Accounts placed on administrative hold

[aicat]

Hi im new to posting on the forums, and i'm not sure if i'm posting this correctly or in the right place. But would like to recieve help on two seperate accounts, being put on hold. The first account has been opened months ago around five to six months ago maybe even more, and the second a more recent account has been created by my boyfriend.

The first account was upgraded to premium status about a week and some days ago. with my boyfriends account details, as a gift to me his girlfriend, previously before this gift from my boyfriend, there were no payment methods being used on my account. And the reasons for the gift, along with him also crediting my account with lindens as part of that gift. Is given that i was interested in starting a property development project on sl, whereby i was going to be starting a business on seocnd life in the property and land feild.

I am in the process of buying land in sl (having already brought one parcel of land and having already paid the fee, whilst in the process of buying another part of land to later then rent on or sell on) whilst also with future plans of opening a second life shop on the marketplace. which will sell clothes to other sl residents. and making use of my meshing and design skills. My boyfriend who opened up his account some days ago, in a bid to help me manage the property venture, created an account and also upgraded his account to premium status. So that he too will also benefit from the same premium extras as my account does, however whilst on my new parcel of land, and refurbishing the home yesterday.

I was logged out of my account by an administrator. And so now have my account on hold. I have also in the few days previously asked to be moved up to a business teir, so that i can manage my new business efficiently, and given the limit on sl. I am also under the impression that this is a normal thing to do, and that any residents, with the plans of having a business. Have to have their account level raised to suit there needs. My boyfriend however after seeing that both our accounts have been put on hold, and for reasons we both don't understand. Has also sent a reply to linden labs, or the admin.

Explaining the use of his details on both our accounts, given that he gifted me the premium account membership, and also pays funds into my sl account. whilst having just started to open his own sl avatar account which is visibly very new, and using his same details which are rightlfully his details, and on hiw own newly created account. Now i'm not sure if there are limits to multiple accounts or not, as i have never used or had one,..(until now, and so as i can post about  our new issue) 

But nor do i see the need to have another account, given that managing one account and avatar is quite time consuming as it is. so again if there are no secondary accounts being made, why would our accounts both be put on hold? my boyfriend who usually plays Tycoon online, which is a business game, thinks perhaps that the hold is due to shared ip adresses, which is what he has seen others become affected by, on this business game which he plays. Yet i have friends on sl who also share the same ip with family members. And are also frequent players of sl. My boyfriend in his reply also feeling bad for my own accounts jeporady, and given the length of time i have been on sl and much longer than he, has suggested that if there is an issue, with having two accounts, that his be removed from the grid, and my account be taken off hold. we were not aware at all that couples could not be gifted with sl account benefits. and if a boyfriend decides to treat his girfriend on their anniversary. and or that it was not allowed to have a shared ip with two accounts. Is there anyone who can help with the issue, with answers, reasons, or even solutions. Thank you.

and just to add again i had no choice but to open this account to be able to create a post about this issue. given i still can not log in. And we're still unsure about the details of that. we have both read through the terms of service and don't see them being voilated by either of us in any way.

[161488303349]

the accounts have been caught automatically by the security system most probably. this can happen in quite a few ways. depending on the order of events

example

if your boyfriend logged into your account to update the payment detail

then you logged in to the account from another IP address and tried to access payments then it can trigger the security

if the payment details are triggered on an account then it usual triggers all accounts with the same payment method and puts them on hold

linden are quite cautious about these things. it happens quite a lot that accounts are put on hold

+

you doing the right thing to fix. contact linden and explain. they will sort it out for you both

[aicat]

Thank you very much for your response, I have yet to hear a reply on the issue from someone, but am hopping they sort through the issue soon. I have also taken to it to add this post to my case, along with my original reply to linden about the matter. My boyfriend however feels terrible right now for having made the kind gesture, whilst also creating an account for his own use. Given the issue it's now caused. And i really was in high hopes for my new businesses whilst he was being encouraging of my ambitions. You have helped to explain though the reasons as to why this has happened, which makes it much clearer so Thank you. Has anyone an idea on how long it takes for issues like this to be resolved though?. I'm hoping it can be sorted through by or before next week,  So as i can continue to pay off the rent on my current land parcel. I'd hate to fall behind on payment or worse yet loose my new land, with all hope of creating a business and then expanding in the feild on sl, and all because my boyfriend thought he was being kind and gracious.

[Perrie Juran]

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16 wrote:

the accounts have been caught automatically by the security system most probably. this can happen in quite a few ways. depending on the order of events

example

if your boyfriend logged into your account to update the payment detail

then you logged in to the account from another IP address and tried to access payments then it can trigger the security

if the payment details are triggered on an account then it usual triggers all accounts with the same payment method and puts them on hold

linden are quite cautious about these things. it happens quite a lot that accounts are put on hold

+

you doing the right thing to fix. contact linden and explain. they will sort it out for you both

---

How in the world you managed to decipher that wall of text I will never be able to guess.

You must have some incredible super powers or be one heck of a masochist! 

 

[Morgaine Christensen]

Be glad that security measures are in place to flag odd account(s) behavior.. I know it is very inconvenient, but with the holiday approaching, there are tons of hackers and scammers going round in world trying to relieve SL Residents of their hard earned cash In-World and to hack/scam personal credit cards or paypal accounts. Better to be inconvenieced for a number of days or have to deal with RL repercusions of idenity/credit card theft.  Tis the Season.

Personally, I am not sure LL always contacts people when accounts are released.  You might try logging in to those accounts in a day or so to see of the account is off of hold.  If you do not receive a response, I would call Linden Labs.  Have all your information available.  Be polite.  I am sure they receive many calls and requests for help. 

Good Luck on your venture and enjoy SL.

[Pamela Galli]

I stopped reading about the third sentence.

 

When I taught English I would hold up a paper written like that with no paragraphs and ask who wanted to read it. Um, no one, and they could tell me exactly why they didn't. That cured most of them of dismissing paragraphs as useless decorative frivolities.  This was in grades 4-12, btw. No one wanted to read a WOT.

 

MOST writing conventions (paragraphs, periods, etc.) are there for one reason -- to make it easier for the reader to understand you. Not being interested in doing this for your reader sends the message that you really do not care if he understands you or not. 

ETA:  I see the OP has now helpfully added paragraph breaks. :-) 

 

[Perrie Juran]

 

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Pamela Galli wrote:

I stopped reading about the third sentence.

 

When I taught English I would hold up a paper written like that with no paragraphs and ask who wanted to read it. Um, no one, and they could tell me exactly why they didn't. That cured most of them of dismissing paragraphs as useless decorative frivolities.  This was in grades 4-12, btw. No one wanted to read a WOT.

 

MOST writing conventions (paragraphs, periods, etc.) are there for one reason -- to make it easier for the reader to understand you. Not being interested in doing this for your reader sends the message that you really do not care if he understands you or not. 

 

 

---

I took one glance at immediately went cross eyed.

 

[aicat]

Morgaine Thank you also for your helpful response, i do believe their actions to be quite understandable given the same reasons, and shall also phone them as you have suggested as well. Hoping that will further assist the issue. 

The post should also now be more readable to others, if not the first time. Upon writing it i was in a hurry to find out why this has happened, as well as start my daily routines. 

[Perrie Juran]

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aicat wrote:

Morgaine Thank you also for your helpful response, i do believe their actions to be quite understandable given the same reasons, and shall also phone them as you have suggested as well. Hoping that will further assist the issue. 

 

The post should also now be more readable to others, if not the first time. Upon writing it i was in a hurry to find out why this has happened, as well as start my daily routines. 

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Thank you for taking the time to fix.  I hope the problem gets resolved quickly for you.

 

 

[Czari Zenovka]

Welcome to the forums aicat.  I know posting for the first time can seem daunting, at least it did for me.   With that said and not trying to be snarky, what Perrie & Pamela posted about your post being hard to read is correct.  I would strongly urge you to use paragraphs.  I'm not sure if English is your first language or not, but your use of punctuation is a bit odd as well, which also makes your post difficult to read, thus not receiving as many helpful posts as you might otherwise.  That being said...

Wanted to clear up what may still be a misconception about giving gifts on SL.  16 and Morgaine have provided the answers but I get the impression you may still be confused on gifts.

The issue is not that couples, friends, whoever can give gifts in SL.  Far from it!  There is a gifting option on the online Marketplace to send a gift to someone.  Some merchants sell merchandise transferrable in world so that you can buy a gift and present it to someone; other mechants have systems in place to buy a gift certificate, etc.

If I'm understanding your post correctly, it sounds like your boyfriend may have signed onto your account using your password.  I'm honestly not sure what the Terms of Service are on this but if not forbidden (which it might be) it is strongly frowned upon by Linden Lab.  If in fact your boyfriend did sign onto your account and upgraded it to Premium, then later you logged in with a different ISP, as 16 said that will be automatically detected as an inbuilt protection.  It has nothing whatsoever with not being able to give gifts in SL.  It also has nothing to do with needing alternate avatars.

You took the correct steps in contacting LL to explain the situation.  I am not sure what form this was in ie. filing a customer service ticket in writing, Live Chat, or via phone.  I would suggest contacting LL via phone.  Contact numbers are listed here.

In the future if one of you wishes to help the other one out with your accounts financially, either send lindens to each other in world or give the money to each other in real life.  I know that doesn't have the "suprise gift" effect, but will keep security triggers from happening.

Hope this helps.

 

[Czari Zenovka]

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aicat wrote:

 

The post should also now be more readable to others, if not the first time. Upon writing it i was in a hurry to find out why this has happened, as well as start my daily routines. 

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Just finished my initial post and read this.  MUCH better.  Paragraphs are your friends.

[Perrie Juran]

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Czari Zenovka wrote:

 

If I'm understanding your post correctly, it sounds like your boyfriend may have signed onto your account using your password.  I'm honestly not sure what the Terms of Service are on this but if not forbidden (which it might be) it is strongly frowned upon by Linden Lab.  If in fact your boyfriend did sign onto your account and upgraded it to Premium, then later you logged in with a different ISP, as 16 said that will be automatically detected as an inbuilt protection.  It has nothing whatsoever with not being able to give gifts in SL.  It also has nothing to do with needing alternate avatars.

 

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There is nothing in the TOS that prohibits sharing your password.  But it cautions against it with the warning that the account owner is responsible for any activity with their account.

"At the time your Account is opened, you must select a password. You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your password and are responsible for any harm resulting from your disclosure, or authorization of the disclosure of your password or from any person's use of your password to gain access to your Account or Account Name. At no time should you respond to an online request for a password other than in connection with the log-on process to the Service. Your disclosure of your password to any other person is at your own risk."

http://secondlife.com/corporate/tos.php

 

[Czari Zenovka]

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Perrie Juran wrote:

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Czari Zenovka wrote:

 

If I'm understanding your post correctly, it sounds like your boyfriend may have signed onto your account using your password.  I'm honestly not sure what the Terms of Service are on this but if not forbidden (which it might be) it is strongly frowned upon by Linden Lab.  If in fact your boyfriend did sign onto your account and upgraded it to Premium, then later you logged in with a different ISP, as 16 said that will be automatically detected as an inbuilt protection.  It has nothing whatsoever with not being able to give gifts in SL.  It also has nothing to do with needing alternate avatars.

 

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There is nothing in the TOS that prohibits sharing your password.  But it cautions against it with the warning that the account owner is responsible for any activity with their account.

"At the time your Account is opened, you must select a password. You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your password and are responsible for any harm resulting from your disclosure, or authorization of the disclosure of your password or from any person's use of your password to gain access to your Account or Account Name. At no time should you respond to an online request for a password other than in connection with the log-on process to the Service. Your disclosure of your password to any other person is at your own risk."

http://secondlife.com/corporate/tos.php

 

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Thanks, Perrie.  So the main security trigger would have been the ISP differences?

[Perrie Juran]

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Czari Zenovka wrote:

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Thanks, Perrie.  So the main security trigger would have been the ISP differences?

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We've no way of knowing what the triggers are, only guesses.

This is the kind of info that the Lab would rightfully withhold.  Including from the person who's account was put on hold as much as it seems to anger people when it happens.

Seriously, the only ethical (and possibly legal) responsibilty the Lab would have would be to inform us if their data base got hacked.  Even then, how the hack was accomplished I would consider secret.

 

[161488303349]

just add to this about the IP addresses

is pretty standard measure this one for everyone who hosts payments services these days

can almost guarantee now that if you set up a payment method from one IP address and you then try to access it from another IP address the first time then it will lock you out

like you say there are all kinds of other defensive measures as well that the hosts deploy. which they will never tell us

[aicat]

Czari Thank you for the welcome, Im aware that sending gifts to other accounts is permitted, as i've sent many a paid gift to friends whilst on sl through the marketplace. But in the case of someone upgrading your account for you to premium, and as a ''gift'' to you for whatever reason. Then some time later deciding to open their own account, and also upgrading that account to premium. Given that this person (my boyfriend) would have to use his account details to deposit the money for said gift which he gave to me. whilst also using his ''rightfully own'' account details to start his own account and start possible residence on the sl grid with me. That seems to be the issue here i think, yet i still can't see in which way that would be counted as a violation, or reason to have an account put on hold unless needing proof, that the two said account holders sharing the same ip. Are in fact two different people who know each other. And are aware of both accounts and all their activity, which is the case here with me and my boyfriend. And also taking into consideration what somoeone mentioned earlier about cases of fraud and the likes of. However I just don't know if that is truly the reason, or even a good enough reason to suspect that this is the issue. As i am also again under the impression that many couples who use second life together, or even husbands and wives also use their shared accounts for sl activity. 

My boyfriend does have my password though, And as i'm terrible with remembering any passwords for just about anything, whilst also knowing very well that a lot of sl users have lost accounts, due to not being able to remember their passwords or security questions. But to my knowledge and his, he has not signed into my account on multiple occasions, either with the intention of doing so or even mistakenly. we are both very aware of what each of us does with our accounts, and actually discuss all purchases done on sl or the marketplace together. As my boyfriend also does manage all our finances in RL. And for good reason. we not only discuss just the future plans for our sl business venture, whilst keeping everything else obscure. And especially in refrence to the property one, which seems to be the most at risk here given that it was underway. With the fashion business yet to start.

When upgrading my account and after telling me the gift he had planned for me on our anniversary. My boyfriend had me log into my account, and then submitted all the details needed to make the upgrade. As i mentioned there was no payment details on my account before having no need to put any until recently. 

''In the future if one of you wishes to help the other one out with your accounts financially, either send lindens to each other in world or give the money to each other in real life. I know that doesn't have the "suprise gift" effect, but will keep security triggers from happening''


And for your suggestion as well Thank you, This was actually going to be the next step, had this situation not occured. My boyfriends account is very new, and so we wanted to upgrade him to the same premium member staus as myself. because we thought it easier thinking the premium benefits something to make use of, and because we simply are not long term users of the sl grid to know any different about premium accounts not being worth the upgrade. So whilst my account would only recieve money. His would transfer funds into mine to minimize confusion. his being the main financial account and especially for when managing the businesses we had in plan. ( he would take on managing the property business after some time setting it up. For me to then go into my fashion venture)

[Czari Zenovka]

As Perrie mentioned, giving access to one's account in SL is not against TOS. I wasn't entirely sure of that, so much of what I originally posted does not apply now.  Also as Perrie and 16 have indicated, the "why" may never be known.

Hope it's straightened out for you both soon.  

[madam Martian]

IF I remember correctly (and my memory is a mess)

When I got married in 2009 I had issues with my card as the card had my old name on it and not my new name, so account details and card info did not match... which they have too (im pretty sure I remember this part right -->) I remember I contacted them to let them know why I had changed the name on the account but could not do so on the old card and had to wait for a new one... But..... then again I do remember using my husbands card once aswell soooo.... uhmmm... nevermind me *giggless.. But.. what Im trying to say... is, that there might be an issue with the card info and account info did not match...

Have a good weekend, and welcome

[aicat]

Mariam Thank you so much, this could possibly be a reason, my boyfriend does go by two names one is his birth name which is on his old documents and yes some bank card details. Whilst the other name is the name he chooses to go by. And the name that everyone knows him as, he does use his more known name to sign up to any websites online. Such as the Tycoon game i mentioned and or any e-mail accounts held by his e-mail providers. Along with other accounts which he has created since his change in name prefrence. But also does use his birth name as well, depending on the websites. 

I'm not sure if this is the issue here too, but again it could be that he used an older account to give me my premium account. Then used that same account for himself, not giving thought to the details he signed up with and maybe wanting to have annonymity. i don't know, or also in Not wanting to use his main card account details, whilst keeping household and other spending funds seperate. And so as to keep an eye on our immediate spendings. He is quite careful with where he invests our money, and told me that he honestly only really thought about gifting me my premium account, and the funds to start my business on sl, after seeing that i actually had ambitious ideas, and was not just using sl for fun only. Given that i also have a home business which i manage in designing. And where the interest came from in wanting to mirror that same ambition into second life, & with my future fashion venture in owning an sl fashion boutique with uniquely designed creations. 

[Pussycat Catnap]

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Perrie Juran wrote:

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Czari Zenovka wrote:

 

If I'm understanding your post correctly, it sounds like your boyfriend may have signed onto your account using your password.  I'm honestly not sure what the Terms of Service are on this but if not forbidden (which it might be) it is strongly frowned upon by Linden Lab.  If in fact your boyfriend did sign onto your account and upgraded it to Premium, then later you logged in with a different ISP, as 16 said that will be automatically detected as an inbuilt protection.  It has nothing whatsoever with not being able to give gifts in SL.  It also has nothing to do with needing alternate avatars.

 

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There is nothing in the TOS that prohibits sharing your password.  But it cautions against it with the warning that the account owner is responsible for any activity with their account.

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I've been wondering about that. I keep hearing its a TOS violation to share an account. BUT almost -every- RP sim I visit announces something like "The following account are RP admin accounts shared by the moderators" or "the following accounts are NPCs who are roleplayed by our story-team for this or that."

- Which has led me to start wondering.

 

As for multiple accounts sharing the same payment info - that's pretty common.

 

So I'm at a loss about what could have caused the OP to be banned - save for that theory posted that if one account with said info gets banned, maybe the others with same info will get banned, suggesting one of them got banned for a reason the other(s) don't know about...

 

[Perrie Juran]

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Pussycat Catnap wrote:

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Perrie Juran wrote:

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Czari Zenovka wrote:

 

If I'm understanding your post correctly, it sounds like your boyfriend may have signed onto your account using your password.  I'm honestly not sure what the Terms of Service are on this but if not forbidden (which it might be) it is strongly frowned upon by Linden Lab.  If in fact your boyfriend did sign onto your account and upgraded it to Premium, then later you logged in with a different ISP, as 16 said that will be automatically detected as an inbuilt protection.  It has nothing whatsoever with not being able to give gifts in SL.  It also has nothing to do with needing alternate avatars.

 

---

There is nothing in the TOS that prohibits sharing your password.  But it cautions against it with the warning that the account owner is responsible for any activity with their account.

---

I've been wondering about that. I keep hearing its a TOS violation to share an account. BUT almost -every- RP sim I visit announces something like "The following account are RP admin accounts shared by the moderators" or "the following accounts are NPCs who are roleplayed by our story-team for this or that."

- Which has led me to start wondering.

 

As for multiple accounts sharing the same payment info - that's pretty common.

 

So I'm at a loss about what could have caused the OP to be banned - save for that theory posted that if one account with said info gets banned, maybe the others with same info will get banned, suggesting one of them got banned for a reason the other(s) don't know about...

 

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"I've been wondering about that. I keep hearing its a TOS violation to share an account."

I hear it all the time also.  From misinformed people.  The TOS is pretty explicite there.

It always seems that the people who make the (false) claim know somebody who knows somebody.  Never first hand.

If a ban happenned there was another TOS violation by whoever was using the account at the time.  Or in the case of the OP something about the payment triggered a warning bell. 

 

[aicat]

I had submitted another support case on the issue, and this morning received an e-mail from someone saying that my account situation is being reviewed. So I'm pleased that at least someone is looking into it, and that that means it will be sorted through in a short amount of time possibly. And in still hoping this can be sorted out before my next parcel payment. Still I am at least grateful that it is being sorted out even if at a slower pace then would be convenient. 

I still have no idea what would have triggered the holds, and was not told in the e-mail what the reason is for my account being placed on hold. Nor my boyfriends account as well for that matter. And unless we are not allowed to purchase lindens using other websites other than through the sl exchange? having had reached a limit on my account, so not able to put down a further weeks payment for my land parcel. I was advised by my estate agent whom i purchased my parcel of land from, to purchase lindens through his website instead. as there are no limits given there, which is what i did with the intention of putting down a further two weeks payment for the land i own.

And so as to not have to worry about paying in future, leaving me with the options of purchasing more land. And also paying for that as well, I'm not sure if anyone is familiar with using other websites to purchase lindens. Or has used one before and has encountered the same issue as i am now, upon using your details on other websites to purchase lindens?. i don’t know if we are only meant to use the sl exchange, or if the use of my boyfriends details in two different sources for lindens is what has caused the issue. At this point as someone mentioned, only they know. 

And again I'm also not sure how the limit buys and US amount works entirely. Having not had the need to make use of the linden payment system before. But i think i do understand if i'm right, that the US amount. Is used as a sort of holding point, For which you can later use to purchase lindens. But that once you have reached a limit, you are still not able to purchase lindens this way either. My boyfriend has made sure to deposit money here and keep it positive after each linden request. As it does say something about a negative balance being affecting to an account. I'm not sure if that could be the issue, or the frequency of taking out small amounts to pay for lindens.

[Pussycat Catnap]

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Perrie Juran wrote:

If a ban happenned there was another TOS violation by whoever was using the account at the time.

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That's the story of a number of bans it seems.

A does violation B, does not want to admit they were caught, so claims they were banned for acceptable conduct C.

- Not all bans, maybe not even most. But rather often 'B' emerges somewhere later in the tale.

 

If OP is getting the specific phrase 'account on hold' though - that's very different from what I'm talking about. So I'll stop sidetracking.

An account hold is almost always resolveable, once they've got all the happy boxes in the right spots.

 

[161488303349]

is good that you been coming back to tell us what is happening. so that other oeople later on who have the same thing happen will be able to learn how you guys sort it out. so \o/

+

is kinda a pain to have to deal with it tho  bc when this happens then you think that they think that you somehow a crook or something. when is not true. but like others say already is better that linden be careful than not. like if some real thief did pinch your/bf/friends payments details and then try loot you then linden will catch them

+

is why the limits are like they. after a time you will be able to go up to whatever limits you want.

linden just beng careful at the start. is the same for everyone. the starting limits

 

[aicat]

Since the reply from someone i mentioned after submitting another support case. I've not heard any other response as of yet and other than a follow up e-mail which i received. Asking about feedback for their support system.

And precisely it is tedious, and does feel like we're being penalized for something. It's surprising that what was an anniversary gift has amounted to this. And if that was even the cause as we are still none the wiser, yet it makes me think it best to keep serious gifting gestures. Away from sl activity if this is the problems it may cause, And again given that we still don't know the real reason as to why this has happened. We can only guess and rethink back to what might be the reasons, It really is like picking at straws at the moment. I do agree however that the safety measures of which they have in place is extremely necessary, that i do not dispute. Whilst reading previous topics created by users on the forums who have experienced this, or something similar happening to their accounts. It seems to be very easy for accounts to be hacked into, sent lindens from other sources, or even for sl users to be framed for actions they have not committed. It's quite shocking and i hope to think i have met nothing but genuine people so far on sl. 

Thank you also for explaining the limits, to me as well. I thought we could pick and choose our tier options so why i had initially asked in a case created to be raised. Thinking it more suited to my needs to be placed in a higher tier. But now i have a better understanding of how they work, So would just have to wait for that 30 days passing.