Bank declines Blizzard charges
by Amanda Dean 
Feb 17th 2008 at 9:00AM
It seems that keyloggers and phishers are not the only fraudsters infiltrating World of Warcraft. Halifax, a bank in the United Kingdom has ceased processing most transactions with Blizzard Entertainment. This measure was taken in response to increasing numbers of reports fraudulent transactions for WoW services. I had a similar issue with another bank based in the United States. That institution saw my recurring Blizzard charge as suspicious. Once I contacted them to verify my subscriptions my credit card was quickly returned to an active status.
In this case, the only fault on Blizzard's is making an astoundingly popular, subscription-based RPG. Do be on the lookout for unexpected transactions from Blizzard Entertainment and be sure to report them to your bank as soon as possible. Representatives from Blizzard Entertainment declined interviews with the Register, which investigated this phenomenon.
Do not be surprised if the transaction for your WoW subscription is refused in the near future.
Filed under: News items
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Dan Feb 17th 2008 9:05AM
i got called by HSBC over this. the alarm had been raised somehow and they thought I was being robbed. Nice to know they care but it's a tad daft.
Zonique Feb 18th 2008 3:25PM
I actually work for the Halifax and will be taking this up with a vengeful fury tomorrow morning! This is just like the HFX, pretty evil company tbh, like the Venture Co. of UK Banking...
Ed Feb 17th 2008 10:51AM
I'm with Barclays, and they've flagged up the payments multiple times - sort of annoying when they suspend your credit card every couple of months.
heartless_ Feb 17th 2008 4:17PM
Interesting, normally it is the other way around, Blizzard blacklisting banks and creditors that continually baulk on transactions.
Rohan Feb 17th 2008 1:23PM
What's happening is that gold farmers/spammers are paying for one month by credit card (sometimes stolen) and at the end of the month, they will "contest" the charge.
The credit card companies will always resolve this in favour of the consumer, refund their money, and then hit Blizzard with a chargeback. Enough complaints, and they'll start treating Blizzard negatively.
It's actually an issue with the way the credit card system is set up. It's designed to protect consumers over businesses (in order to keep them using the card). However, in this case, the consumers are the ones exploiting the business.
Piers Feb 17th 2008 2:13PM
I (like 1) am also with HSBC and got a phone call when I upgraded my account to BC (I did this online) and that was a while ago. Nice to know they're keping an eye out, but never had any issues otherwise.
Kazz Feb 17th 2008 1:43PM
I currently bank with the Halifax and they contacted me a few months ago with regards to my WoW subscription, asking if I was aware of the payments being made to Blizzard.
My next payment is due in June so will wait and see what happens then.
Felwrathe Feb 17th 2008 2:42PM
Some bank employee is just really pissed about his Tuesday Maintenance. :D
Khaled Feb 17th 2008 3:21PM
How dare Blizzard make such a popular game ...
:)
Jamus Feb 17th 2008 11:35PM
I had been playing WoW for about a year with it being taken from my bank each month. No problems. Then suddenly that changed to me getting a "security warning" phone call each and every month requiring me to call customer service and verify that I did intend to pay Blizzard.
If it was fine for 12 months, and then fine all those months afterwards, you would think they would get the point; but no, it keeps getting flagged each month. Attempts to get it fixed have not worked and it is frustrating as hell.
Aldorar Feb 18th 2008 12:23AM
Interestingly enough, my girlfriend's bank STILL won't accept her WoW payments, saying that WoW MUST be online gambling, and isn't legal.
Justin Feb 18th 2008 3:06AM
I never had any problem until I started Multi-boxing. Then I had 4 charges at the same time and the put a freeze on my debit card... It was nice enough of them to do that for me while I was out of the country. What a pain in the butt to call Bank of America internationally and they put you on hold forever... But I'm getting off the point. I'm always glad when the bank pays attention to what is going on in my account.
Neil T. Feb 18th 2008 5:57AM
I bank with the Halifax so I phoned their customer service line today - the issue is with *credit cards* and not debit cards, so if you are using a debit card attached to your bank account then you won't be affected. If you are using a Halifax Credit Card then you will need to get in touch, or use a different card.
It's one of those situations where the banks are trying to do The Right Thing(tm) by questioning what could be fraudulent transactions (and potentially protecting their customers).
superfrank Feb 20th 2008 10:42AM
I went on holiday to Berlin this weekend and on the 4th day my bank cancelled my card due to the "unusual activity" of withdrawing money from cash points....