Unfair Ban

I have already used the appeal system on the website, and that is exactly why I am contacting you. The "Accounts Investigation Team" failed to conduct a proper investigation into my case.
They claim I breached Section 7, but they completely ignored the blatant evidence of a security compromise:
IP Logs: If the team actually checked my logs, they would see a massive IP discrepancy during the period of the alleged violation, coinciding exactly with the time my Steam and Discord accounts were also hacked (and subsequently restored by their respective support teams).
Unauthorized Email Change: The hacker changed my email from my long-standing Gmail to a suspicious burner domain (@fsjlww.top). No legitimate player does this right before "deciding" to use cheats.
Third-Party Validation: As stated before, Valve (Steam) and Discord have already confirmed the breach and returned my accounts. GGG is the only platform refusing to acknowledge the facts.

I am not asking for a "standard review." I am reporting a failure in your company’s duty of care.

My account is 13 years old. I have been a loyal member of the Path of Exile community for over a decade. To be treated like a disposable criminal after my system was compromised is not just a "technicality"—it is an insult to a long-term supporter.

1. Legal Implications (Brazilian Consumer Defense Code):
As a player in Brazil, I am protected by the Código de Defesa do Consumidor (CDC). Under Brazilian law, GGG is responsible for the security of the service provided. Since major platforms like Steam and Discord have already officially verified the hack and restored my access, GGG’s refusal to acknowledge the same technical evidence (IP discrepancy and the unauthorized change to a burner email domain @fsjlww.top) constitutes a "failure of service" and "undue enrichment" if my invested assets are withheld.

2. Corporate Identity & Ethical Failure:
What kind of image does Grinding Gear Games want to project? You are based in New Zealand, the home of Middle-earth, yet your support acts like Mordor—a cold, unthinking machine that punishes the innocent and rewards the darkness of the hackers. By refusing to look at the logs and hiding behind "final decision" scripts, you are choosing to be the villain in the story of your own community.

A 13-year-old account does not suddenly decide to breach Section 7 after a decade of clean play, exactly at the same time a Trojan is detected and an email is changed to a throwaway domain. This is not "investigation"; this is negligence.

I demand that this ticket be escalated to a Manager or Senior Compliance Officer. I am a victim of a cyberattack, and I will not "just make a new account" while my 13-year legacy is held hostage by a hacker's actions.

I await a human response that values a decade of loyalty.

[Removed by Support]

Good luck. Unless you're in a position to engage a lawyer, you're probably screwed though. Once the very early days when appealing to Chris Wilson on Reddit passed, I've not seen a single case where someone got an account back after an initial appeal was denied. When people have shared any correspondence after, GGG just gave general copy/paste refusals to do anything more.

If you somehow do get a different result, please post back here so that I and the other gadflies can at least tell the next person there's a chance - however slim of getting something back.

Hi Thomas,

Thank you for replying. I am glad someone is finally willing to look into this, because I have already emailed support@grindinggear.com multiple times and I was completely stonewalled with automated, copy-pasted replies from agents Jenn, Will, and Ben telling me the decision was "final." They completely refused to review my IP logs, screenshots, or any technical evidence.

Here is the full summary of what happened:

The Security Breach: Around April 24th, my Windows PC was infected by a Trojan, compromising several of my accounts.

Third-Party Validation: Both Steam and Discord (platforms with 2FA) investigated the breach, officially confirmed the hack, and restored my access within 24 hours.

The POE2 Hack: The intruder accessed my 13-year-old POE account, changed my legitimate email (antonio*************@gmail.com) to a suspicious throwaway domain (v*****4@fsjlww.top), and created a Level 94 Blood Mage character named "eujhgew" to run cheats (violating Section 7).

The Support Failure: Frontline support completely ignored the fact that no legitimate 13-year-old account suddenly changes its email to a burner domain and starts botting at the exact same time. They didn't cross-reference my historical IP logs with the hacker's IP.

Per your request, here are my account details so you can investigate manually:

[Removed by Support]

I have been a loyal supporter of Path of Exile for over a decade. I just want a human being to look at the IP logs and the unauthorized email change to see that I am the victim here, not the cheater.

Thank you for your time and assistance.

Best regards,

Antonio Junior

To quote the Path of Exile Terms of Use §16;

"

Section 16 wrote:

You will be solely responsible for all activities undertaken and/or costs incurred under the use of your password and login.

You are suggesting that their investigation into the facts is defective, but you're disregarding sections of the Terms of Use as-and-where they prove inconvenient to your argument.

It is not that GGG necessarily reject your claim of unauthorised account access, but that they choose not to accept the distinction between you wilfully engaging in actions yourself and in you failing to adequately safeguard your account to prevent others from abusing it to themselves engage in those actions. Accounts are subject to moderation when the accounts engage in behaviour to warrant such action. You appear to accept the premise that yours has done so.

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You raise the notion of logs of IP address. Such almost certainly only consist of anonymous addresses associated with VPNs. They therefore cannot credibly be used to prove or disprove involvement.

You mention the change of email address. This comes across as being somewhat self-defeating: you are simultaneously claiming that this action would never be done by the true account owner prior to them cheating, while also arguing that it should render the account owner impervious to any account moderation. That, therefore, comes across as being something the true account owner would not just be capable of doing, but would have an incentive to do.

You mention third-parties not obviously related to your Path of Exile account. Companies such as Discord will help you access an account if you can demonstrate that you are the legitimate account owner, and claim to currently lack access to the account. They will do this in situations of purported account compromise - but also in other situations, such as losing access to an email address provided by a college or employer. Your claim that they helped you access e.g. your Discord account, even if it were to be proven, would not be of clear pertinence to claims of a security breach.

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The Brazilian Consumer Defense Code is irrelevant. For you to have a legal case, what would need to have happened is for Grinding Gear Games' servers and / or databases to be hacked. That did not occur. What did occur is you downloaded a trojan onto your PC, and are now threatening to seek to hold Grinding Gear Games responsible for your action. No judge will entertain the case; it will fall victim to a summary judgement as you do not possess a theory of victory. Grinding Gear Games retains a prevailing legal right to elect to do business, or not to do business, with anyone it chooses. It is also not at all clear how you would claim undue enrichment today in contxt of a financial transaction performed wilfully and lawfully 13 years ago. Those transactions were long ago settled.

The Lord of the Rings IP lacks relevance to the case. Were you to actually bring GGG to court, their legal counsel is likely to delight in commenting on how your argument relies upon fantasy.

Your claims of loyalty are somewhat undermined by your stated position that you downloaded a trojan onto your PC and you will take legal action against GGG unless they comply with your demands.

Sarno#0493

It feels like you are intent on defending the company at all costs, completely missing the reality of the situation.

Let’s look at the actual logic here: If I were truly the hacker or a botter, why would I be here demanding justice? A real botter doesn’t care about a banned account; they just move on to hack or create the next one. They definitely wouldn't buy the game/packs again just to be able to play normally.

The fact that the intruder managed to clear content all the way to level 94 with a bizarre character name before the system even noticed proves how flawed the detection and protection timing is. I am not making this up—countless recent reviews on Steam echo this exact scenario: players coming back after months away, only to realize they've been banned due to a security breach during their absence. I am fighting this because I am the victim, not the perpetrator.

I would take them to court, what other choice do you have? They are notoriously unhelpful and accounts are hacked constantly, they don't care at all.

"

Antoniojunior99#6806 wrote:

It feels like you are intent on defending the company at all costs, completely missing the reality of the situation.

To credibly take another party to court, you must be capable of demonstrating 1) the possibility that it will be found that one or more specific laws have been broken by the defendant, and, 2) in what way those laws have been broken. This is known as a legal theory of victory.

Respectfully, what you have is simply a grevience. You dislike the policies that Grinding Gear Games has - and, to be sure - you're welcome to feel about them however you will. But it is, respectfully, not unlike bringing your ex to court because her breaking up with you hurt your feelings, or you suspect that she cheated on you. While you may have been hurt by the other party involved - and you may, indeed, have legitimate cause to feel hurt by them - this is not the same as possessing a claim of legal significance. "I dislike your moderation policies" is an assertion; not proof of a crime.

If you read my previous post again - and it hasn't been edited - you'll see that I actually never once state anything to the effect of "I think GGG's policies are fantastic" or "GGG are so pro-consumer, I love them". So I must take issue with your claim - I never once defended them at all.

What happened was I saw legal threats that were self-evidently spurious, and I spent some time clarifying why this is. There is a difference between "they haven't broken the law" and "I think they conducted themselves well". I argued the former, but never once did I suggest the latter.

The correct venue for your thoughts on the matter is the likes of a Steam review. If you have purchased from Grinding Gear Games and wish to advise others of your experience regarding such, you of course have that right. And - speaking as someone who isn't defending Grinding Gear Games in any way - I would not seek to discourage you from doing this.

justgivemeafuckingaccou#1081

You're absolutely right, but as an international player, suing a company based in New Zealand is a huge and expensive headache, especially over R$80.00. Honestly, the most effective weapon left now is pure negative marketing.

I literally bought POE2 for myself, my friend, and my cousin because the gameplay is incredible, and I used to passionately recommend this game to everyone I knew. Today, they officially lost an honest, loyal fan of 13 years forever.

From now on, I am going to make it my personal mission to expose their garbage support every single chance I get. If they treat victims of cyberattacks like criminals and refuse to look at basic IP logs, they don't deserve our money or our word-of-mouth praise. They just turned a dedicated advocate into their worst PR nightmare.