Steam account recovery - asking for a friend...

Chris [BEANS] · 16 Jan 2020 at 22:07

So, let's assume someone's a right idiot and follows a link that looks legit, attempts to link their steam account, and even responds to a request for the steamguard code which results in a Russian IP removing SteamGuard and changing the e-mail and password associated to your Steam account...

How long might it take to get that account recovered?

I've done the, erm, I mean my friend's done the 'report my account stolen' thing and is wondering about a turnaround time?

Ta

Chris [BEANS] · 16 Jan 2020 at 22:27

I thought that I had, but I've called my bank and my credit card company and there ahave been no transactions...

If there are no transactions, what's the point?? Will they just sell my few quid's worth of skins or something??

I mean, my friend, my friend's skins...

Chris [BEANS] · 16 Jan 2020 at 22:47

Do you really think I'd be that stupid mate?!?!?!?!?

Yeah...... it was me

Chris [BEANS] · 16 Jan 2020 at 22:48

A mooch around on the interwebs suggest it could well be weeks before I get it back too!! Surprised it isn't just something automated??

Chris [BEANS] · 16 Jan 2020 at 23:31

I’m really not someone who should have fallen for this, I mean, my mate isn’t.
He knows much better.

I’m sure he’ll be embarrassed about it for quite some time to come. Frustrating not having access to all that gaming goodness too.

Chris [BEANS] · 16 Jan 2020 at 23:43

Yrkoon said:
dang that really really sucks, how did it happen?? when you get it back i don't think your vac status will be the same

Well... the ridiculous way it happened is this...

‘my friend’ was watching a twitch stream. What looked like some promotional skin thing came up in chat...
He neither wants nor needs free skins for anything, but like a bored idiot he clicked for a look.
Looked legit, and required to be linked to his steam account.
Not unusual, he’s linked Twitch and Gleam and all sorts of things to accounts before...

After inputting both his user name AND password like an utter sap, it then in a very legit and Steam looking window asked for his SteamGuard code... which he also put in, because he’s a moron.

Seconds later the e-mail pops up to say that the mobile Authenticator has been removed, and then immediately afterwards an email saying the changes I (erm, he) requested had been made.

Steam no longer recognises his e-mail address either.

Checked with both bank and credit card peeps, no issues so far.
Changed passwords on all of my online accounts just in case too.
Put in the ‘stolen or hijacked account’ report and got the automated ‘we’ll get round to it’ email...

No games for a few weeks by the looks of it

Chris [BEANS] · 16 Jan 2020 at 23:46

At least my K/D ratio on PUBG will go up

Chris [BEANS] · 16 Jan 2020 at 23:48

Will that not get sorted with the account recovery??

Chris [BEANS] · 16 Jan 2020 at 23:58

Just thinking, when I built a new PC I’d managed to lose all of the details for my Uplay account and had it linked to a google authenticator on an old phone I no longer had...

I set up a ‘I’m a nob and locked my account’ enquiry and some bloke on live chat was able to sort it for me straight away!

Considering Steam is a much bigger platform, I’m surprised the only option here is to send a report and wait what appears to be weeks.

Chris [BEANS] · 17 Jan 2020 at 13:01

@EssexBoy , wow, you’re so lucky!! Definitely click that!!!

Wait, is that me?!

Not been home to check it, but just had an email saying it’s sorted... fingers crossed!!

Chris [BEANS] · 17 Jan 2020 at 13:15

Logged in via my phone. Aside from a few spam messages to my friends list, seems ok.

lesson learnt.

Chris [BEANS] · 21 Jan 2020 at 09:08

Seriously, are you guys not collecting those 200$ skins you’ve won??

Rather than waste them, do you mind if I click the link??

Chris [BEANS] · 21 Jan 2020 at 17:00

Epoch said:
I don't know how effective it is, but something I've done on my steam account is also enable the steam family view, meaning if they manage to log in with the username and password, bypass the 2FA, they still need the PIN to bypass the family view before doing anything.

Nice, didn’t know that but I’ll definitely be doing it now.

Chris [BEANS] · 22 Jan 2020 at 18:16

Seems it happened a lot. It was from what appeared to be Shroud’s twitch stream. Actively advertising skins with banners on the stream, and the link I followed was posted by a Twitch ‘bot’ in the feed.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.reddit.com/r/Twitch/comments/ere2zy/twitch_used_as_a_platform_for_a_steam_phishing/

Edit: link added

Another edit: Seems it’s an entirely fake stream. No idea how this works, but it definitely got me!

Yet another edit: Why am I publicly admitting to being so gullible, or at least being someone who doesn’t pay attention when they’re just bored and clicking around on tinterwebs??