I got unfairly CS:GO VAC banned, is there anything I can do to get the ban lifted?

[bar1004]

So, as stated in the title, I just got CS:GO VAC banned (message in CS:GO client is: 'The Steam account has been banned from secure servers due to a cheating infraction'), is there anything I can do to get the ban lifted?

• I never cheated in any game and didn't share account with anyone (so no one else could have cheated on the account).
  
• I didn't use any suspicious programs (only program that could have been seen as somewhat suspicious is MSI Afterburner with RivaTuner Statistics Server as it displays current system information like FPS, CPU usage, GPU usage, etc. with on-screen display that maybe could have been detected as cheat displaying additional information, but I have been using it for 2+ years and I didn't had any problem)
  
• I got banned just after playing custom map with friends (but that's is probably just a coincidence)
  
• I didn't even played that well to be called cheater (I'm currently Silver Elite Master and I'm typically in the middle of the scoreboard in my ranked games)

I know that Valve is very strict about cheating and it's good, but it cannot be that because of that innocent people are banned. So is there anything I can do about the ban? I already submitted a similar message through VAC bans wizard, but I would like to know if there is something I can do/some information I can provide to get the ban lifted from the account?

[Baum]

Nothing you can do. If your VAC ban is indeed incorrect, it will be removed automatically

[bar1004]

Is there any possibility to contact Steam support to get even a hint for what I was presumably banned for if the ban will not be lifted? I don't really fancy buying new CS:GO key if I can be again unfairly banned without notice and without explanation what triggered VAC.
I tried contacting through Steam support page, but if you pick to contact support in relation to VAC ban you can only provide additional information (I wonder what information, if I don't know why I got banned) and VAC team can't respond to you, so can I select something else to get a response or does it not make a difference, because I will get non no matter what I do?

[Flurdy]

Escrito originalmente por bar1004:

Is there any possibility to contact Steam support to get even a hint for what I was presumably banned for if the ban will not be lifted? I don't really fancy buying new CS:GO key if I can be again unfairly banned without notice and without explanation what triggered VAC.
I tried contacting through Steam support page, but if you pick to contact support in relation to VAC ban you can only provide additional information (I wonder what information, if I don't know why I got banned) and VAC team can't respond to you, so can I select something else to get a response or does it not make a difference, because I will get non no matter what I do?

No, steam support can't help you, you won't be given any evidence/reason for what you did other than what was given to you already. This is to prevent cheat makers from being able to make their cheats more undetectable.

[Cyortonic]

Escrito originalmente por bar1004:

Is there any possibility to contact Steam support to get even a hint for what I was presumably banned for if the ban will not be lifted? I don't really fancy buying new CS:GO key if I can be again unfairly banned without notice and without explanation what triggered VAC.
I tried contacting through Steam support page, but if you pick to contact support in relation to VAC ban you can only provide additional information (I wonder what information, if I don't know why I got banned) and VAC team can't respond to you, so can I select something else to get a response or does it not make a difference, because I will get non no matter what I do?

No, Steam and Valve will not release any evidence to the effected player as it can help cheat creators find ways to bypass VAC.
Valve only bans of your core game files are modified and/or if KNOWN cheats are found while running a VAC secured server.

[bar1004]

Well... that's a nice policy. How I'm supposed to defend myself against unfair ban if I don't know anything? Why is there even an option to provide additional information if you can't know what those information should consist?

Escrito originalmente por Cyortonic (Road to Silver 1):

Valve only bans of your core game files are modified and/or if KNOWN cheats are found while running a VAC secured server.

Lets not pretend that VAC is perfect, there are planty of false VAC threads that are legit and there is also the case of 'Timer Resolution' bans, but I can't do anything about it since I don't have any information.

[Ganger]

Think back over the last couple of weeks, what did you do? Click links, use skin changer, changed radar skin etc

Your account is 8 years old and has over 350 games on it and it upsets me seeing older accounts banned.

[☯Rub A Dub Nub☯™]

Escrito originalmente por bar1004:

Lets not pretend that VAC is perfect, there are planty of false VAC threads that are legit

Where is your proof of this statement because convicted VAC ban account holder claim it to be? Unless you have valid proof you are incorrect, sorry. Tooooo many VAC ban account holders come here to claim they are ban falsely but at the end of the day the ban was well earned.

[bar1004]

I said I didn't cheat and I knew it was true, too bad it took Valve almost 2 months, locking me off the CS:GO, to also acknowledge this, yesterday I got unbanned.

[Baum]

Escrito originalmente por bar1004:

I said I didn't cheat and I knew it was true, too bad it took Valve almost 2 months, locking me off the CS:GO, to also acknowledge this, yesterday I got unbanned.

The second person I've met whose account was unfairly banned. Consider yourself one of the few lucky ones.

[budozero]

So you got a false positive, and what happend is exactly what the VAC documentation states will happen. And it happend automatically.

Where is the problem?

[bar1004]

Escrito originalmente por budozero:

So you got a false positive, and what happend is exactly what the VAC documentation states will happen. And it happend automatically.

Where is the problem?

That I was blocked from playing the game that I bought for a problem that wasn't my cause and didn't get any compensation for this? And that there's really no way to appeal the ban so I could have ben still banned and couldn't do anything about it.

[Jim Thirwell]

Would you rather that steam was accurate or fast?

Stuff takes time to check and recheck. It sucks that it took so long but the end result is the correct one which all that matters in the end.

[XBL Laberbacke]

Escrito originalmente por Jim Thirwell:

Would you rather that steam was accurate or fast?

Stuff takes time to check and recheck. It sucks that it took so long but the end result is the correct one which all that matters in the end.

Still, it's not cool to take the ability to play away from OP for two months, then finding they did wrong, and pretend nothing ever happened.

[bar1004]

Escrito originalmente por Baum:

The second person I've met whose account was unfairly banned. Consider yourself one of the few lucky ones.

Then you just didn't heard of it/didn't searched for it, quick Reddit/r/Steam search gives me at least 3 threads within last year, where OP got unbanned and in the last one there two additional people in comments that where unbanned.
Also there is this site[vacbanned.com] that lists accounts that where unbanned according to their records (account was checked by other users on the site, marked as VACed and when checked again it didn't had the ban).

[Baum]

Escrito originalmente por bar1004:

Escrito originalmente por Baum:

The second person I've met whose account was unfairly banned. Consider yourself one of the few lucky ones.

Then you just didn't heard of it/didn't searched for it, quick Reddit/r/Steam search gives me at least 3 threads within last year, where OP got unbanned and in the last one there two additional people in comments that where unbanned.
Also there is this site[vacbanned.com] that lists accounts that where unbanned according to their records (account was checked by other users on the site, marked as VACed and when checked again it didn't had the ban).

I don't doubt there are even more incorrect bans. I was only referring to those I have personally met on this forum.