time cards, as it changes its policy on giving users the “benefit of the doubt.” Going forward, FF14 subscribers who have purposefully or accidentally added crooked game time to their account may need to pay Square Enix the retail value of the transaction to get their Warrior of Light back.
According to Square Enix, some third-party sites that offer game time for the MMO get their codes via stolen credit cards or compromised data, and use this to sell subscriptions back to you at a discounted price. With Final Fantasy 14 7.2 looming, many of us who’ve stepped away after the last major patch are likely looking at ways to get back into the game, and Square Enix says it will punish anyone who buys Final Fantasy 14 game time that is not legitimate.
“We have recently identified a significant increase in the redemption of Final Fantasy 14 60-day Game Time Cards/Codes (GTCs), which have been obtained fraudulently,” Square Enix writes. “Until now, when we determined that a GTC was obtained fraudulently we would invalidate it before it could be used. However, if the GTC was already redeemed, we would give the benefit of the doubt that the user did not know it was fraudulently obtained and would not penalize the account.
“While the fraudulent transaction may not have been made by the person who redeemed the code, purchasing codes from unlicensed sites indirectly supports these illegal activities. To reduce these illegal transactions, we will begin suspending accounts that have redeemed a fraudulently obtained GTC.”
Square Enix also tells players who think they’ve been suspended for redeeming fraudulent GTC that they will need to contact the developer’s support center to regain account access. That said, you will have to pay for the game time again. “As part of regaining account access, the redeemer of the fraudulently obtained GTC will need to pay Square Enix the retail value of the GTC.”
If you’re an FF14 player in America, Square Enix says to purchase GTC from its own store, Amazon, Newegg, or Gamestop. European players, meanwhile, are advised to buy game time from the official Square Enix store or Amazon. If you purchase and redeem GTC from any other retailers, you could end up having your account suspended for using fraudulent game time, whether you knew it or not. At which point, you’d need to pay Square Enix again as it requires you reimburse the code’s retail value.
Square Enix’s change in tune comes as the studio is also clamping down on mods that scrape your personal information. Game director Naoki Yoshida has asked players not to use, share, or detail how to download third-party tools in an effort to keep everyone’s account details safe.
Make sure you keep an eye on the Final Fantasy 14 servers and maintenance times so you’re not caught unawares by downtime. We also have all you need to know about the Final Fantasy 14 free Fantasia, if you want to give your Warrior of Light a makeover.
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