Chiefs,
Welcome to Issue 8 of Becca’s Roadmap! This is Becca and I’m here to explore the world of SoS with you.    

Recently, the hot topic in our Community has been State Mergers & Transfers, so I’ll touch on this first.    

As we know, many States weren’t included in the latest Mergers and Transfers. This was due to the disparity in seasons between different States. We’re now working to unify progress across all States. After the next season is over (in late January), we’ll increase the scale of Mergers and Transfers. Those who missed out this time will get another chance then!    

We are also still considering the option of providing mid-season Transfers next season for those of you who weren’t included in the Mergers and Transfers. This has both advantages and disadvantages, which we’re still trying to balance out, but if you feel very strongly about something you’d like to see happen, be sure to let us know! We can all discuss it in Camp Café.    

Now is Story Time with Becca! The theme for this installment is: Betrayal and Absconding, adapted from a true story submitted by a real player which serves as a warning to everyone.    

We’ve all seen this situation play out in one way or another: After meeting some “friendly” players in a game, they claim they can make in-game purchases for you at a ridiculously low price, cheaper than any official option. Sounds tempting, doesn’t it? But don’t fall for it, because more likely than not, it’s an elaborate scam.    

That’s exactly what happened with “Jack” and “Jill”. They fought together in State of Survival through countless daily events including State Warfare and King of the Hill. Outside the game, they chatted on like old friends and stayed on good terms with each other.    

One day, though, Jill told Jack she could hook him up with a special connection to get cheap purchases. Jack’s eyes bulged wide open at the very thought of such a brilliant idea, and despite sneaky suspicions, his love for the game took control. To try it out, Jack sent Jill some money and, before he could say Jack Robinson, he sure enough got double diamonds in return. That got Jack giddy as a schoolboy, so to reach the ranking he’d always wanted, he began sending money to Jill through his account to get her to make purchases for him. The excitement spurred Jack on even more, and he also told other gaming friends about it, suggesting they all use Jill’s special connection to make purchases.    

But was that really the way things played out? Did his friend really have access to such discounts?    

On a normal day just like any other, Jack logged on to play as he usually did, looking to fight a rival Alliance in King of the Hill. But when he accessed the Store to prepare for the battle, he realized his Diamonds were severely depleted and in the red. Jack contacted Customer Service only to be told, “Your account has had numerous refund requests recently, resulting in the corresponding items being docked from your account.”    

That totally freaked Jack out. Jill had been making purchases for him using his account, but he didn’t know how Jill was doing it, and whether it was some kind of “special connection” or Jill herself who had requested all the refunds. When he tried to ask Jill about it, all he got in return was an error message which read “This player is not your friend” followed by a cold exclamation mark.    

Then it suddenly dawned upon Jack that all along this was nothing more than a trap set up by Jill. She took advantage of his trust and made him transfer money to her a number of times through an illegitimate channel, before requesting a refund to get back the money for whatever she had bought for Jack. Of course, all of his friends who fell for Jill’s scheme also got the same notices about refunds and Diamonds being in the red. Jack and his buddies then tried to track Jill down but she was long gone.    

Jack and company were left to lament about her running off with their money and betraying their friendship. What was even worse was how despicable it was of her to use the refund system to scam them.    

So where does this leave all of us? It’s a reminder to us that we must be aware and prevent yourself from becoming the victim of unauthorized third parties. We’re all friends here, brought together through our love for the game, but that’s no reason to blindly trust someone. You must be cautious when it comes to money and assets, making sure your rights don’t get violated.    

And don’t forget to only make purchases through official channels. Don’t become greedy or you might pay for it dearly. All discounts using one-on-one account transfers are bogus! And any connections for unauthorized purchases is risky at best!    

Alright, that’s a wrap for today’s entry. I wish you happy gaming, but don’t forget to watch out for those scams!    

See you next time!    

Becca