Sony Refuses to Offer Refund for PlayStation Game Fraudulently Purchased by Hacker

CraveOnline: "Sony has got itself in hot water with one of its users, after enforcing a strict anti-refund policy even though the company itself had acknowledged that he had been hacked and payments had been made using his credit card without his permission."

[lodossrage]

The problem here is that even if he didn't purchase it himself, he can't actually disprove he allow someone else to use his account.

THIS was always one of the main concerns with things like game sharing (different from shareplay guys). Once you allow someone to put your account on a system that's NOT yours, this is the kind of thing you open yourself up to. That's why the part about the "different serial number" doesn't matter.

I've gotten refunds from Sony before on two occasions so I'm not sure about the anti-refund policy.

[Neonridr]

Sony acknowledged that he had been hacked, so not sure where the disproving needs to be.

[lodossrage]

It's simple:

Taken from the article directly from the Sony letter-

"In relation to the transactions you recently flagged as unauthorised, our investigation concluded that the serial number of the console on which these transactions were made does not match the serial number of the console you provided to us on your original call"

All that says is that the purchase(s) were made from a system that doesn't match the serial number he's currently using. All they acknowledged is that the systems didn't match. They didn't acknowledge a hack. He just said he was hacked.

But whose to say he didn't game share with someone. That's exactly why the serial number issue doesn't matter. His account would still be on a system that's not his. And that same person(s) he game shared with can easily purchase from the PSN store on his/her account.

[Gazondaily]

Well when someone who borrowed my X1 decided to buy a game without telling (Sniper Elite of all games) I simply told MS I don't know who bought it but would like a refund. (at the time I didn't know how it was purchased). MS refunded it in the space of a few minutes.

There might be more to this than we know though. Maybe the guy has made frequent requests for refunds who knows.

Although saying that, Sony's customer service was TERRIBLE when my so called waterproof Xperia Z3 got messed up underwater after one week of purchase. Luckily the phone providers came through. Sony didn't appear to give a damn.

[gatormatt80]

Why not call the credit card company and tell them someone's committed fraud with your credit card. If this is truly fraud, then get your refund from them and go directly over Sony's head. I mean heck, you need to cancel the credit card in question anyways. I have a feeling there's more to this story than we know...

[ABizzel1]

I can tell you now Sony's not going to refund him. My little brother (5 at the time) bought 3 games Resident Evil 4HD, Another Resident Evil (house of the dead type game), and something else on PSN, and I called to get it refunded, and they wouldn't do it.

So I put a password on checkouts to stop it once and for all, because my uncle bought SF2 Turbo, and a cousin who borrowed my PS3 bought DBZ.

Best advice put a password on all purchases if you're going to be sharing, because people aren't going to treat your stuff with the same respect you do.

And if someone did hack his account, and buy games on it he needs to go to his credit card company, not Sony, because the person now has potential access to his credit card information, and possibly more. Not the sharpest tool in the shed, this guy. Why are you worried about a refund for some games, when they hacker can go on an all expense paid online shopping spree courtesy of you.

[radler]

So let me get this straight. Some guy had fraudulent purchases made with his PSN account and Sony verified that they were not made from the console his PSN account was registered to because the serial numbers don't match. At the most basic level this proves without any doubt that the transaction was fraudulent and yet for whatever reason, Sony still refuses to refund the guy which I'm fairly sure is illegal given the indisputable evidence in the customers favor.

And yet still, somehow, people here are bending over backwards trying to find excuses to justify Sony completely screwing this guy over.

I'm at a loss for words, to be honest. What's wrong with you people? I swear someone from Sony could strangle puppies on live TV and you'd still defend it. Jesus.

[OrangePowerz]

Nobody acknowledged he got hacked just that the purchase was made from another console. If he tells the truth it sucks, but if they would normally refund it also open themselves up for people who go to a friend buy the game there and play it and afterwards demand a refund claiming they got hacked.

His credit card company/bank should take care of this since, as stated in a comment above, hr needs to inform them anyway about the theft of the CC information.

@radler

It doesn't prove anything. I can go to a friends place and buy a game on his console with my account that wouldn't make it a fraudulent purchase.

He should contant his credit card company to get the transaction reversed, the card deactivated and since there was an online purchase the police can ask for the IP (if they bother to do that for such a small amount) and get address.

[radler]

Yeah and I can steal your credit card and help myself to a few hundred at a cash machine, but that doesn't make what I'm doing fraudulent huh? I mean, I've got your card details and so what if the location of the transaction is so far away from your location that there's no way you could have made it?

I mean, you know, going by your logic here...

Oh wait, no! That IS illegal, and it IS fraud, and if I told the police that the fact I have your card details somehow makes it okay they would laugh in my face and lock me up.

God damn you fanboys are crazy.

[kurruptor]

radler get this through your head. All Sony knows is the purchase wasn't made on his own console.

Imagine this...

I give my PSN info to a friend across the country. They use it to buy a game.

I call Sony and say I didn't buy this. They are supposed to give you a refund? They have no way of knowing.

[ABizzel1]

@radler

But you completely avoided the main point of his comment, he can simply go to his credit card provider and refute the charges. If he doesn't have a password on his console then the hacker has access to his Name, Address, Credit Card information, and more. It's stupid to ask for a refund from Sony when, you have bigger issues on your hands like the "hacker" going on a online shopping spree.

He needs to be in contact with his credit card provider, NOT SONY. His credit card provider, can refund him regardless, they can deactivate the credit card and issue him a new one before the hacker spends more of his money, and they can potentially catch the person who hacked him and press charges.

Trying to get what $60 back from Sony, instead of correcting the bigger issue is flat out stupid. As a matter of fact that's a why Sony and MS can determine if purchases are refund appropriate, the customer needs to provide evidence that a fraudulent charge has been made on their card from a detailed report for the credit card distributor, and in that case the credit card company is more than likely refund you anyway.

There's no bailing this person out in this situation, he needs to go to his credit card provider not Sony for a refund.

[OrangePowerz]

@Radler

He has no prove his information was stolen as I said he could buy a game on a friends console and play it there and afterwards demand a refund on false pretenses.

If you steal my credit card and go to an ATM and take out money I'm not going to the bank who owns the ATM I go to my credit card company to get it refunded and the card deactivated.

Your response has nothing to do with what I actually wrote.

[HiddenMission]

This same thing happened to me and proved to Sony who the hacker was and they still did nothing. If you have PS+ then your screwed because if you decide to go through your bank they'll take the money back but Sony will lock your account until you pay them back because that's what happened to me when I tried that. Their customer service is a damn joke who don't care about gamers at all and this is from a 20 plus year fan of Sony.

[HiddenMission]

@abeziel

If your bank refunds you and takes the money Sony will say you owe them that money back and lock your account. I've had my account for 9 years or so and I've spent thousands on digital games plus my PS+ account games and the thousands of dollars I've spent on movies and videos. Locking my account over $200 versus eating it seemed like a no brained but still sucked ass like no other. So you need to think a bit more before commenting because their can be other things impacting his decisions just like how my money invested impacted mine.

[nicksetzer1]

I completely don't expect them to refund. He most likely gave his account out like an idiot then claimed he was hacked.

That is the point of Sony doing and investigation. They check to see if there was a brute force hack or any other illegal means of account aquisition. If they didn't find any signs of the previously mentioned it's pretty obvious he gave his account to someone irresponsible and expects Sony to fix it for him.

[ABizzel1]

@HiddenMission

That was your choice, you chose to let someone rob you for $200 instead of getting the situation rectified, and lower in the comments you say he should lock the account and do an investigation. I agree, but why on earth are they going to give a refund before the investigation has been complete. That's stupid. If after the investigation they see the account has been hacked then yes a refund is due as well as free PS+ for the time loss rounded up to the nearest month, and possibly a bonus credit towards his account for his inconvenience (which is more than what MS did for me when it happened to me).

I don't know what bank you go to, but you bank cancels all charges to the card, it doesn't matter what Sony has to say.

1. Your bank refunds you personally and presses charges against the person.

2. If you catch it in time your bank cancels the entire transaction, and the seller has to cancel the order in this case Sony should be able to block access to the game, just like they can with PS+ games.

You people are reaching. Your bank AND THE LAW trumps any company and protects you from fraudulent charges, let's not be stupid people. If he was legitimately hacked, he needs to contact his bank, who could possibly contact the police and press charges for petty theft.

END OF DISCUSSION.

[HiddenMission]

@abizzel1

Actually you don't know what you're talking about your bank in my case is one of the biggest banks in the US deals with Sony for the refund so you don't know what you're talking about I've done refunds and they do an investigation with the company 1st. Sony then is left with the negative balance that they try to collect on by the easiest means possible being me in my case. How do they get the money lock you out of you our account until you pay them.

Don't try to act smarter than you are because you don't know others lives!

[calis]

"Sony's customer service was TERRIBLE when my so called waterproof Xperia Z3 got messed up underwater after one week of purchase."

No phone is waterproof. Only water resistant.

[Revolver_X_]

@Abizzel

Im having a hard time believing anyone who refutes your assessment to be an actual adult. This is how CC systems work. The bank stops transaction, Sony blocks use of purchase. I personally had family do this to me. His game was blocked. Neither my PSN or system was locked. That is the ONLY outcome if reported properly. Sounds more to me like someone trying to cheese the system.

[IGiveHugs2NakedWomen]

A scammer who's trying to see if he can get something for nothing. Call the credit card company and dispute the transaction. If it really was a hack, "pocket" won't have to worry about going to jail for wire fraud.

Come to think of it, that's probably why he didn't contact his credit card company before contacting Sony.

[Dir_en_grey]

The credit card companies covers this.

The guy did not get his information stolen due to Sony leaking his information.

Weak password, self leaking information etc., no company needs to babysit people's own carelessness or mistakes.

[LeCreuset]

@HiddenMission

Did you then request to speak to a manager (and maybe even that manager's manager), threaten to file a suit and threaten to file a complaint (if in the US) with the Better Business Bureau?

I'm not trying to be smart. I'm just not a fan of people thinking they have to roll over and comply with a company's policy. These policies are often inconsistent with the law and are more effective in convincing frustrated individuals that they have no legal recourse than they are in a courtroom. Despite what you may have agreed to about refunds, if it was Sony's negligence, and not your own, that resulted in your data being hacked, they're liable for damages resulting from that hack, including the charges they are holding you accountable for. In many cases, these companies would rather just give you you're money than have to deal with the bad publicity once they realize you're serious.

[SilentNegotiator]

Reported as fake.

They say about half of a dozen times that Sony acknowledged it as fraud/hacking, but they clearly do not. Not in the call, not in the letter, never. The only certain fraud here is this article's premise.

[NuggetsOfGod]

If its anti Sony it will be refuted. You better believe it Lol

Just say geatness awaits and move on dude.

[GameNameFame]

@septic that is a dumb argument.

There was an article on very young kid purchasing thousands dollars worth of stuff on x360 and MS refused to refund.

And I called sony for refund on music unlimited and 2 games. They refunded ZERO problem.

Just because this or that happened once does not make your argument. In both MS and Sony, refund is done case by case and made by people.

[ABizzel1]

@HiddenMission

"Don't try to act smarter than you are because you don't know others lives!"

Now I understand why your situation was the way it was. You're just ignorant so you got the run around. At the end of the day, illegal unauthorized fraud is never the fault of the victim, and your ignorant self is basically saying that regardless the victim will be punished for someone practically committing identity theft.

Little boy get offline, and go read a book and educate yourself.

@Revolver

A fool and his money. And anyone who disagreed with my comment fits that saying perfectly. What the ignorant person doesn't realize is that I have 2 Bank accounts and a Credit Union account Bank of America, Wells Fargo, and Mazuma which is why he was mute on not providing nay further details on what Bank he has, because I would have pulled up the information instantly.

[Christopher]

Sony didn't acknowledge that he had been hacked. They acknowledged that purchases were made from a different console. Something a person could do if the caller had left his account logged on someone else's console and does not have it set up that he has to re-enter his password. Or, something someone else can do if he shared his PSN info.

[donthate]

I think calling this a hack is stretching it.

However, this is easy for Sony to check. If the current console doesn't match the purchasing console then they should just give the consumer the benefit of the doubt.

Sony should be able to see if the game is frequently played, or accessed by how. Sony logs all that!

Other companies like MS seems to give a lot of good will towards their consumers....

[Cha0tik]

I've asked for a refund on 3 games in the past 2 months. Sony is very understanding as long as you ask for the refund within the first week. I guess there may be some sort of circumstances in which they will say "FUCK NO!" lol Keep in mind only one of the games where deemed defective was Driveclub. I only asked for a refund so I could buy Advanced Warfare.

[Gazondaily]

@Gamenamefame

It wasn't an argument mate...I'm just talking about my experience.

[mmcglasson]

@ABizzel1

Finally someone with some intelligence. You saw the mistake that was made. You resolved the problem by implementing additional account restrictions. You didn't blame it on someone else even though they were unauthorized purchases. You requested a refund (rightfully so) but were denied (understandable). The point is, you didn't cry like a baby and blame Sony.

+bubble

[IceKoldKilla]

Um clearly you guys haven't ever gameshared or at least not recently. For years now, they ask for the user that's using another account to insert the credit card info again just to verify it's the actual owner and that way allow to use the credit card to make purchases. If you cannot provide the info, it deletes the credit card info. At least on US accounts. I've gameshared with my brother and a friend and on both occasions asked to refill the credit card info. In the old days it would stay saved on the PSN account, no matter what console and did not ask to re-enter the credentials. But that was YEARS ago. By the way, this is coming from MY experience only. It might not be true for all regions. I can't confirm that.

[lodossrage]

And on a side note, I can only speak for myself here. I've gotten refunds from Sony on two different occasions.

So what this anti-refund policy is about is news to me.

[Iamnemesis4880]

Or what i have on my xbox one account a pre paid visa card only put money in when i want something.

[Codewow]

Someone had purchased over $160 worth of stuff on my hacked Xbox account a few years back. We called them up, they refunded the money fully as well as let me keep the crappy games the person bought on my account. I've been impressed with Microsoft's handling of the issues ever since.

[zerog]

Yeah I'm calling B.S. myself. When my daughter bought gta on her vita on my account I called sony and they refunded it, no problem. Another thing is why would a hacker bother buying a game on someones account? If they stole the account all together that would be one thing but this guy still has access to his account. What I figure has happened is he put his account on a friends ps to share games and someone with access to that console bought it or he was stupid enough to give his account info to someone else for promise of help with a game or something. I've seen both those things happen to people but I've never heard of anybody hacking an account just to buy a game that they can't use. Sony only allows 2 ps3s and 2 vitas to be connected with a single account. On ps4 you can only have one set as primary and any other ps4 you download a game on thats not your primary thenyou have to be logged in to use it and only you can use it. So it doesn't make sense.

[DragonKnight]

A lot of people don't understand that a lot of big companies actually outsource customer service, and that said customer service is trained to strictly follow procedures written in some handbook. Every situation is different, but articles like these try to paint blanket generalizations and make erroneous claims.

[medman]

Don't these type of fraudulent purchases usually end up with the credit card company taking the necessary action? I know I've had a skunk use my credit card for fraudulent purchases in the past, and I called the credit card company and they didn't make me pay for the purchases, they issued an new card and shut down my old account and set me up with new numbers. I sure didn't attempt to contact the manufacturers of the fraudulent items and make them refund me.....I don't understand why this gamer thinks it's Sony's issue or why Sony would be the one he contacts.

[Sy_Wolf]

Actually it's SUPER easy to prove he didn't buy it. Sony has the IP address of the person who bought it, you just have to look at that. Also it's super easy to call your credit card company and say that you didn't make the charge. This is a non-issue.

[jznrpg]

If he was truly hacked his credit card company will handle it. Someone spent 200 on steam and they called me to ask if it was me . All I had to do was say I didn't make the purchases, so if its true he was hacked he will get his money from the credit card company with no issues. This is always how credit card theft is handles not by the merchant who said items were purchased from .

[Gamer1982]

This is why I never put my card on my account. This is obvious with PS and Xbox that you have zero cover if hacked so I buy codes to top my account up online.

[Burning_Typhoon]

They will refund you if there is something wrong, no matter how minor with the purchase.

The DoA5 Ultimate bundle a while bad had the wrong costume DLC for Ayane. I asked Sony if they could just give me the costume, since it was advertised, they said no.

They did tell me I could refund the game, though. Yes, over the wrong costume, which was just a 100kb unlock key. Nothing wrong with the game itself, lol...

What happened was they had two of the costumes accidentally swapped. I found out when I bought one of the costume packs. I wasn't going to refund though. I wanted the game, I just wanted it as it was advertised too.

So, tell them it's not downloading, and has an error, when you do. Just look up the right error code online, in case they ask. But don't ever actually download the game. Just tell them it doesn't work.

[Eddie20101]

Here is some common sense, it should be handled by the credit card issuer. You report the fraudulent purchase to the credit card issuer, they replace the card and give you a credit for the fraudulent purchase.

Retailers are not able to tell weather you are making a legitimate claim or not. the credit card issuer can better tell weather it is a fraudulent charge or not. Besides you are insured by almost all credit card issuers for fraudulent charges.

It is ridiculous to make Sony the villain on this matter.

Stupid article, stupid person, just plain stupid.

[nitus10]

Simple solution:

If Sony does not refund your money then your bank should be the one to do this. If Sony does refund you should still contact your bank and make sure your card is cancelled and a new one issued.

No matter what you must contact your financial institution giving as much information as you can and if directed, the police.

My wife had her credit card hacked for iTunes and we followed the above steps and we got our money back. Of course we made sure this could not happen again by removing all credit card information.

Personally if I wish to make an internet purchase I always use my PayPal account which is free to set up.

[qwerty676]

wow just give the guy a refund jeez, are they that starved for money?

[AutoCad]

Yes.

[kreate]

Lol
---------
Kinda agree w quick. Just give the guy his money.

[PeaSFor]

the guy shared his account informations with someone else, ...who used his account to buy stuff.....

whos to blame here?

not sony.

[HiddenMission]

Doesn't matter Sony should lock that users account until an actual investigation has been performed and give the hacked user a temporary refund like your bank does. If the investigation turns up that he did not approve the charges he keeps his refund and Sony goes after the individual who made the charges. It doesn't matter if it's a friend, family member or a stranger it's just that simple.

[VJGenova]

My ex-wife used my discover cashback to buy things on amazon with my account. I had removed her from being an approved user on the card but the web history still let her do it. Not Amazon's fault but it was 100% fraud, which Discover refunded me for. Don't think they have any real recourse to go after amazon, but they could've gone after my ex. For $90 though, it wasn't worth their time.

[rdgneoz3]

If he hasn't gone to his card company he either A) shared his account with a friend who bought a game without asking or B) logged onto his friends system using his account to buy a game.

I've done B plenty of times when I've spent the weekend or such at a friends who had the same system and we both wanted to play or watch something (rotating who gets the next game or movie).

Either way, if he tells his card company he never made the purchase they should take care of it.

[Tempest317]

@HiddenMission Should Sony lock his account? Sure, until he goes through the motions of re-securing his account. Temporary refund? Definitely not. Sony is not liable for any unauthorized purchases made with your account. If you fucked up and gave your credentials away, or they were weak enough someone was able to break in, that's your own fault and is in no way the responsibility of Sony. The proper way in ANY fraudulent situation like this is to contact the bank. Dispute the charge, they investigate/reverse, end of story. Sony will lose the money regardless, but it's most definitely not their responsibility to give it away.

[Alsybub]

@HiddenMission

I'm sure that those with genuine fraud committed on their PSN account would be really pleased if Sony locked them out, pending an investigation. Can you imagine the headlines all over the internet? People would be saying that Sony punishes gamers that are victims of fraud.

If he gave his account details to a friend and they bought a game on his account then that is his own fault for sharing his login. I would never share my account with anyone and I'm quite sure that account sharing is talked about in the terms & conditions for PSN. You can't blame a 3rd party for your own mistake.

If it were genuine fraud then he would have gone straight to his bank and had his cards cancelled as a precaution and would have got the refund that way. If I thought my identity had been stolen my first concern wouldn't be my PlayStation account, it would be all of the money in my bank account and on my credit cards. In fact, in these kinds of situations you can register a crime with the police and they will provide you with a reference number that you can give to companies to prove that you logged the crime with officials. You're far more likely to be telling the truth if you're willing to go to the authorities about it.

[nyzma23]

offcourse jeez sony is innocent here how dare they blame our godny

[joab777]

Yeah and guess what happens next. Everyone starts buying their games on another console.

Here's the answer. When you buy a PS4 there's a tutorial that shows you how to create the 2nd account. It forces you to use it. At any time, you can change it to a friend that you trust. But it's never left open for hackers to take advantage of.

Of course real hackers could also get around this by hacking their own account. But it would cut down on many innocent ppl getting hacked and the policy could stand.

[BG11579]

In the past with the PS5, I and a friend of mine share each others accounts, so that we could share each game we bought with each other. We are friends, we knew we could trust on each other.
Sony disapproved this behaviour and put it in the terms of use of the console. This happened with the arrive of the PS+, so we actually stopped to do this.
I don't know in which console it happened, but with PS+ and the share game on PS4, who needs to rely on these kind of practices to play games?

[Kingdomcome247]

What's the future like? Is the PS5 awesome? Just giving you a hard time because you said, "In the past with the PS5."

[BG11579]

@Kingdomcome247 Oh damn, you got me! Now you know I'm a time traveller!
By the way, 2015 is going to be a crazy year for gaming!

[Kingdomcome247]

Lol. Bring back next years' big games for me on the low lol. I hope we don't disrupt the space-time continuum!

[LackTrue4K]

If only every one is as generous as you in the world. You don't mind me having your accout do you??

I can support my games/self, I just want to know if your in the same boat with that comment..?

[JonnyBigBoss]

This has happened before in different ways, such as the few people who accidentally purchased content when using their DS4 on the PS3 and it was interfacing with the PS4. Sony might as well just refund the content.

[dbjj12088]

Every instance of digital consumerism is bound to have some issue or error. Hopefully they'll get it settled after this attention.

[Knightofelemia]

Its a tough problem coming from both sides of the fence. Seeing it from Sonys side and the Pockets side as well. I use PSN cards myself don't put my credit card online. But Sony should be doing more then banning the console that bought the game illegally. Your network got hacked just like other parts of the Sony branches that are on the news. The guy who hacks your network to buy a game illegally should have his ass nailed to the cross. But he gets a slap on the wrist by having his console banned.

Hopefully Pockets gets his cash back. Sonys networks are done being hacked and the hacker gets in shit.

[Exies7]

This is why I first made the move to XB.

I had an individual steal my information and buy a lot of items from the psn (back on the ps3). Sony refused to clear the debt on my account despite the circumstances and put my acct on hold.

I'm still more fond of XB1 over PSN. I've never had an issue similar as that with Microsoft.

Edit: This is an actual event that happened for me, and I didn't say anything inherently negative towards Sony.

You people make your bias abundantly clear. I still have a PS4 (the old account is still locked because I refused to pay), and enjoy it.

Grow up.

[PeaSFor]

sure...

[Dannycr]

You seriously believe that something like this has never happened on Xbox Live?

Wow...well...good luck.

[NegativeCreep427]

Well if you haven't had the opportunity to present the same issue to Microsoft, then how can you legitimately compare and contrast and make a final opinion that XB Live is better?

It's like comparing apples to nothing else at all.

Edit: No pressure man, because I knew you weren't going to respond back in a real, mature way regardless. Trolls should learn to grow up first...

[nix]

of course.

[ABizzel1]

I had the same thing happen to me on 360, and thousands of others even Xbox execs. None of these networks are 100% safe.

Just google "xbox accounts hacked", there are even videos showing you how to do it at one point of time. MS even has a tutorial on how to handle the situation if it occurs to you.

http://www.xbox.com/en-US/l...

Difference is MS managed to keep most of this under wraps, how I don't know, because when it happened to PSN it was everywhere on news stations and all.

http://www.mtv.com/news/159...

Nothing is ever 100% safe online. I managed to save my Xbox account, because I wasn't about to let the person get away, and found my account on a Chinese website, sent all the information to MS. One thing I didn't like about MS handling of the situation is that they refused to provide me with the information regarding the case when it was my account and imforation that was hacked, and they were rude about it. Thinking back I should have filed a police report and forced them to give it to me, but it wasn't that big of deal after everything was returned to me.

[SilentNegotiator]

Keighley and a bunch of Xbox heads have even been hacked before.

[NeoGamer232]

About two weeks back I packed up my PS4, PS3, Vita, and PS TV permanently.

I keep a separate credit card for PSN, XBL, Amazon, and all other purchases.

I am not saying Sony was hacked because I can't prove that, and I am not saying Sony is bad because they aren't. But my PSN assigned credit card had $15K of fraudulent transactions and Sony told me too bad because I don't have the extra protection plan.

I shutdown my Sony devices, removed my credit card from PSN, and will not be renewing my PSN account or powering on a PS device ever again.

Fortunately, my credit card company only held me liable for $500 and they are writing the rest off through their insurance. My financial security trumps any love I have for any Sony exclusive games.

[McScroggz]

I guess you are shutting down your Sony devices after you play Driveclub?

[NeoGamer232]

@McScroggz
I went and bought DriveClub. Not a bad game. Graphically stunning but gameplay and content were really lacking.

I don't think it deserved scores below 7.5/10. It was a game that deserved 7.5 - 8.0 scores.

[Dannycr]

Everyone is always quick to judge the companies, but how do we know if the guy is actually doing fraud with a friend of his?

Companies have the right to put secure measures to prevent people from taking advantage of them. Gamesharing is and will always be the customer's responsibility.

If his card was used by someone else, then he can file a chargeback claim with the bank and get the money back.

[lodossrage]

That's exactly the point I was making with my original comment up top.

He says he was hacked. Sony never agreed. All it said was the purchase(s) were made on a different system.

People Game Share all the time. Which means putting your info on a system that's NOT yours. Who's to say he didn't share and someone he shared with decided to buy a game on his account.

[Dannycr]

Also, if his info was hacked, people jump to conclusions that it was from Sony's PSN servers, blaming Sony for that directly, but in reality, that could have happened from his PC or Mobile.

There is a hell of a lot of speculation and lack of proper information here to start blaming either Sony or the customer.

[gangsta_red]

"...after enforcing a strict anti-refund policy even though the company itself had acknowledged that he had been hacked and payments had been made using his credit card without his permission."

Wow, that is pretty low Sony.

I can see if Sony couldn't prove that his account was hacked or if it was some random guy saying his credit card was stolen...but if Sony actually knows that his info was taken and his account was used to purchase games without his knowledge then they should bend the rules and offer this guy a refund.

At least send this guy a code to actually download the game. Anything except sending a long winded message from your corporate lawyers.

Hopefully this will get enough attention from people and Sony will have no choice but to step in and give this guy something.

[kenshiro100]

Give him what? This was uis responsibility. Companies aren't perfect but I think Sony's in the right here.

[UnwanteDreamz]

Have problems reading? He wasn't hacked. Sony only confirmed his card was used on another system. You always spread FUD. POG or truefan maybe?

[gangsta_red]

You must have equal problems understanding as well as reading, because this is what I wrote:

"...but if Sony actually knows that his info was taken and his account was used to purchase games..."

The actual article says "hack" not me kind and caring sir.

I never said he was actually hacked, but it's apparent that Sony knows that it was not him who made this purchase for his system.

All I am suggesting is Sony maybe send him a code to actually download the game if this is the case.

Or are you guys so blind and completely follow a billion dollar company and are against Joe Consumer that this is just FUD and this guy should get screwed out of money and not receive anything for this?

You mean Sony can't bend this policy or doesn't have the power to do so on a case by case basis when it might be necessary?

And me spreading FUD? What FUD am I spreading? Seeing the little guy get something out of all this...that's FUD?

[Revolver_X_]

How in the hell can you presume that Sony KNOWS it wasnt him? They werent there. All they know is it isnt the console he told them he has. It could be a friends, family, whatever. Secondly, IF his CC info was stolen and a PSN purchase was made, why call Sony? If someone used your card at Walmart or Gamestop would you call them? No, you call your credit card company. Is this guy presuming to know for a fact that info was stolen on PSN or is he an idiot? Im just thinking more along the lines of credit card fraud.

[SilentNegotiator]

No, he's just working hard to spread PS FUD, as usual.

[MysticStrummer]

"if Sony actually knows that his info was taken"

They don't know that.

All they know is that the games were downloaded onto a system other than his. He could have easily let someone do it and then cried hack. Sure, they can bend the rules on a case by case basis. They've done it before. That doesn't mean they should do it this time.

[gangsta_red]

After reading the article over this guy doesn't even own a PS3, so I guess giving him a code to DL the game is out of the question. But still....

I find it very worrisome that people here are taking the side of a HUGE MULTI BILLION DOLLAR company that just raked in record sales for it's system over a guy who may have gotten screwed over 60 dollars.

This guy wasn't asking for a gold plated PS4 with 10 years worth of PS+ free, he could have easily maxed out his CC with more than one game if he truly wanted to scam Sony and his CC company.

And I once had some fraudulent charges on my CC charged on Facebook. I called my CC and they told me to call Facebook support first, when Facebook didn't help I had to call my CC back and only then they helped me out.

Who knows, maybe this is what this guy is going through. Maybe it's his first time dealing with this type of situation and he's not as well versed or knowledgeable like us warriors behind the keyboard.

But hey whatever, I'm spreading FUD, Sony is always right, screw the little guy and 60 dollars is asking way too much for a refund, especially when more than likely Sony will offer this game for free on PS+ in a couple of months!

[Knightofelemia]

Maybe the guy had a PS3 and gave it to a friend or a relative and thought he would try and pull a fast one on Sony. Who knows the guy could be telling the truth or the guy could be making it up by thinking he could rip off Sony for a refund. There are too many variables the one thing I can't understand with all of Sony getting hacked and a guy getting a game illegally why didn't they release the hounds. Instead he gets a slap on the wrist by his box being banned.

A slap on the wrist punishment doesn't always work for most people. If I got your information and created a credit card under your name that's fraud. I spend the credit card I get Cops busting open my door to do what slap my wrist no I go to jail. I also think that Sony should triple up their Network security.

[Spotie]

You're a freakin joke.

First you comment without reading the article, then you criticize those that call it BS. Then you DO read it, and take all the suppositions within as fact, despite nothing in the article pointing to this being legitimate.

There's a claim Sony acknowledges the hack...but that isn't backed up at all. It SHOULD sound suspicious that they used his credit card to buy a game on HIS PSN account, but not to you. It SHOULD be odd that he wouldn't contact his credit card company first, especially in this time where such fraud is commonplace; not to you, though.

And then you throw out the completely asinine thought that Sony should be more generous because they just sold a bunch of consoles. Then Microsoft should refund everything for everybody every time; after all, they have soooo much money in the bank, right? They should never refuse anybody, no matter how suspicious the claim might sound.

You. Are. A. Joke.

[gangsta_red]

@Spotie
I did read the article, I just happen to miss the part where it said he doesn't own a PS3. They can still give him a code for the PS4 version though.

"It SHOULD be odd that he wouldn't contact his credit card company first..."

He called Sony because he saw on his statement that SONY TOOK MONEY OUT OF HIS ACCOUNT for a purchase he didn't make.

So why WOULDN'T he call Sony first!?

His credit card wasn't stolen, his credit card was not maxed out, no one went to Walmart and bought fifty 60' plasma TV's and one Shadows of Mordor!

"A PS4 owner going by the name of “Pockets” received an email from Sony after explaining that funds had been taken out of his bank account by the company without his permission."

...BY THE COMPANY...

If I looked at my CC statement and saw a company that I was a member of, take an extra amount of money out of my account ...AM I GOING TO CALL MY CC or the actual company that appeared to charge me extra!?

Think about that.

He's calling Sony's customer service to dispute the charge. The company comes back and acknowledges it was fraud, SO NATURALLY he wants his money back.

Is that really so hard to fathom and understand? Is that really so far out the realm of possibility that someone could actually do this?

Someone used his account info to purchase a game on a system he doesn't own, he is calling Sony wanting not only to let them know that there is potential fraud going on but would also like to get his funds back.

In my case the reason why I contacted my CC first is because I never buy anything on Facebook and the charge was close to $800 dollar amount, THAT is beyond suspicious!
But I do buy things on XBL and even PSN, if I saw one extra game charged that I didn't purchase I would definitely call MS or Sony first to see what the hell is going on.

"Then Microsoft should refund everything..."

MS Too™!!!

So. blind. so. so. blind.

[lodossrage]

@Gangsta_red-

You need to both read AND think before you comment.

First off, I'm coing to quote the Sony letter he suppossedly got according to this article.

"“In relation to the transactions you recently flagged as unauthorised, our investigation concluded that the serial number of the console on which these transactions were made does not match the serial number of the console you provided to us on your original call. Regrettably, as stated in the PlayStation Network Terms of Service, we are unable to offer a refund for purchases made on PlayStation Store unless the content is found to be defective. We have taken the appropriate action against the console which made the purchase but unfortunately we cannot share the details of this console with you for security purposes.”"

Where do YOU see them acknowledging a hack? All I see is them saying that the purchase was made on a different system than the one the person is currently using.

Secondly, I've gotten refunds from Sony twice. TWICE off their errors. So that right there makes me wonder about this "anti refund" policy.

This person could have very well game shared with the wrong person and got his stuff jacked. If he was hacked (which I doubt) why the hell wouldn't they have STOLEN his account period? Even the different serial number fact is pointless BECAUSE could he have been a possible game sharer. So of course the serial numbers are going to be different right? :)

You children like to jump out with "Sony fanboys blah blah blah", but you can't even take the time out to READ AND UNDERSTAND before you comment? please.

If they refunded this, what's to stop me from letting a friend 4 states away put my account on his ps4 and buy something. Then two days later whine to Sony and go "I didn't buy that, I want a refund"?

Go ahead, answer that bro

[logan_izer10]

If they refund him, what does this say to the public? It says "go to your friends house, buy games on your account, play them, then later call us and we'll refund you!"

[XtraTrstrL]

What if his info was stolen though, and it was a fraudulent purchase? What does it say then? We don't wanna hear it, we're gonna assume you're lying. That's what it says. You're speaking as if we know that he's BSing and gave his info to a family member/friend to use. Guilty until proven innocent isn't how it should be looked at, if it was Amazon or anywhere else - they'd definitely give the refund, especially the first time such a thing has happened.

[UnwanteDreamz]

If its credit card fraud why not contact the credit card company for a refund? How is it Sonys responsibility to give a refund? Go ahead and explain I'll wait.

[Bladesfist]

@UnwanteDreamz that depends on local laws. In some places it is flat out illegal for them to not refund him.

[Revolver_X_]

@Xtra @Blade

Guilt or innocence has nothing to do with it. Its burden of proof. No company anywhere HAS to refund you, just because you make a claim. The Credit card company investigates and provides proof. Unless the info breach happened under said company. Which Sony neither admitted nor did the customer make an accusal.

[Bladesfist]

I'm afraid Sony still have to abide by local laws even if you disagree with it. It has nothing to do with if he is right or wrong. If there is a right to cancel or cooldown period for digital items in his country and he is within it he has to be refunded.

I'm not really sure what the disagrees are about.

[ltachiUchiha]

Exactly, I love the fact that a few users in here trying to make such a small issue and make it seem like the company they like better refunded them lol. Funny sh*t.

[XtraTrstrL]

It would have been better to just refund him, unless he's done this before. It makes them look petty to keep it going over 1 purchase, especially if this is the first time he's calling about such a situation. It definitely doesn't make them look good.

[UnwanteDreamz]

I guess if my kids use my credit card to buy a game on Steam without my permission its Steams fault?

[kurruptor]

To you maybe it doesn't make them look good.

But to them they are making a stance. They aren't going to let anyone screw them out of money. Like many have said countless times, what is to stop you from giving your information to a friend?

Just like the guy on the phone call says and explains.

[Rimeskeem]

Isn't it his fault for sharing is information in the first place?

[aerisbueller]

I don't see where they acknowledged he had been hacked, which would be a seriously crappy move to not give a refund at that point. They agreed the purchase occurred on a different PS4. So all I have to do is call up my friend, have him make a purchase with my info and then get a refund?

Also, how is it a hack? Did the hacker log into PSN, and steal their credit card number or force a fraudulent transaction? No, if anything his credit card was number was stolen, in which case, you normally notify your bank of this, and good banks have measures to alert you of suspicious activity (like someone making a purchase halfway across the country).

The whole thing is framed disingenuously.

[Revolver_X_]

Exactly. Its all orchestrated to seem as if he got his PSN hacked.

[SaffronCurse]

An alternative , they could put the amount back in your psn wallet so you could use it on something else.

[il-JumperMT]

"Hacked"

[TXIDarkAvenger]

So Sony does not even allow one refund?

[kurruptor]

I've gotten a refund before.

[Amuro]

I can relate with the guy. I got my account hacked 3 times in the same week this past summer and you know what Sony did? Absolutely nothing. I lost hundreds of dollars in digital games + $20 still left in the account.

How it happened? I have no idea but I called Sony and they gave my account back 2 times but by the 3rd time they refused to help me out. I told them it got hacked but the guy on the phone didn't believe me. Then the manager (or whatever) came in and tells me that the only way my account could have been stolen was if I gave the password to someone else and I was like: BULLCRAP! I changed the password on my account twice the same week and it had numbers and everything but it still got hacked in a matter of a few hours. PSN security just sucks.

[Bladesfist]

More likely a keylogger or other malicious program on your end.

[SaffronCurse]

stop gamesharing and you won't have any problems.

[IGiveHugs2NakedWomen]

So did you even attempt to dispute the charges with your bank or credit card company?

I think this gif sums up the premise behind this entire story and this thread.

http://www.mcadamreport.org...

[GNCFLYER]

Just another negative "smear sony" article. Kinda funny how all of a sudden that seems to be happening.

[Iamnemesis4880]

Sony shoud not give a refund his dumb fault any way if it is a credit card just contact the bank get the transaction stopped simple.

[Bladesfist]

Funny how people on this Site think. It sounds like you guys want Sony to be less consumer friendly.

[Tempest317]

Its not the companys responsibility (Whether that company is Sony or someone else) to refund money based on fraud claims...its the affrcted persons responsibility to contact the banks amd dispute. If i get a credit card statement that shows fraudulent purchases from "Macys" for example...do i call them demanding they refund my money? No, i call the bank and say my CC has been compromised and file a claim that way. This has nothing to do with Sony's consumer friendliness, it has to do with consumer ignorance.

[Jamaicangmr]

Something doesnt add up here. Firstly if someone got hold of your card then you call the credit card company and cancel it. Also this guy could've allowed someone to use his card to make a purchase, i am not saying thats what he did but this is the problem from Sony's position. While the serials don't match doesnt mean much. I had my friends credit card on my PS3 from 07 t0 09 and we were are living in 2 different countries.

This is a tricky situation but i think he should contact his credit card company and tackle it from that angle. Unless he's leaving something out to get our pity and rage behind him.

[Bladesfist]

This can be a problem, I know some services will ban you if you chargeback. Not sure about PSN but I believe Valve locks your account if you chargeback a Steam purchase. Although you should be able to get it back by talking to support. Either way you are going through support.

[IGiveHugs2NakedWomen]

Calling your credit card company to dispute a charge that you actually did make and lying about it is wire fraud and that's illegal, but trying to call Sony's customer service to get a bogus refund isn't.

[dmonee]

An article produced to make Sony look bad. Ive never had a problem with Sony customer seevice

[CervantesPR1]

Xbox youtube channels! START REPORTING!! YESS something negative about sony to talk about!

[TheOnlyMastrx]

I had 2 $25 transactions made from their website while I was in the middle of a game, found out afterward when I was checking my email, called and they refunded it as a one time gesture of good faith, but noted to me that in the Terms of Agreement it states they are not obligated to refund any PSN transactions despite who makes them. I immediately removed my card information from my account.

[ghostface9]

sony gets hacked and he pays the price and they wont refund him how despicable. This is almost as bad as them refusing to fix consoles with the yellow light of death on the ps3 so funny how they say their for the gamers doesnt look like it to me.

[Immorals]

Had plenty of bad experiences with Sony customer service, but this takes the biscuit. You'd have thought they'd sort it out asap!

[Silly gameAr]

What convenient timing.

[Meryl]

Pockets should just go to his bank and report the fraudulent usage of his bank card then, end of.

[ziggurcat]

that's silly. sony should have refunded his money.

[Saryk]

I call BS. My youngest son was on my PS3 and made a purchase by some weird combination (total accident). I didn't download the game and I was given a full refund with no issues.

[Neo_Zeed]

This just shows how many people are idiots. If you have fraud happen you talk to your credit card company.

[liljandjer]

While i do agree we don't know the whole story the issue is that when you have an issue and you call the bank the first thing they ask you is if you contacted the merchant for a resolution. He did that so his next step is to contact his bank. Hes a customer and there is no need to defend sony. Oh i forgot they suffered one of the worst hacks in history recently and with there garbage network im surprised there aren't more stories like this. But you fanboys continue to defend sony and pray that you don't get your information compromised.

[360ICE]

I had someone buy something using my credit card once, and the ones who took care of the investigation and the refund was the credit card company. They were very nice.

[Majin-vegeta]

Wait how was his info stolen if he doesnt own a PS3?I smell BS.

[kingPoS]

How to keep your cc from being charged with things you didn't buy from psn in three easy steps.

#1 Require a password for every purchase.

#2 Don't let untrustworthy people use your accout, it's like an invitation to a shopping spree.

#3 Use psn cards at instead of cc's. More often than not, there won't be enough left over to make big purchase. (Unless of course your purposely building up the wallet.

Gateway MT6706 2008

[Claudinho69]

uhm usually the credit card takes care of that problem...

[Shonuff]

I can't believe some of y'all are trying to justify this.

That's like someone breaking into your house and stealing your system and you call the police and they tell you it's partially your fault because you didn't have enough locks on the door.

[hasamalaha]

Wrong.

It is like giving your credit card to a friend and they use it. Then you call the store and say you want a refund.

Sony has no way of knowing what happened. All they know was the purchase wasn't on his system, but like the support rep says.... that doesn't mean he didn't give his account information to another person.

What don't you understand about that?

[pompous]

Here's the thing.. If you enter your account onto another ps3 or ps4 that is not your currently used console it will ask for your bank card # that you have on your console and if you don't provide it then it will erase your # on your console and not put anything in that spot on the console you are trying to add your info to. So the only way someone bought stuff from his account is with another CC that isn't his or he bought it. There is no other way unless he gave all his info up including his credit card #. Probably gave it all up in a phishing email.

[jwillj2k4]

unless I am missing somehting, why don't you just not to store your credit card info on the console and use paypal as one offs? then you could game share all you like.

[Onenyte]

Lol Shadow of mordor , at least he has taste

My Bank wouldn't allow this shit to happen .

[Smokingunz]

Psn customer service sucks! Believe me I know.iv had a few issues where they actually screwed me over.

Xbox live service is phenomenal, they always worked with me and I never had issues with their service.step it up sony.

[McScroggz]

Instead of blaming Sony, he could just contact his credit card provider, especially since his information being obtained doesn't just affect his PS4 but his credit card in general.

[tiffac008]

Wow! I can't believe the comments of some people are in here, way too much investment in the console wars that they can even spin this out of proportions.

When you get hacked and your credit card is used, you go to your bank or credit card company for assistance in reversing or cancelling those charges.

You do not go to the places the hackers made their purchase because they have no way of knowing if you are telling the truth or not but once the bank or credit card company goes into action, the retailers or stores can do nothing to overrule it. You also get to change your credit card.

End of story and less hardship.

[Nilla_Nate]

I can't believe how much shit Sony is catching lately.

[Dyldog69]

This is staged Xbox p.r.

[Uncharted4all]

Thats awful.

[Pro_TactX]

My PSN account is attached to both my PS4, and my brother's PS4. If I made a regrettable purchase on my account, from his console, I could easily say I was hacked too.

[lnfiniteLoop]

problem for Sony is that let people play online with Hacked consoles and also let them Hack games... therefore I would think the courts would take a dim view of Sony not doing more to protect its customers from hacking on PSN (if this went to court)... on the other hand Microsoft do put a lot more effort in removing hackers and cheats by having a cull of machines...

[kingPoS]

It's a far cry to say sony just lets hackers online. Hackers unfortunately have access to the ps3's master key. Keeping them offline is at best a game of cat & mouse. All those psn maintence that people sometimes complain about, that in part is sony chasing off the the little rats that like to feast on psn.

Gateway MT6706 2008

[peshkavusCA]

Sony only issue refund if the download is still in process. It happened to me and got my refund.

[jaydeez]

My step son bought a 360 game without my knowledge, on my own console and Microsoft refunded me the money because it was an unauthorized purchase. Sony is pathetic. How can people even damage control this?

[kenshiro100]

What damage control?

Its common knowledge for anyone who has experienced fraud on their credit card to call their credit card company.

[Soldierone]

I will say this happened to me once. On PS3 they(dunno who it was) bought a few games and some random DLC, all linked to my account. I called Sony, they basically said too bad. So I said "fine I'm reporting it to my bank" and they noted that my entire account will be banned if I did that, simply due to terms. Lucky me it wasn't my main account, so I did it anyways. Got a new card, and the PSN account was closed.

Thus I don't save my card on there anymore, and hate buying digital even more. Sony customer service was not rude about it, they were simply following rules given to them, and it's understandable to assume people will loophole it to death if it wasn't that way.

[FPS_D3TH]

So many people lending their accounts while the lenders make purchases on your accounts in the comment section here and all I keep thinking is "dafuq were you thinking?" Put a password on that shit. Takes 5 mins of simple security yet a lot of you are crying but where's my refund. Call it a learning experience and stop lending your accounts...