Help me understand what happened?

[Pookies]

My post from "So very bummed right now" topic:

 

I'm sorry to hear that! This was one of my many Neopian fears as well. Today I tried to log into my account...only to find the password has been changed and two pets out of my account! One was adopted by the person who stole my account, the other pet was in the pound, so I saved it. I will be making a board later today to see if someone can figure out what happened and explain it to me. :(

 

12 years playing, but this account was 10.5 years old.

 

So sleep deprived...

 

Edit: I sent a report and a ticket. My account is deactivated and the person who stole my pet is frozen. The reason they stole it was because it's unconverted (*fixed).

 

Edit 2: Xepha, is there a page that related to my case? I have no luck with my searching skills. I'll make a board later about my case...I'm just so tired.

 

 

So I rarely go onto Neopets anymore. I've been so busy with college that I rather spend my free time doing other things, like napping :P Anyway, whenever I did go back to neopets, it was usually to do dailies and whatever site event was happening. Last month I started doing the faerie quests, meaning I had to go to the shop wizard whenever I didn't have the items in my SDB.

 

Sometime last week someone neomailed me asking if my pet, [omitted], was UFT. It was an unconverted mutant hissi (https://images.neopets.com/pets/hissi_mutant_baby.gif) and I replied saying it wasn't. Today, I woke up at around 1-2 AM and decided to go play neopets for a bit.

 

One, I never logged out of my account and hadn't logged in anywhere else. I tried putting my password and after a few times I stopped because I didn't want to get timed out and also because I made sure I wasn't misspelling anything. I remembered the neomail I got and decided to look at my user look up.... and found that two of my pets were missing :( Right after that I typed "[omitted]" and it was owned by the person who had neomailed me asking for it. grrr...

 

After going crazy for a few minutes, my mom let me log into her side account to make a neoboard asking for help (we were also able to rescue my other pet that was still in the pound). The person who replied sent me to a board where people are basically waiting for TNT to respond to their tickets. The first post linked the report form, so I filled a report. A few minutes later my stolen account was disabled and the person with my pet was frozen. TNT sent me an automatic message saying that I should create a ticket, so I did. Now I'm just waiting to see what happens.

 

Honestly, I just want my account back because it is 10.5 years old, the avatar count, side themes... I know in the past some people said they get their accounts back but with 0 NPs and their SDB empty. I would hate if that happens, but I am not sure if this person also got my pin number to empty out the bank and SDB. My battle pet is in the disabled account...I had all the obelisk themes and avatars :( I had just started getting into battledome so my pet's stats weren't amazing...but still.... :( S/he was equipped with the stone foam finger ;-;

 

In the meantime I opened a new account....it's just a bit depressing having to start all over again.

 

Anyway... does anyone know how the heck this person got my info? Was it through a shop or the neomail itself?

Now that I opened my new account, I saw there is an option to not get the fancy neomails, so I clicked it. But can they really steal important info from neomails?

 

Someone educate me.

 

Also, I want to clean the laptop but every time I download a program that checks for viruses it never ends well...

 

EDIT: I erased my pet's name, just in case. If you quoted my post before I made the edit, could you please edit out the name as well? :) TY

[dawnshine]

Wow. I can't help you understand what happened, because I'm perplexed, too. If your password wasn't too complicated maybe they guessed it? That's highly unlikely but you never know.

 

Unfortunately in response to your account/ticket questions, I have only had bad luck with that, and other people have said the same. It seems as if very rarely does it work out in favor of the account holder other than no one else will be on your account, and that's because they remove it. I submitted a ticket for my account from when Neo first started and never received an actual reply but a few days later when I went to try to log on it no longer told me my password was wrong, but that the account didn't exist at all. So basically, they like, purged it.

 

Millions of NP, losing my krawk and cybunny and lots of other stuff later, here I am on a new account working my way back. It sucks but hey I've gotten used to it now. I like my new pets and my new life on Neo, so to speak. I still think about the other account though.

[Xepha]

People who get frozen for their protection have a high chance to get back their account. But it can take some time...

 

It's hard to know how they got your password. Most of the time, it's either fake login pages, cookie grabber or your email password got compromised. Then it's very easy for someone to sneak in your emails, ask Neopets to recover your password, log in, change the email and password associated with the account and voila. So I'd check if you had received any emails from The Neopets Team recently. Think to check the bin too.

[.Brianna.]

My original account was hacked many many years ago. After that happened I stopped playing for quite some time, I didn't feel like rebuilding. Neopets is just like everything else - if someone is determined and your password is easy enough they will find a way in. Having my personal e-mail hacked has taught me the value of extra secure passwords.

 

Sorry about your account :( hopefully things will work out for you!

[lilshadowdweller]

It's a GOOD thing that the other person's account was frozen. It was done for you and to help you! Right now, take some deep breathes, and keep checking on your tickets. I am very, very sorry to hear of this news. That person is terrible. I cannot believe they asked you and then decided to just take matters into their own hands! Urgh. Not fair.

[patricebee]

Wow - I am sooo sorry that this happened to you. What is wrong with some people? I think UCs are adorable but honestly they have become a burden to some of their owners because of people like the one who stole your pet.

 

Cookie grabbers? I'm a tech dummy - does that mean that they can get your cookies with some program, figure out where you've been and get in that way? Maybe we should clear cookies each time we log out? I have begun changing my pws more frequently and also using PINs. It's sad that we have to worry about something like this when we all go on this website for FUN and relaxation!

[Pookies]

Hey, everyone! Thank you all for responding.

 

Wow. I can't help you understand what happened, because I'm perplexed, too. If your password wasn't too complicated maybe they guessed it? That's highly unlikely but you never know.

 

Unfortunately in response to your account/ticket questions, I have only had bad luck with that, and other people have said the same. It seems as if very rarely does it work out in favor of the account holder other than no one else will be on your account, and that's because they remove it. I submitted a ticket for my account from when Neo first started and never received an actual reply but a few days later when I went to try to log on it no longer told me my password was wrong, but that the account didn't exist at all. So basically, they like, purged it.

 

Millions of NP, losing my krawk and cybunny and lots of other stuff later, here I am on a new account working my way back. It sucks but hey I've gotten used to it now. I like my new pets and my new life on Neo, so to speak. I still think about the other account though.

Yeah, I don't think they would be able to guess my account's password based on looking at my profile, pets profiles, etc. It just wasn't related to neopets or anything found on the website and my profile. Neither were my old passwords.

 

Yikes, sorry to hear that :/ I've heard about ticket responses taking three months (for lucky ones) or up to a year. Sigh. Sorry it didn't even work out in your case.

 

I had millions on NP, but I never really cared about that. All i remember is that my bank interest was over 5000, and over 7200 with the boon. I can't remember exactly because I had spent maybe 5 mill recently when I was decorating some of my pets and equipping my battle pet (on the now disabled account). But what I really cared about were all the trophies (some games have been removed/updated), retired avatars, stuff like that. :( There is no way I can get those back...

 

 

People who get frozen for their protection have a high chance to get back their account. But it can take some time...

It's hard to know how they got your password. Most of the time, it's either fake login pages, cookie grabber or your email password got compromised. Then it's very easy for someone to sneak in your emails, ask Neopets to recover your password, log in, change the email and password associated with the account and voila. So I'd check if you had received any emails from The Neopets Team recently. Think to check the bin too.

 

Thanks for the info! I'm aware of fake log in pages, but I do not think I fell for that. I open TDN dailies page and since I don't log out (unless I cleared cookies/cleaned up) I always log into neopets directly, never from websites that "look" like neopets since I check the URL.

 

I didn't send them my email nor could it be found anywhere publicly, so if they somehow were able to get that info I wouldn't know how they did it. But I did change the password to my email before i filled the report and ticket forms. Maybe CG? I have been reading that CG are less common now, but that's the only thing that makes sense to me. Who knows how they did it. :/ Unfortunately, the last emails from neopets were from a few years ago saying my pets were checking out or in of a hotel I put them in. But you gave me an idea to look for emails in other folders, so I will do that. Thanks!

 

 

My original account was hacked many many years ago. After that happened I stopped playing for quite some time, I didn't feel like rebuilding. Neopets is just like everything else - if someone is determined and your password is easy enough they will find a way in. Having my personal e-mail hacked has taught me the value of extra secure passwords.

 

Sorry about your account :( hopefully things will work out for you!

 

Awe sorry to hear that :( I kinda feel the same way about rebuilding. If I want to play something, I always have my tablet games, ps3, and wii. I never understood why people are so determined to hack. I find them lazy and suck the fun out of the game(s)!

 

I have a question for everyone: Can people cheat in KeyQuest? I'm sure people find ways... but can they also find ways to hack from playing KeyQuest? (no, I haven't played KQ in years, I was just wondering)

 

 

It's a GOOD thing that the other person's account was frozen. It was done for you and to help you! Right now, take some deep breathes, and keep checking on your tickets. I am very, very sorry to hear of this news. That person is terrible. I cannot believe they asked you and then decided to just take matters into their own hands! Urgh. Not fair.

 

When I saw their account frozen, the first thought that came into my head was "Enjoy my pet on your frozen account!" lol I mean, after I responded to their neomail saying my pet wasn't UFT, if they really wanted it that badly, I might have considered a trade of some sort. Oh well...x.x'

 

Wow - I am sooo sorry that this happened to you. What is wrong with some people? I think UCs are adorable but honestly they have become a burden to some of their owners because of people like the one who stole your pet.

 

Cookie grabbers? I'm a tech dummy - does that mean that they can get your cookies with some program, figure out where you've been and get in that way? Maybe we should clear cookies each time we log out? I have begun changing my pws more frequently and also using PINs. It's sad that we have to worry about something like this when we all go on this website for FUN and relaxation!

 

I know...I was one of those vocal people who hated the conversion haha Then I realized that Neopets was just interested in the $$$$ and will never give users an option for UC anymore. I wish they could update their current pets to make them cuter. Hire me, neoepets! lol

 

I'm a tech dummy too, but from what I understand CGs are codes that are embedded in layout codes, so visiting a shop or user profile were ways people could get your info. I remember this was super common in the past, but from what I have been reading it's less of a problem now. but I wouldn't be surprised if some people find ways around that. I think logging out helps clear cookies, but sometimes it doesn't, depending on the website (I don't understand this, but it's something I read). but for most websites, logging out should clear/change the cookie. Yeah, I was thinking of changing my password and pin a few weeks ago...maybe that would have helped had I dont it but idk...

 

yeah i go to neopets to have fun...not worry about CGs, hacks, scams, etc. :/

[Novelista]

I wish they could update their current pets to make them cuter. Hire me, neoepets! lol

Sorry to go :offtopic: , but are you an artist?

[Pookies]

lol it's ok...and yes I was in a 3 year art program in high school. When I started college I stopped drawing, mostly because I was so drained from the art projects. Every once in a while I would doodle...about a year ago I realized how rusty I had become so I bought a sketchbook and some other materials to start sketching and drawing again. I was doing well until I moved apartments 1 year ago (can't find a lot of my art supplies) and currently occupied with finals. After next week, I'm thinking about buying another sketchbook to start again...gave up trying to find my old one haha.

 

In short, I do consider myself an artist, but I'm currently not in the level I want to be / used to be. In the meantime, I've picked up photography :)

[Novelista]

Are you on deviantArt? I'd like to keep up with you there. (And if I like your style, I'll give you a commission when you're ready and I have the money. :) )

[Pookies]

I just made an introduction board if you want to ask me questions there :) That way you won't get in trouble for off-topicness

 

I used to have deviantArt account but I stopped updating it until eventually I forgot my username and what email I used. I don't have anything spectacular to share...but I might start a new one in the future. And I hear Instagram is a great place for artists as well, so I might even open an account there too. I will let you know if I ever open accounts on those or other websites to show my art. I could even post in the art section here. =]

[Ranaki]

There are some more "advanced" hackers, basic coding/programming for them though, that can actually get ALL your info just by an e-mail, board post, or even your name. They can get anything you've associated with that name/account. My fiance was ITU for military purposes, and he brought up stuff I did LOONG time ago with just an old phone number. Pretty scary, but it's the world we computer users (or not. even) are living in.

[patricebee]

There are some more "advanced" hackers, basic coding/programming for them though, that can actually get ALL your info just by an e-mail, board post, or even your name. They can get anything you've associated with that name/account. My fiance was ITU for military purposes, and he brought up stuff I did LOONG time ago with just an old phone number. Pretty scary, but it's the world we computer users (or not. even) are living in.

That's terrifying. And I'm not talking about Neopets here because that would be the least of your concerns. If someone had that much tech skill, I' d imagine that they would have bigger things on their mind than a faerie wocky.

[maikrowsoft]

Seeing how <script> tags and so much CSS are disallowed I highly doubt XSS/CGs would work in Neopets. And yeah, logging out should clear or at least invalidate the cookies, though I wouldn't bother.

 

Also wanna note that password length is more important than password complexity.

[Ranaki]

That's terrifying. And I'm not talking about Neopets here because that would be the least of your concerns. If someone had that much tech skill, I' d imagine that they would have bigger things on their mind than a faerie wocky.

 

I'd think more an alien aisha xD

 

But no, it is. Granted, they'd have to have either mad skills at hacking, or the right program... Or both \o.O/

[Taelin]

Ugh, stealing pets is so pointless. It's like.. don't they realize you can just look up where it went and they'd be frozen immediately? It makes no sense to me. Silly neopet hackers. -_-

Just wondering, did you have the birthday prompt checked on your preferences, or was the pound/transfer pet option pinned along with everything else? Or.. do you have safety add-ons for whatever browser you're using?

I keep hearing about veteran accounts being compromised lately, it's awful. :x Like Xepha said, since it was frozen for protection you should be able to get it back. But from what I gather, the wait times are pretty inconsistent... some people only have to wait 1-2 months, others have to wait waaay longer. Maybe it depends on how much information you put on the recovery ticket, I'm not sure.

[Pookies]

There are some more "advanced" hackers, basic coding/programming for them though, that can actually get ALL your info just by an e-mail, board post, or even your name. They can get anything you've associated with that name/account. My fiance was ITU for military purposes, and he brought up stuff I did LOONG time ago with just an old phone number. Pretty scary, but it's the world we computer users (or not. even) are living in.

 

This is why i am scared by technology, sometimes!!

What kind of number was it? Was it from one of those early, bulky cellphones or something more recent?

 

neopets aside, I will be terrified if someone gets anything of real value from me :/

 

 

But back to neopets:

They didnt have my email (well I didnt personally give it to them nor could it be found on any type of description). I havent made public board posts. if they joined the guild i was in and looked at the post I made there, then I guess that's one way they managed it? And my name was "pucca" (which was not referenced in my password). I cant think of anything else... I really dont know what they got or how they got it. but it's something i would like to know.

 

 

Ugh, stealing pets is so pointless. It's like.. don't they realize you can just look up where it went and they'd be frozen immediately? It makes no sense to me. Silly neopet hackers. -_-

Just wondering, did you have the birthday prompt checked on your preferences, or was the pound/transfer pet option pinned along with everything else? Or.. do you have safety add-ons for whatever browser you're using?

I keep hearing about veteran accounts being compromised lately, it's awful. :x Like Xepha said, since it was frozen for protection you should be able to get it back. But from what I gather, the wait times are pretty inconsistent... some people only have to wait 1-2 months, others have to wait waaay longer. Maybe it depends on how much information you put on the recovery ticket, I'm not sure.

 

yeah that's what i thought too :/ Someone hacked me for basically pixels...so I'm bummed that years of neopets game play went down the drain, but at the same time it's not something that will drastically affect my life. im just bothered that i can't go to neopets to relax and play a game like normal, if that makes sense.

 

but i also thought about this: maybe they dont care if it gets traced back to them or not. maybe for them it was practice to see if they would be able to get into someone else's account and steal whatever? neopets is practice for something else they have in mind.

 

I honestly dont remember the settings I had on that account, but my birth date was a fake and kept private. I did provide a lot of information on the forms I filled and even uploaded screenshots when I filled the ticket form. I've heard the same things about the wait time, even before this happened to me, so no surprise for me there.

[maikrowsoft]

How many characters was your old password?

[Pookies]

The last two i remember, both were a combination of letters and numbers

one was 11 characters

the other was nine

[maikrowsoft]

Fascinating. Wonder how that happened then. Difficult to bruteforce anything above 8.

[Pookies]

The one they figured out was the 9 letter one and it was sequenced similar to L L # L # throughout.
But I will keep in mind to create passwords above 8, maybe even 10 characters from now on!

I know double posting is not allowed but the board has been dead for 1 or 2 weeks now and I need to post this:

 

 

 

 

(edited out by mod so re-editing in): I know double posting isn't allowed but I am double posting because this board has been dead for 1 - 2 weeks now.

MORE SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY!

Last night I went to bed with 300k or 400k in my bank

I just checked my bank and it is 140k!!! WHAT??????

EDIT: What should I do? I'm going to send another ticket, but can I do more than that? PLEASE HELP

With this AND the inflation...I might just give up neopets... GGRRRRRRRR

This post has been edited by a member of staff (Spritzie) because of a violation of the forum rules.
Please don't double post. If you would like to add something, use the 'Edit' button.
Please check your user inbox to see if you have been contacted regarding this incident, then review our rules.

 

 

 

I WISH THERE WAS A DELETE BUTTON SO I COULD DELETE MY OLD POST AND POST A NEW ONE TO BUMP UP BOARD .... I AM NOT SPAMMING I WANT OTHER PEOPLE'S OPINION / THOUGHTS AS TO WHAT HAPPENED AND WHAT I SHOULD DO!!!!!

[Novelista]

Inflation is less rampant in some sectors, but I would still be worried about your account.

 

Have you taken additional steps to protect it?

[Pookies]

So I put all of my NP into my bank and it totaled 350k this time

 

Just now I went to my bank, I couldnt collect my interest because NP was deposited or taken out

 

and my total is down 160k!!!!

 

I have no idea what to do I already changed the passwords again and the pin is different :( even the email PW is different

 

I already submitted another ticket

[Novelista]

There's nothing you can do other than wait for the ticket--except send the points to your side and self-freeze.

[Pookies]

I dont have a side...Ill just have to send it to my friend and stop playing neopets or something. Im fed up

 

Edit: I just deleted everyone I had as a neofriend because if someone figured out my security codes I dont want the same thing to happen to my neofriends, plus if I get asked in the ticket who my nfs were then I have the answers.

 

I asked a NF who helped me out if she wanted NPs back and I will be gifting her some lab maps I was collecting.

 

Another NF will let me use a side account.

 

Deleting cookies, logging out, and changing PW in a private/incognito window.

 

 

 

QUESTION

How do I scan for key stroke logger?