Mafia Wars Suspends Dozens Of Accounts For Illegal Activity

Please excuse the delay in me getting this out to you but I have the flu. 


Well I said it was coming and here it is !!! Dozens of illegal Loot sellers, players who have bought accounts from other players and players who got illegal reward point injections have been getting their accounts suspended Today. They are also going after people who's Mafia Wars name contains profanity. So the crack down has begun and from the looks of things will continue. 


Zynga has come our with some messages in the customer support pages and I am reprinting them for you but also giving you the link so you can see for yourself. Click Here for the 1st message. 

1/19 Suspensions

Updated 01/19/2011 03:28 PM

"My account was suspended on 1/19"

Dozens of accounts were newly suspended on January 19th due to infractions of Terms of Service, Section 1.9, clauses U and W, pertaining to recent payment attempts.  These are considered extremely severe infractions and are not eligible for appeal.  Suspension will be lifted when the investigations and corrective actions are taken.  Any corrective or punitive actions may be taken per Section 1.10 of our Terms of Service.

Customer Support agents are not authorized to reinstate accounts or provide any additional information than is what is mentioned above.

Click here for our Terms of Service.

Click here for our Suspension / Warning FAQ.

Here is the Question and Answer section of it and you can read it for yourself by clicking here.

Suspension / Warning FAQ

Updated 01/19/2011 04:35 PM

Q: Hi, I received a message that my Mafia Wars account has been warned. What happened?

A: Accounts can receive a warning if we detect irregular activity or there are multiple reports of inappropriate behavior.

-Example: If your nickname is includes profanity, or another player's name to taunt them

http://www.zynga.com/about/terms-of-service.php

Q: Hi, I received a message that my account has been suspended*. What happened?

A: Accounts can be suspended when our systems detect irregular activity and/or if we have determined that it has violated the Mafia Wars Terms of Service.

http://www.zynga.com/about/terms-of-service.php

Q: What's "irregular" activity?

A: Irregular activity can include, but are not limited to, the following:

-high-frequency activity that is beyond humanly possible means

-high-frequency activity that serves no in-game benefit

-attempts to repeatedly access links not promoted by Zynga

-attempts to access/manipulate your account through other means to give yourself an advantage, or to the detriment of the experience of other players

-unauthenticated acceleration in statistics, points or items

http://www.zynga.com/about/terms-of-service.php (Section 6: Usage Rules)

Q: What violation have I committed?

A: Common violations of the Terms of Service (http://www.zynga.com/about/terms-of-service.php) include, but are not limited to:

1.6. Use of the Service

The following restrictions apply to the use of the Service:

• f. You shall use your Account only for non-commercial purposes;
• i. You shall not rent, lease, sell, trade, gift, bequeath or otherwise transfer your Account or any virtual items or virtual currency associated with your Account to anyone without Zynga’s written permission; and
• j. You shall not access or use an Account which has been rented, leased, sold, traded, gifted, bequeathed, or otherwise transferred from the Account creator without Zynga’s permission.

1.9. License Limitations

Any use of the Service in violation of these License Limitations is strictly prohibited, can result in the immediate revocation of your limited license granted by Section 1.4, and may subject you to liability for violations of law. ANY ATTEMPT BY YOU TO DISRUPT OR INTERFERE WITH THE SERVICE INCLUDING UNDERMINING OR MANIPULATING THE LEGITIMATE OPERATION OF ANY ZYNGA GAME IS A VIOLATION OF ZYNGA POLICY AND MAY BE A VIOLATION OF CRIMINAL AND CIVIL LAWS.

You agree that you will not, under any circumstances:

• a. Engage in any act that Zynga deems to be in conflict with the spirit or intent of the Service, including but not limited to circumventing or manipulating these Terms, our game rules, game mechanics or policies;
• b. Make improper use of Zynga’s support services, including by submitting false abuse reports; or

CHEATING AND HACKING - You agree that you will not, under any circumstances:

• d. Use cheats, exploits, automation software, bots, hacks, mods or any unauthorized third-party software designed to modify or interfere with the Service, any Zynga Game or any Zynga game experience;
• e. Use the Service in order to design or assist in the design of cheats, automation software, bots, hacks, mods or any other unauthorized third-party software designed to modify or interfere with the Service, any Zynga game or any Zynga game experience;
• f. Without Zynga’s express written consent, modify or cause to be modified any files that are a part of the Service or any Zynga game;
• g. Disrupt, overburden, or aid or assist in the disruption or overburdening of (1) any computer or server used to offer or support the Service or any Zynga game environment (each a "Server"); or (2) the enjoyment of the Service or any Zynga game by any other person;
• h. Institute, assist, or become involved in any type of attack, including without limitation distribution of a virus, denial of service attacks upon the Service, or other attempts to disrupt the Service or any other person’s use or enjoyment of the Service; or
• i. Attempt to gain unauthorized access to the Service, Accounts registered to others or to the computers, Servers, or networks connected to the Service by any means other than the user interface provided by Zynga, including but not limited to, by circumventing or modifying, attempting to circumvent or modify, or encouraging or assisting any other person to circumvent or modify, any security, technology, device, or software that is part of the Service;

OFFENSIVE OR INFRINGING CONTENT - You agree that you will not, under any circumstances:

• l. Attempt to, or harass, abuse, or harm, or advocate or incite harassment, abuse, or harm of another person, group, including Zynga employees, including Zynga’s customer service representatives; or

COMMERCIAL ACTIVITY - You agree that you will not, under any circumstances:

• n. Without Zynga’s express written consent, use the Service, any Zynga game, or any part thereof for any commercial purpose, including but not limited to, (1) permitting, authorizing, or offering use of the Service, any Zynga game, or any part thereof at a cyber café, computer gaming center or any other commercial establishment provided however that, for clarity, providing the means for users to access the Internet is not prohibited by the forgoing, (2) communicating or facilitating any commercial advertisement or solicitation, or (3) gathering in-game currency, items or resources for sale;
• o. Use the Service, any Zynga game, or any part thereof for performing in-game services, such as power-leveling and item collection services, in exchange for payment outside the Service;
• p. Transmit unauthorized communications through the Service, including junk mail, chain letters, spam and any materials that promote malware, spyware and downloadable items; or

UNAUTHORIZED USE OR CONNECTION TO THE SERVICE - You agree that you will not, under any circumstances:

• s. Intercept, examine or otherwise observe any proprietary communications protocol used by a client, a Server, or the Service, whether through the use of a network analyzer, packet sniffer or other device;
• t. Make any automated use of the system, or take any action that imposes or may impose (in our sole discretion) an unreasonable or disproportionately large load on our infrastructure;
• u. Bypass any robot exclusion headers or other measures we take to restrict access to the service or use any software, technology, or device to send content or messages, scrape, spider, or crawl the Service, or harvest or manipulate data;
• v. Use, facilitate, create, or maintain any unauthorized connection to the Service, including without limitation (1) any connection to any unauthorized server that emulates, or attempts to emulate any part of the Service, or (2) any connection using programs, tools, or software not expressly approved by Zynga;
• w. Reverse engineer, decompile, disassemble, decipher or otherwise attempt to derive the source code for any underlying software or other intellectual property used to provide the Service or any Zynga game, or to obtain any information from the Service or any Zynga game using any method not expressly permitted by Zynga; or

Q: Where can I find the Terms of Service?

A: http://www.zynga.com/about/terms-of-service.php

Q: How long will I be suspended for?

A: The duration of this suspension will be based on the type, frequency, or nature of activity detected. Most suspensions will last 7 days. Extreme cases can result in longer or indefinite suspensions.  Accounts that are linked with selling posts/sites/forums can be indefinitely suspended.  This suspension cannot be appealed.  Accounts with extensive history of unauthorized credit card transactions are also subject to indefinite suspension.

1.10. Suspension and Termination of Account and Service

WITHOUT LIMITING ANY OTHER REMEDIES, ZYNGA MAY LIMIT, SUSPEND, TERMINATE, MODIFY, OR DELETE ACCOUNTS OR ACCESS TO ZYNGA SERVICES OR PORTIONS THEREOF IF YOU ARE, OR ZYNGA SUSPECTS THAT YOU ARE, FAILING TO COMPLY WITH ANY OF THESE TERMS OF SERVICE OR FOR ANY ACTUAL OR SUSPECTED ILLEGAL OR IMPROPER USE OF THE SERVICE, WITH OR WITHOUT NOTICE TO YOU. YOU CAN LOSE YOUR USER NAME AND PERSONA AS A RESULT OF ACCOUNT TERMINATION OR LIMITATION, AS WELL AS ANY BENEFITS, PRIVILEGES, EARNED ITEMS AND PURCHASED ITEMS ASSOCIATED WITH YOUR USE OF THE SERVICE, AND ZYNGA IS UNDER NO OBLIGATION TO COMPENSATE YOU FOR ANY SUCH LOSSES OR RESULTS.

WITHOUT LIMITING OUR OTHER REMEDIES, WE MAY LIMIT, SUSPEND OR TERMINATE THE SERVICE AND USER ACCOUNTS OR PORTIONS THEREOF, PROHIBIT ACCESS TO OUR GAMES AND SITES, AND THEIR CONTENT, SERVICES AND TOOLS, DELAY OR REMOVE HOSTED CONTENT, AND TAKE TECHNICAL AND LEGAL STEPS TO PREVENT USERS FROM ACCESSING THE SERVICE IF WE BELIEVE THAT THEY ARE CREATING RISK OR POSSIBLE LEGAL LIABILITIES, INFRINGING THE INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS OF THIRD PARTIES, OR ACTING INCONSISTENTLY WITH THE LETTER OR SPIRIT OF OUR TERMS OR POLICIES. ADDITIONALLY, WE MAY, IN APPROPRIATE CIRCUMSTANCES AND AT OUR SOLE DISCRETION, SUSPEND OR TERMINATE ACCOUNTS OF USERS WHO MAY BE REPEAT INFRINGERS OF THIRD PARTY INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS.

Zynga reserves the right to stop offering and/or supporting the Service or a particular game or part of the Service at any time, at which point your license to use the Service or a part thereof will be automatically terminated. In such event, Zynga shall not be required to provide refunds, benefits or other compensation to users in connection with such discontinued Services.

Termination of your Account can include disabling your access to the Service or any part thereof including any content you submitted or others submitted.

Q: My suspension is unfair! Your information is wrong.

A: Please note that the process is automated, consistent, and accurate. Suspensions are only given in the cases where our system has detected highly irregular, non-standard activity in the account or in cases where our Security team has determined a direct link to selling posts/sites/forums.  Customer support agents do not have access to the Security team's information.

http://www.zynga.com/about/terms-of-service.php

Q: I'd like a second opinion!  I want proof! 

A: Customer support agents are not authorized to lift suspensions.  Per section 1.10 of the Terms of Service, Zynga is not obligation to provide information about an account pertaining to failure to comply with the Terms of Service.

Q: My activity only looks that way because I spent a lot of money.

A: Our system is calibrated to take into account the effect of purchased points.  Accounts with unauthorized credit card transactions (i.e. "injections"), or refunded payments may be subject to a statistical correction, or a suspension.

Q: I was unsuspended and now my stats are different!

A: We are dedicated to providing an excellent game play experience for all of our players. To achieve this goal, we must maintain a level playing field to ensure honest competition in the game. As a result, necessary adjustments have been made to your account stats to protect ensure fair game play between you and other players. The adjustment we made will also prevent your account from being flagged by our system again so long as you pursue normal game play pursuant to the Mafia Wars TOS (http://www.zynga.com/about/terms-of-service.php)

If you still would like to inquire about your suspension/warning, you can submit a support ticket here -
http://zynga.custhelp.com/app/ask

Q: What's MWPauseGift mean?

A: This is an alternative to a full suspension.  Fighting and gifting from inventory abilities are disabled.

In-game Suspension Text

Attention
We have detected unusual activity on your Mafia Wars account. We have temporarily suspended access to your account while we conduct an investigation. The investigation will be completed and your account will be reactivated within 7 days, if not sooner. We are working to resolve the issue as quickly as possible.
If you have any questions, please visit this FAQ or contact our Customer Support team and reference this message, "MWTempSuspend," in your email. Thank you for your patience.

I hope none of our friends had this happen to them but this I am sure of is going to continue for some time and we will be seeing more and more of these players who take advantage of the system getting suspended. So be very careful out there if you are cheating because you will be caught.