Will having a really strong password on my PSN account prevent this from happening to me?

Paul1231 · Postby **Paul1231** » March 12th, 2015, 7:25 pm

https://www.yahoo.com/games/news/sony-wont-refund-ps4-user-163400893.html

This story makes me nervous. Not only does Sony only refund the user a fraction of the most effective he lost, but they only refund do it in PSN credit, AND if he puts up any kind of fuss with his bank, his account is wiped including his ability to do things online. Was this the result of a really weak password? Or is it just luck of the draw? Also, the fact that Sony has, and can take away, some aspects of a game that he paid for, really pisses me off and makes me despise games being so reliant on an Internet connection...

Gentlegamer1 · Postby **Gentlegamer1** » March 13th, 2015, 12:07 am

No, only not having your credit card on file will prevent this. Never have your credit or debit card on file with these services, always buy PSN or XBL cards if you want to make digital purchases. Furthermore, never buy digital content so if your account is stolen you can just make a new one and lose nothing.

Vexer1 · Postby **Vexer1** » March 13th, 2015, 12:23 am

That's just inevitable though, this sort of thing can easily happen with non-game related things as well, that said Sony really needs to step up their password protection, i've never heard of this sort of thing happening with Xbox Live thankfully, so i'm not too worried myself.

Oltobaz1 · Postby **Oltobaz1** » March 13th, 2015, 3:16 am

Sony's customer service is terrible in my experience, but they're even worst than I thought.

Vexer1 · Postby **Vexer1** » March 13th, 2015, 4:37 pm

I don't have a credit card on file with my XBLA account, I just stick with using PayPal.

Vexer1 · Postby **Vexer1** » March 13th, 2015, 4:39 pm

Also one shouldn't have to "never buy digital content" on the off-chance things might get stolen, that's just silly, i'm not going to avoid purchasing Xbox Live Arcade games or DLC just cause of the remote possibility that someone might hack my account, i'm not going to let fear control my life like that.

Paul1231 · Postby **Paul1231** » March 13th, 2015, 11:21 pm

I'm not either, but it would certainly such if it DID happen, so I want to cover my but as much as possible...

ptdebate1 · Postby **ptdebate1** » March 14th, 2015, 10:08 am

I have to agree with Vexer. The fact that this made news is proof that it's a rare occurrence. Abstaining from digital content in reaction is like saying "I will never own anything valuable so that in case my house gets robbed, I can't lose much."

Oltobaz1 · Postby **Oltobaz1** » March 17th, 2015, 5:21 am

Predictably, it seems Sony will or already have compensated this guy, as per what I just read on Reddit.
Whatever they pledged to do, he seems relieved, and that's great, as they'll also come up with new protection
policies. A shame he had to go through all this junk though, their initial response being tepid to say the least, good
thing he didn't comply and brought this matter to the internet.

Atarifever1 · Postby **Atarifever1** » March 17th, 2015, 6:52 pm

[QUOTE=ptdebate]I have to agree with Vexer. The fact that this made news is proof that it's a rare occurrence. Abstaining from digital content in reaction is like saying "I will never own anything valuable so that in case my house gets robbed, I can't lose much."[/QUOTE]
To be fair, someone in another country can't hack my house and steal my stuff. Also, I'd rather lose my TV than my credit card balance or my identity. In this case, he's only losing things he can live without, but not making online transactions is a valid response to the current systems. User data is not really all that secure, and someone can steal much more easily, and much longer term from you with an online account than they can with a crowbar and a truck.

As for not living your life in fear, I think that's taking the idea a little far. Not buying meaningless online junkfood because you don't trust the service's security hardly amounts to "letting fear control your life." To use ptdebate's own example, saying that not trusting internet security is "letting fear control your life" is like saying buying a house with locks on the doors and windows is living in terror. Nothing wrong with avoiding things you don't need if you think they aren't worth the risks associated with them until those risks are decreased by the companies providing them.

Want to not live your life in fear? Go for a decent hike in the woods somewhere you haven't been before. Go zip-lining. Enter a marathon. Buying products online is just buying a thing in a place.