Im in an innocent prediciment...

A person was recently in Lion's Arch selling a mini-destroyer codes (2 or 3 I believe)for 20k, I thought okay he bought the magazene and was selling the code, (final deal ended up being 11k, drok's sword, and kaya's daggers) anyway, he trusted me enough to let me get on my other account (I bought the magazene and already entered a code for my primary one), enter it first, and than I came back and was going to give my part of the deal to him, the code had worked. I then asked him "so how did you infact get so many codes anyway"...And of course I should have relized it before I had gotten into this mess, but he said he's taken the codes pics with his phone out of the mags...I told him I woulden't have entered the code if I had known he had done that, so I wanted to get a screenshotted statement of him saying he would be reliable if either of my accounts got suspended/banned because his method of getting the code which I had already entered on my other account. He never agreed, he kind of started panicing, and said he didn't want to, he was going to go back to the store and buy all 3 magazenes so neither of us woulden't get in trouble, and logged off shortly afterward. (At first he was like "trust me dude we won't get in trouble, but after I kept pushing for a statement seconding my innocence, he started getting worried, even asking if I worked for Anet) So I'm hoping he does go back and infact buys all 3...

I should have known he probably got the codes via "stealing" them, but I didn't think anything about it at the time, because me and my brother had both bought the magazene and entered the code on our own accounts, I didn't find it that weird for someone to have 2 or 3.

Main point, I really don't want to get in trouble for something im 100% innocent of, I regret not thinking of that earlier and not thinking it through. If he does go back and buy all 3, which hopefully he will, than good, we both learned a lesson, but If someone's already bought 1 or so of the ones he'd taken the code from, I feel sorry for them also...

Is there anything else I can do to claim my innocence if he doesn't or couldent get all 3,and,I doubt I would, but would I get in trouble even though im innocent? (or at least the mag that had the code i bought, which would), I took screenshots of asking him for statements and everything, and him knowing I'm innocent...

Sticky situation. All you can do is plead your case when the Time comes, if it comes to that. I know that hindsight doesn't help you here, but you should have bought the mini itself directly rather than buying a "code." Doesn't it seem odd that someone would sell you a code rather than a mini itself? That would have been the tipoff, the fact that they would want to sell a code that they don't want to have their account associated with because it might have been stolen.

If you want to "fess up" to your inadvertent crime of receiving "hot" property then you might as well report the situation directly to a.net using their report form and let the chips fall where they may.

Or I could be wrong about the situation and you can't sell the minis? Are they linked to an account much like "/bonus" items? No, that can't be. I've seen people selling the minis directly...

It's against the EULA to sell/buy GW codes for ingame gold.
I'm not entirely sure about the mini codes tho.

The dude got back on just now and said he bought all 3 magazenes and said he was sorry for what he had done. So hopefully he's telling the truth and I can forget about this, which I think he was, he said he lives next to a store that sold them.

Common sense would have suggested something was up.

Anet probably won't take any action about it, and I don't think PC Gamer will either. They'll just generate a new code for the people who got it taken.

I highly doubt this will end in a ban.

Well, like said, he said he bought all three magazenes and was really sorry for doing it to both of us, and told me he would never do it again. And yes, I know I should have thought it out more, but at the time I didn't think anything of it.

You're not innocent.

EULA clearly forbids such trades, and warnings everywhere strongly discourage buying of accounts or account codes.

Consider it a lesson learned.

NEVER BUY ACCOUNTS OR ANY KIND OF CODES FROM OTHER PLAYERS.

Not because you'll get banned (might happen) - but because 9/10 times you'll be ripped off.

I admit I'm not 100% innocent because I didn't fully think, but still, I WAS on the innocent side, I didn't mean to do any harm. I woulden't have gone through with the trade had I known what he did, and I will NEVER make the mistake again, but I am constantly seeing people selling accounts, RS and GW, or keys to like asura and etc. I'm just really hoping he did buy the magazenes like he said so that he learned his lesson and I learned mine, I could tell he was very sorry for what he had done as well.

I'm with Retribution X. I doubt this will end in a ban either. It certainly does seem like both of you learned something and I hope this can be a cautionary tale for others who might consider doing this.

People will try to sell codes because they don't want the code tied to their account in case a.net decides to crack down on stolen codes. In other words, if you really want the mini, tell them to register the code themselves and then buy the mini. If it's 100% legit, there is absolutely no harm in doing this.


The other issue is fraud. If I claim I have a code, what "exchange" is taking place other than you giving me money and me IM'ing you a code that may or may not work later? You've just been scammed.

And why would I risk the possibility that I give you the code first, and then you don't pay me? I've just been scammed.

Or what if I DO sell you a code, it works, and then weeks later I report the code as stolen and guess what, it's tied to YOUR account? You've just been had.


Ahhh, the pitfalls of trading virtual goods...

OP, you're lucky that you actually got valid codes! Usually people will just make up bogus codes and you're SOL. Here's how easy it is: And for God's sake -DON'T TRY USING THIS MADE UP STRING OF CHARACTERS!!!!! IT'S FAKE! BOGUS! COMPLETELY MADE UP AND INVALID!!!! IT'S AN EXAMPLE ONLY!!! (hope that's enough of a disclaimer!)
[BOGUS CODE]4MI61 266O2 EN81P R334CI M3NT1[/BOGUS CODE]
(It's "Im in an innocent predicament" using phone keys!)

Now, Don't do it again. And for God's sake -DON'T TRY USING THIS ONE!!!!! IT'S FAKE! BOGUS! COMPLETELY MADE UP AND INVALID!!!! IT'S AN EXAMPLE ONLY!!!

How did he transfer the code to you ?

If it was over any in-game chat, that means that ANET does have a record of it.

Also how does he know that the copies he bought are the ones that he stole the code from ?

I asked him to make sure the codes he'd taken were the same ones in the magazene, and he said they were, he got all 3.

You probably wont get banned, maybe a suspension of some sort.

I know it says you can't buy or trade GW accounts, but does it actually say anything about the codes? Also, this is a mini-pet, not an account. EULA has no problem with selling mini-pets for in-game gold, so unless it does say you can't sell game codes for in game gold I think he's fine on that point. (Quite honestly, I would imagine you could probably sell an unactivated game code for in-game gold since you could say it doesn't belong to anyone (as far as the EULA is concerned) until activated.)

This part I agree wholeheartedly with. I figured he was going to say he got scammed and wanted to know what he could do about it when I started reading the thread. lol

This is why PC Gamer should have put the magazines in plastic bags like they did before. I don't know why they didn't this time. I went to a super market that doesn't get much foot traffic, got the copy on the bottom of the stack, and took a chance and purchased it. I saw that the code wasn't used previously so fortunately I got my minipet. No way was I going to get a copy from a bookstore. I went to one before going to the market and there was only two copies left. As if I'd buy one of those.

~Basically it's people like the seller mentioned in the OP why PC Gamer needs to use plastic bags.

What the hell? That code doesn't even work!

You think that's bad? I paid him 100k for it!

Holy cow ....i put that code in and got a mini zhed.....any more codes you want to make up?

Buying a mini in game is one thing, buying the mini pet key code in game is a different matter. You should have done the first option. Nothing else you can do just have to wait and see, if you get banned you'll know why. If you don't then you get away with it.

The same goes for the seller. Anet can check their logs later if someone alert them them to.

First thing, you're not 100% innocent. You illegaly bought an item that was obtained through illegal means. Second, guys, he had to buy the code. If you already have a special mini like the Asura or Destroyer attached to your account, you can't attach any more. At that point, you have to sell codes instead of pets. But this doesn't justify it in any way. If he really did get the magazines, I'd say you learned a valuable lesson and that this in itself was a punishment.

At the end of the day I doubt either of you will get in trouble for this. Both times I have bought PCGamer for a minipet code the code was already in use by someone who (I presume) had just gone to the store and taken it. Both times I emailed their support. Both times they handed me a fresh code. They never asked for proof of purchase. They didn't even ask for the old code to track it down. I don't know how Anet and PCGamer worked out a cost breakdown for this giveaway, but it doesn't seem like it's a big deal to them.

Buying the code is probably against the EULA. Buying the mini is one thing, the code is another. Btw that thing about him buying the magazine is probably bullsh*t, he just wants you to not report him if ever you wanted to.
As long as you have the screenie of him saying he stole them you're safe I'd say.

How would this person even get the code that is what I would ask?

Reading this thread explains this mystery.

Buying a code is bad buying the mini is better

Anyway I live in Australia and had no way to get this mag
so got a USA friend I have known for years to buy me one and post it to me.
She emailed me later saying she bought 2 as the newsagent had about 10 or so
I was happy anyway later my friends one didn't work i found out and hoped mine did.

When I got mine in the mail from her I went to enter the code on my account
It said it was already in use.
So not seeing the email to the mag till later I contacted GW support and sent all the info including the code number.
Got a reply back saying they were aware of the problem and they could
see the code had been used and on what account but it was not my account and they wouldn't tell me
whose account as thats non of my business
anyway they said to contact the PC mag and gave me the email and they will email me a new code as they have spares
and suport said they will look into the matter of the used code.
So they must have all the records if there going to look into the matter or they just passed the buck and are not going to do anything?
Anyway got a new code from the PC email and it worked yay I am happy
I now have a destroyer and added it to Hom.

You can only add 1 key to your account so thats why people take and then try to sell the code
So publishers should make sure things like this are in plastic and this wouldn't happen.
So in the OP's post thats what happened a risk and hope the person DID go and buy all 3 mags later
and not just saying they did.
You "could" lose your mini/account IF suport looks into it.

I think this is extremely dumb.

PC Gamer and Future Publishing have been in this business for over a decade. They must have faced this problem repeatedly.

It is so simple to solve this problem. Just stick another bit of paper over the code, or use those scratch-card coating, or a perforated page that needs to be torn.

OK, all those costs more, perhaps the level of code-theft is acceptable to Anet and PC Gamer, that its cheaper for them to field calls from customers than to actually prevent the problem.

This is why PC Gamer needs to PUT THE FREAKING MAGAZINE IN A PLASTIC BAG like THEY DID LAST TIME. I knew this was gonna happen. Next time I should bet money on it.

And you'd probably win. >_> I didn't bother buying a magazine -because- they probably all had the codes taken already by blasted camera phones.

Once again it's amazing you didn't get ripped off and got a bogus code. As far as I know anet's policy you're not allowed to sell online property (including accounts, gold, keycodes) in any third party trade. Basically if you got any code from any non-primary distributer you're viable to a ban. I doubt they'll take it that far over a minipet code, but there's a reason they put in these rules and that's not just to up their own revenue, but also to keep from getting useless e-mails from people who got scammed...

What you mean you got a mini Zhed? I got the mini panda. so there.