Stop asking for my phone number, I'm not giving it to you

[Mewcifer.5198]

@Khisanth.2948 said:

@"Mewcifer.5198" said:Shame on the people who are saying that if you don't set up phone identification that you shouldn't be allowed to contact anet or have assistance if their account is hacked.Some people don't have a consistent phone number, some people travel constantly and can't use their phone in all the countries they go to but still want to play the game.

No matter their reason, even if it is simply "I don't trust giving out my phone number", that doesn't mean they should be locked out of their account and not be able to get it back if they get hacked.

Except people have already pointed out that a phone isn't required which means some people are simply insisting on NOT protecting their own accounts.

This post by OP is specifically about the phone number.

[Khisanth.2948]

@Mewcifer.5198 said:

@Khisanth.2948 said:

@Mewcifer.5198 said:Shame on the people who are saying that if you don't set up phone identification that you shouldn't be allowed to contact anet or have assistance if their account is hacked.Some people don't have a consistent phone number, some people travel constantly and can't use their phone in all the countries they go to but still want to play the game.

No matter their reason, even if it is simply "I don't trust giving out my phone number", that doesn't mean they should be locked out of their account and not be able to get it back if they get hacked.

Except people have already pointed out that a phone isn't required which means some people are simply insisting on NOT protecting their own accounts.

This post by OP is specifically about the phone number.

You might want to read the post again.

[Calistin.6210]

As a long term mmo player all this two factor stuff is a little funny to me. What happened to a nice boring security question like whats your first pets name? Or which high school did you go to? etc etc

Sad thing is the answers to these things can be so much gibberish that hackers will need super poweres to get around it unless they get inside help from anet.....I think all this sms mobile stuff is just ridiculous pandering to the fad as it not one bit safer than the above.

[whoeverxwins.1279]

I'm leery of adding TFA again because I was recently locked out of my account for nearly a week waiting for support, after I changed internet. The old SMS was set up on a computer I'd had 3 years ago, and I'd not been asked for the verification since. Very aggravating!

[Sojourner.4621]

@Zaklex.6308 said:

@"DeadlySynz.3471" said:Always found 2 factor authentication to be a bane rather than a help. OP is right on this.

If people want to use it, more power to them, if people don't want to use it and click on "no" or "never show me again", it should never pop up again, simple as that. If you at some point want it, go to the website and set it up. The hacker argument has no validity either; Anet has made it so kitten easy to gain gold in this game it's all but eliminated the gold selling market.

I have the same problem on Iphone though it's not as intrusive. Constantly prompted for 2 factor authentication but no means to turn it off.

It actually has nothing to do with hackers stealing your account for gold selling purposes really, it's for the other expensive virtual goods that get stolen from your account that was hacked...and why is 2FA a bane, it's simple to use. OP is incorrect on 2FA and even the security experts would tell you that it's the easiest way to protect anything that uses it.

As someone who had their account hacked in the early days of the game and used for gold farming, I would have to disagree. One of the conditions of retrieving my account was that I was REQUIRED to set up 2FA afterwards. I went with the SMS option as soon as it was available because I don't change phone numbers as often as I change phones (i.e. my number has been the same for 15 years, but changing phones, or computers, can invalidate app based authentication).

When I got my account back, all but one of my nine characters had been deleted, I had been transferred to EU and my gear had all been swapped out for... wanderers? Travellers? Can't remember what the old MF gear was called... but that. I also had 300g in my bank, which back then was a whole boatload.

[Albadaran.1283]

It has happened more than once to me that I did not receive the sms when playing on a different computer, so I could not play at all. So please Anet, find an alternative way to protect accounts. Still using sms, but not happy with it and I understand comletely those who don't want this message about adding the Phone number.

[Yargesh.4965]

Why do people keep asking for alternative when there are alternatives? Download an authenticator app and pair it to your account. No phone number or sms required.

[Inculpatus cedo.9234]

@Albadaran.1283 said:It has happened more than once to me that I did not receive the sms when playing on a different computer, so I could not play at all. So please Anet, find an alternative way to protect accounts. Still using sms, but not happy with it and I understand comletely those who don't want this message about adding the Phone number.

The message doesn't mention a phone number.