[WARNING WARNING WARNING] Scammer messages, deleted games etc

[NunYa]

Hi Guys

45mins ago someone messaged me acting as tho they were steam support.
turns out an application i downloaded, clearly was not safe and they downloaded a copy of my steam folder and were able to delete games from my account.

moving forward, i was already sus on the messages, spelling errors on their behalf, the way they were saying things was simply suspicious not to mention steam would never contact someone via steam messages anyway

I have formatted windows, changed all my passwords for steam, emails etc
The user now has me blocked, i cannot report them

is there anyway steam can check to see whos messaged me recently and ban them?
Please if any new users are reading this, make sure you have steam guard setup, the app on your phone, mobile/cell number on your steam account, as this literally saved my backside!

here is a copy of the chat between us


[6:14 AM]
John Williams:
CASE [ №03982001] IN PROGRESS
MESSAGE WAS SENT TO THIS EMAIL [[e-mail]] ABOUT THIS INVESTIGATION
- YOU HAVE BEEN SUSPENDED FROM THE STEAM COMMUNITY FOR [2 DAYS] PENDING AN INVESTIGATION.
- YOU CAN SEE THIS BY GOING TO THE [PROFILE TAB]

[6:14 AM]
John Williams:
Hello Dear [BRAPPINSEVEN]! I'm Kenzie Hughes and I am Fraud Officer from Valve.

[6:14 AM]
John Williams:
Your account has been temporarily restricted due to an investigation into your account, due to suspected fraudulent activity on your part.

[6:15 AM]
John Williams:
I'm here to ask you a few questions before I start investigating your account.

[6:15 AM]
John Williams:
Do I communicate with owner of the account?

[6:15 AM]
John Williams:
I see that you read my messages, so I ask you not to ignore

[6:15 AM]
76561198004547719:
?

[6:15 AM]
John Williams:
I will now ask you a few questions, after which I will give you more information and instructions on what you should do during the investigation. Are you ready?

[6:16 AM]
John Williams:
[9 Jun, 2023] YOU PURCHASED AN [Redemption M249] # on the Community Market

[6:16 AM]
John Williams:
We received information that this item was stolen from another user and are investigating if you were involved.
Did you steal this item?

[6:16 AM]
76561198004547719:
no ?

[6:17 AM]
John Williams:
Do you know the seller of this item?

[6:17 AM]
76561198004547719:
no ?

[6:17 AM]
John Williams:
Okay

[6:17 AM]
76561198004547719:
the m249 redemption was done through rust twitch drops

[6:17 AM]
John Williams:
Understand

[6:18 AM]
76561198004547719:
but i dont think i completed the 3hrs viewing the twitch drops so i never received it
yes there was a drop maybe 2 or 3 weeks ago
Rust Twitch Drop Event - News — Rust
Twitch Drops have been enabled for all Rust Streamers! There are 3 exclusive items to be earned so what are you waiting for?
https://rust.facepunch.com/news/rust-twitch-drop

[6:19 AM]
John Williams:
Thank you for the link

[6:19 AM]
76561198004547719:
but like i said, i never completed viewing the streams as, well for some reason they wouldnt work for me so i missed out on like 6 or 10 skins :(

[6:20 AM]
John Williams:
It is a pity

[6:20 AM]
John Williams:
Okay, in any case we have to pass a verification

[6:20 AM]
John Williams:
Because you have not violated any of the rules of the © Valve Corporation, we will proceed to have your inventory legalized which will result in the continued use of such items as your own and the removal of all restrictions on your account. If you violate the rules again, your account will be banned without warning and without the ability to reinstate your account.

[6:20 AM]
John Williams:
I will now provide you with additional information and instructions for additional steps to take before the investigation begins. are you ready?

[6:21 AM]
76561198004547719:
can you tell me where the redemption m249 came from ?
its just a gun skin in rust so im a little confused ?
If you violate the rules again, your account will be banned without warning and without the ability to reinstate your account. <--- this is abit rough considering i havent actually done anything wrong

[6:22 AM]
John Williams:
It is shows like this:

[6:22 AM]
John Williams:
Purchased from the store

[6:22 AM]
76561198004547719:
have not stolen anything, everything on my steam account i have paid for or gotten from rust drops
oh

[6:22 AM]
John Williams:
Again means "once"

[6:22 AM]
76561198004547719:
so what your saying is
the item i purchased, some has claimed i have stolen from them?
cant you check my transaction records and see that it was purchased and paid for using my credit card?

[6:23 AM]
John Williams:
It is a stolen item but the thief is not you

[6:23 AM]
76561198004547719:
oh okay

[6:23 AM]
John Williams:
But we have to pass the verification

[6:23 AM]
John Williams:
WHAT YOU NEED TO DO NOW

1. - The system requires that you transfer all of your traded items to another account. So that we can legalize each item at the time of transfer.
#1.1 - You may use your trusted person or friend account as the recipient.
#1.2 - You may use your additional personal account if you own one.
#1.3 - You may request the Investigating Officer to reserve cloud storage for you within Steam.
2. - If you do not transfer items to another account, they will be deleted and your account will be permanently locked in the VAC and Trade system.
3. - You must send the trade offer to a friend account or your backup account [In case you have an additional account].
4. - The recipient cannot use your in-game items for "sales, deals, gifts" during the investigation period.
5. - Items will be returned to your account after investigation (within a few minutes after confirmation of the transaction in the mobile application Steam) and will have the status - [Legal].
#The time for this procedure is 10 minutes

[6:23 AM]
John Williams:
As soon as you read the information provided, let me know.

[6:23 AM]
76561198004547719:
so something else has stolen it, put it on marketplace and ive bought it ?

[6:23 AM]
John Williams:
Right

[6:24 AM]
John Williams:
Do you want to create a backup account or send items to a trusted person?

[6:24 AM]
76561198004547719:
so you are asking me to transfer all my items to another steam account? thats a little suss is it not ?
do you have a contact number? can you call me ? this screams scam all over it

[6:25 AM]
John Williams:
I ask you to transfer it to your friend or your backup account

[6:25 AM]
John Williams:
System will start a verification process when your items will be in trade

[6:26 AM]
John Williams:
You will receive a hold for 8 hours

[6:26 AM]
John Williams:
Do you want to create a backup account or send items to a trusted person?

[6:27 AM]
76561198004547719:
nope i do not wish to do that as this screams scam all over

[6:27 AM]
John Williams:
If you refuse to cooperate (or you will ignore this dialogue), we will be forced to impose permanent sanctions on your account, such as :
1. Deletion of all Steam items
2. Removal of all games in your Steam library
3.Blocked communication in the Steam Community
4. Blocking your current payment method on Steam

[6:27 AM]
76561198004547719:
what is your direct contact number and ill call you right now

[6:27 AM]
John Williams:
We do not have such opportunity is Steam support

[6:27 AM]
John Williams:
An official request from the technical department of STEAM has been sent to your email

[6:28 AM]
76561198004547719:
if you lock anymore of my account ill seek legal advise with my lawyer
as i have done absolutely nothing wrong
so if you want a lawsuit thats fine
as i have receipts for all purchases
if the m249 skin is the problem then give it back to whoever it was stolen from
i really dont care, it was only a few dollars
you have not given me any proof you are legit
hence why this screams scam

[6:30 AM]
John Williams:
Little remind, when you registrate your account you put a check mark on privacy policy where you can see that ""the user does not own the purchased goods on the steam site, but only takes them for an indefinite lease, the STEAM company can remove these items at its discretion"

[6:31 AM]
76561198004547719:
so why have you gone and limited my account ?
you are treating me as a criminal

[6:32 AM]
John Williams:
If you refuse to proceed a check

[6:32 AM]
76561198004547719:
to check what ?
what is moving my items, hundreds of items, to another account, going to acheive ?

[6:32 AM]
John Williams:
Your account will be blocked, do you have something to hide?

[6:32 AM]
John Williams:
It can be your backup account

[6:32 AM]
76561198004547719:
i dont need a backup account
i have a perfectly good and legit steam account that you are talking about

[6:33 AM]
John Williams:
So transfer them to your friend

[6:33 AM]
76561198004547719:
that is verified and has had hundreds spent on it from my own pocket
okay look ill contact my bank

[6:33 AM]
John Williams:
I told you what you have to do

[6:33 AM]
76561198004547719:
ill reverse all charges
ill get all of my steam money back
because you are singling me out as a crminal

[6:34 AM]
John Williams:
I ask to follow the instructions

[6:34 AM]
John Williams:
I removed RUST from your account

[6:34 AM]
76561198004547719:
why would you remove rust from my account ?

[6:35 AM]
John Williams:
You refused to follow instructions

[6:35 AM]
76561198004547719:
im not refusing
i think its ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ as you can see i have purchased all items

[6:35 AM]
John Williams:
So go

[6:35 AM]
John Williams:
Do you want to create a backup account or send items to a trusted person?

[6:35 AM]
76561198004547719:
you sound like a scammer
are you a scammer john ?

[6:35 AM]
John Williams:
I have the same question to you

[6:35 AM]
76561198004547719:
you have the same question to me?

[6:35 AM]
John Williams:
What would you answer?

[6:36 AM]
76561198004547719:
yet i have 2 credit cards verified on steam
and spend money on it regularly
and your asking me if im a scammer ?
hahahah your funny

[6:36 AM]
John Williams:
I have 5 years of working experience in steam

[6:36 AM]
John Williams:
And you asking me am I scammer

[6:36 AM]
76561198004547719:
yes cos you are asking weird questions

[6:37 AM]
John Williams:
Follow the instruxtion

[6:37 AM]
John Williams:
I ask you for the last time

[6:37 AM]
76561198004547719:
which i dont quite understand why this has come up all of the sudden :|
you have not answered my question
what is moving my items to another account going to acheive ?
which items do i need to move ?

[6:38 AM]
John Williams:
Are you ready to cooperate?

[6:38 AM]
76561198004547719:
and will they be moved back to this account ?

[6:38 AM]
John Williams:
System will check your items in trade process

[6:38 AM]
John Williams:
After the check it will be automatically

[6:39 AM]
John Williams:
Also you won't receive a trade ban on them for 7 day's

[6:40 AM]
John Williams:
Do you want to create a backup account or send items to a trusted person?

[Lilim]

Your account is compromised.

Do not trade until your account is secured.

Take the following steps to secure your account:

1. Scan for malware. https://www.malwarebytes.com/
2. Check that the email and phone number on the Steam account are still yours.
3. Deauthorize all other devices. https://store.steampowered.com/twofactor/manage
4. Change passwords from a clean computer.
5. Generate new backup codes for your Mobile App. https://store.steampowered.com/twofactor/manage
6. Revoke the API key (there should be no key). https://steamcommunity.com/dev/apikey

Steam does not return inventory items or wallet funds: https://support.steampowered.com/kb_article.php?ref=3415-WAFH-6433#noreturn


Scam-FAQ

[Yuna]

People like this are sick. I had this happen to me a few times. luckily I got my account back and I have learned better to know that valve would never text you personally about stuff like this.

[Lilim]

Originally posted by MhmInteresting:

{link removed}

This is the users account

Please remove that link.

Naming & Shaming is not allowed.

Originally posted by MhmInteresting:

100%
i just simply formatted windows, took me a whole 5 minutes.

This will not protect your account if someone already has access to it.

[NunYa]

Lilim

No i wont be removing that link, as this account is purely to scam people, by messaging people and threatening that their account will be suspended blah blah blah

I dont care about the 'naming and shaming' as this account is not a genuine person, but rather one who is out to steal things, which is against Steams terms and conditions.

Sure formatting wont save it, but ive done the necessary changes, passwords etc anyway

[NunYa]

Originally posted by Yuna:

People like this are sick. I had this happen to me a few times. luckily I got my account back and I have learned better to know that valve would never text you personally about stuff like this.

Yep agreed. i knew it was abit fishy from the beginning which is why i refused to do what they were saying.

Interestingly, they went straight for my Rust account, which has a value of around $500 Australian
Let alone the rest of my account with hundreds of games :|

[Lilim]

Originally posted by MhmInteresting:

No i wont be removing that link, as this account is purely to scam people, by messaging people and threatening that their account will be suspended blah blah blah

I dont care about the 'naming and shaming' as this account is not a genuine person, but rather one who is out to steal things, which is against Steams terms and conditions.

You should have reported that account instead.

Originally posted by MhmInteresting:

i was not able to submit a report as they have blocked me on steam

You can still report accounts that have blocked you.

[J4MESOX4D]

No Steam Staff will ever contact you through chat or via user accounts. This is clearly outlined in the Scam FAQ linked above.

If anyone contacts you about anything to do with your account, it is a scam. Steam Support are the only entity that will ever communicate with users and this is done through fixed client notifications or tickets. Not even real Valve staff will ever contact users directly.

[NunYa]

Originally posted by MhmInteresting:

i was not able to submit a report as they have blocked me on steam

You can still report accounts that have blocked you. [/quote]

I tried to report it, but it came back with an error, which i assumed was because they blocked me soon after they realized what i had done, how i changed my passwords etc

Eitherway, i will still not remove the account from this post as others will be reading it and will see the name, account number etc which may save others in the future...

[NunYa]

Originally posted by J4MESOX4D:

No Steam Staff will ever contact you through chat or via user accounts. This is clearly outlined in the Scam FAQ linked above.

If anyone contacts you about anything to do with your account, it is a scam. Steam Support are the only entity that will ever communicate with users and this is done through fixed client notifications or tickets. Not even real Valve staff will ever contact users directly.

Yep, they caught me off guard but the more and more messages they sent the more i realized it was not steam, i lead them on enough till i had changed my passwords and so on, before i formatted windows.

As soon as they got locked out of everything they blocked me :D

[Lilim]

Originally posted by MhmInteresting:

...which i assumed was because they blocked me

That would make no sense at all.

Originally posted by MhmInteresting:

Eitherway, i will still not remove the account from this post as others will be reading it and will see the name, account number etc which may save others in the future...

Unfortunately, your warning will be of no use.

Tomorrow it will simply be another account. These scammers often use hijacked accounts.

[d3str0y3r]

Originally posted by MhmInteresting:

Originally posted by MhmInteresting:

i was not able to submit a report as they have blocked me on steam

You can still report accounts that have blocked you.

Eitherway, i will still not remove the account from this post as others will be reading it and will see the name, account number etc which may save others in the future... [/quote]

You do know that scammers don't use their own accounts right? A lot of the time they are other stolen accounts. This is the reason why naming and shaming is NOT allowed for any reason.

Us telling you to remove the account is a friendly reminder, because if mods have to remove the name, it will most like come with some form of punishment for you.

[NunYa]

Originally posted by d3str0y3r:

Originally posted by MhmInteresting:

You can still report accounts that have blocked you.

Eitherway, i will still not remove the account from this post as others will be reading it and will see the name, account number etc which may save others in the future...

You do know that scammers don't use their own accounts right? A lot of the time they are other stolen accounts. This is the reason why naming and shaming is NOT allowed for any reason.

Us telling you to remove the account is a friendly reminder, because if mods have to remove the name, it will most like come with some form of punishment for you. [/quote]


Yeah im not entirely fussed of a forum ban or punishment, ive posted on here twice in 15 years.

[Lilim]

Originally posted by MhmInteresting:

Eitherway, i will still not remove the account from this post

Originally posted by d3str0y3r:

Us telling you to remove the account is a friendly reminder, because if mods have to remove the name, it will most like come with some form of punishment for you.

Indeed!

We just want to keep you from getting into trouble .

[NunYa]

Originally posted by Lilim:

Originally posted by MhmInteresting:

Eitherway, i will still not remove the account from this post

Originally posted by d3str0y3r:

Us telling you to remove the account is a friendly reminder, because if mods have to remove the name, it will most like come with some form of punishment for you.

Indeed!

We just want to keep you from getting into trouble :hp_kyu:.

I appreciate that, however, im not entirely fussed. :)

[J4MESOX4D]

Originally posted by MhmInteresting:

Originally posted by J4MESOX4D:

No Steam Staff will ever contact you through chat or via user accounts. This is clearly outlined in the Scam FAQ linked above.

If anyone contacts you about anything to do with your account, it is a scam. Steam Support are the only entity that will ever communicate with users and this is done through fixed client notifications or tickets. Not even real Valve staff will ever contact users directly.

Yep, they caught me off guard but the more and more messages they sent the more i realized it was not steam, i lead them on enough till i had changed my passwords and so on, before i formatted windows.

As soon as they got locked out of everything they blocked me :D

The only steps you need to complete are in the first response of this thread. Changing your password when the scammers potentially have botted access is pointless - that's like changing your locks with burglars still inside your house. Looking at what was said in the conversation, it's possible they have hijacked your account without your knowledge and were trying to bait you into actions which they cannot control. Those are the steps that have to be done to adequately secure your account. Have a read of those before you do anything else.