Sony is known for not being particularly customer-friendly, with many complaints of overcharging/error billing from PlayStation account users. However, this time it crossed the line by harassing a user for a scam committed by a hacker.
PlayStation enthusiast Brad Bourque says: "Instead of helping, Sony decided I had to pay for the games the hacker bought or they would close my account.".
One Sunday afternoon, Brad's Sony PlayStation account was hacked after he received messages from Sony about purchases made from his PayPal account.
Later in the day, he received another email from Sony to confirm an email address change that he hadn’t made. Brad believed that changing the email account could only be done by clicking a link in an email sent to the old account first. However, if an attacker had your password, they could chat with Sony technical support, say they no longer have access to that email, and use the visible account information to verify their identity and change the account so that its rightful owner couldn’t recover it – as in Brad’s case.
The hacker also added another Sony device to his PlayStation account, a PS Vita. Unlike a PS3 or PS4, the PS Vita cannot be removed from his account on the web except from the device itself.
Since it was Sunday and Sony’s support center was closed, Brad called PayPal to stop further abuse of his account. The next day, he contacted Sony. At first, the agent was helpful. The hack and the email change were separate issues from the disputed purchases and would be handled one by one. The agent reverted the account to the previous address and reset the password when he confirmed the change. Then he asked what he wanted to do about the purchases.
Brad told him that he didn't want $75 credited to his account. The employee then explained that in order to issue a refund, he first had to close the dispute with PayPal. Essentially, PayPal had taken the money from Sony, and the user had to request its release so that Sony could refund him. So he contacted PayPal. Because the dispute was about security, he had to call PayPal support, verify his identity, and then clearly state that he wanted the case permanently closed and get a guarantee that PayPal wouldn't reopen it.
He notified Sony once the dispute was closed. The response he received was a copy explaining that Sony does not issue refunds and that the funds will only be returned to the wallet. He asked what would happen if he issued a charge at the debit card level and the employee explained to him in a tone that his account would be blocked until the $75 was paid.
"After six years as a PlayStation customer, my account is now being held hostage, not by a hacker, but by Sony itself. I had to cover the cost of the damages or my account was going to be locked. Basically, I would have to apologize and pay for a thief."
Brad is no longer a fan of Sony, "Right now, I'm not a fan of Sony's stance or policies. It's bad enough to be hacked, but it's even worse to have to pay for the digital damage!"
