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Archived Appeal Review for 76561197999202938 (Centurion)

Discussion in 'Archived Appeals' started by xeniac, Jan 30, 2020.

  1. xeniac

    xeniac Banned on SteamRep

    Messages:
    6
    Steam:
    STEAM_0:0:19468605
    Appeal Review Request
    Reminder: Appeal reviews are not appeals!

    Reason for Appeal Review: New evidence not produced in your original appeal
    Past Appeal: http://forums.steamrep.com/threads/110743

    Steam profile: 76561197999202938 (Centurion)

    Make your case:
    Hello there everyone!

    I am a 22 year old student, who's graduating my bachelor degree this year.

    My story goes as the following. I've been using Steam for a very looong time(with my one and only Steam account). I remember I bought Counter-Strike when I was around 4th or 5th grade. You can check how old my Steam account is. (back in the days we used to check the Steam ID digits - now Steam shows that on our profile). Without lying or trying to bend the facts - Back then, in 2012, I was a dumb kid, who couldn't afford video games and whose parents wouldn't allow him to use their debit card on the Internet - because you know - it's not a safe place to put your bank account information (being from Bulgaria and my parents being grown in the socialist regime of the Soviet Union - you can imagine how much more conservative they can be).

    So what I did, as a fan of WW2 video games was scam a guy on Steam to get Day of Defeat: Source. I wanted this game so much. I had participated in giveaways many many times on SteamGifts for that specific game but I never won it.

    I had saved the money to buy it, but my parents wouldn't allow me to write down their debit card's information on the Internet. (it was back in 2012, e-commerce and online transactions were not as popular and as secure as they are now + keep in mind that I'm from Bulgaria - which is not developed country like Germany or UK)

    The games I had by that type - I bought from a physical store that was close to the school where I studied. You were buying a physical copy of the game that you wanted, that came with a disk and CD-Key to add on steam. Needless to say, they had a very limited choice of games, compared to the Steam Store. DOD:S by that time was one of the very few WW2 games that allowed you to play multiplayer and that's why I wanted it so badly. The only other alternative was Call of Duty 2, which by that time I was tired of playing already.

    So I scam this guy and I don't even think for a second about the consequences this can and will have. Not only my reputation was ruined, but the game was removed from my library from Steam. Then we have a 3 year pause, where you all start to wonder why I didn't take any action. The truth is that is the time where I got really hooked on playing GTA: San Andreas Multiplayer. It was a role-play server - very popular one which quickly consumed my time (and my social life). I spend around 3 years playing just that and World of Warcraft from time to time. I logged on Steam from time to time, but it was mostly just WoW and GTA on my to-play list. Then in 2015 I remember that I have to do something about my reputation, because I want to trade. I file an appeal, I try to contact the victim, but without any success. In my opinion, by that time I still hadn't grown enough for this. I wasn't patient enough and apparently - I didn't care much.

    A few years down the road, I sold my gaming laptop and started changing my life. I stopped playing games, I expanded my social life, got a girlfriend, started reading books, meditating and preparing for university.

    I don't want to say I completely quit gaming, because from time to time - we were going with friends to an Internet Cafe(I don't know if you guys have this in your country, but here in Bulgaria this is like a cafe with gaming rigs where you pay to play per hour.). I used Internet Cafes, because I didn't have a gaming computer back at home.

    In the last few years of my life, I changed a lot for good. I spent three summers in the United States thanks to a program called Work and Travel. I wrote 2 books - 1 about digital marketing and 1 about personal development - AND I started my own online business which helps more bulgarians(like me) increase their financial education.

    Now as things have been going great in my life recently, I decided to buy (with my own money now, no more parents' funds) a decent gaming rig. So except all the work around my university and my business, now I relax with a few games in my free time.
    As soon as I bought my PC and logged in Steam - I remembered about my SteamRep ban. This thing I did in the past hurts me and I want to get cleansed.

    I will be honest with you - I don't have plans to invest time in becoming a trader. I'm not even sure if I'll trade at all.

    But having my old account( which I am very sentimental about as I have grown with it) BANNED from SteamRep is just ugly and disgusting to me.

    Now, I have tried to contact the victim again. I want to refund the guy. I want to refund him 3x if I have to. He deserves it. But I can't reach him. I remember last time in 2015 when I was writing my appeal - I couldn't reach him and now I can't reach him again. If you could give me any tips or advices on how I can get him to talk to me and how I can refund him - that'd be great. I will apply a screenshot where you can see that I added him as a friend of mine on Steam, but he hasn't accepted. I also wrote a comment on his Steam Profile - asking him to me accept me so I can refund him.

    Please, I think I deserve a chance, because I think what I did 8 years ago doesn't define me who I am. Every human being changes a lot from 14-22 years and we all know that. When you're at that age, every few years, you become a new person - you're so unpredictable.

    Nowadays, I am a grown person and I am proud to be part of the society of where I live. I don't break the laws and I pay my taxes.​

    Attached Files:

    xeniac, Jan 30, 2020
    #1
  2. Lava

    Lava Public Relations SteamRep Admin

    Messages:
    5,859
    SteamRep Admin:
    STEAM_0:1:46187366
    Per our FAQ, you are allowed to have your appeal reviewed by another admin to decide if you deserve a second appeal, only in the event of extenuating circumstances. To do this, you must choose one of these reasons, and explain:
    1. New evidence not produced in your original appeal.
    2. Unfair appeal. Note: A different appeal admin will review your original appeal and decide if their is enough to grant you a new appeal.
    3. Other extenuating circumstance at admins discretion.
    Example of new evidence: Reporter was banned for submitting fake reports/screenshots to maliciously harm people's reputation, after your appeal was denied, supporting your claim to innocence you made in said rejected appeal.
    Example of unfair appeal: Appeals admin had a conflict of interest, or mishandled your case (e.g. rejected by same admin who accepted report, had a personal vendetta, etc).

    NOTE: Appeal reviews are not appeals. You only get one appeal, and once denied you are out of options, no matter how much time has passed. Appeal reviews are intended as a level of oversight in case of admin abuse/mishandling or extenuating circumstances. Using the appeal review process to request a second chance again, or because you don't like the admin's decision, will automatically result in your review being denied. Once denied, you cannot request any additional appeal reviews ever again.

    When filling out your appeal review form, you selected "New evidence not produced in your original appeal".

    Giving your life story to explain why you deserve a second chance - something which belongs in a Change of Heart appeal - does not qualify as "new evidence" as far as your previous appeal is concerned, because it wasn't applicable at the time you were denied. That's just another attempt at appealing. While I'm sorry you're still suffering from the consequences of your 14-year old self, we currently do not currently have a clemency process for scammers beyond the one appeal they receive, which yours did not qualify for. Details about your case, or whether you still deserve the tag, are for appeals only, and are beyond the scope of an appeal review.

    In an appeal review, we are only reviewing whether your appeal itself was handled properly, or whether we should nullify it and allow you to submit a new one in its place. Your original appeal was denied for failure to repay in a timely manner, or even before appealing in the first place. By policy, failure to repay prior to submission automatically disqualifies change of heart appeals (closest process we have to clemency) because it's a red flag for someone with no sense of remorse, who is only sorry they got caught and doesn't like the consequences, rather than someone who truly feels bad for the person they stole from. At a quick glance I do not see any signs of mishandling. Before I close this appeal review, do you have any additional new evidence that was not considered or produced in your original appeal? Anything I missed, or that you would like to add?
    Lava, Jan 31, 2020
    #2
  3. xeniac

    xeniac Banned on SteamRep

    Messages:
    6
    Steam:
    STEAM_0:0:19468605
    Nothing that I would like to add. Thanks for clearing things out for me. That's very unfortunate.

    So to make things clear. No, I don't think the admin was unfair or had a conflict of interest. No, the reporter didn't submit fake reports or screenshots. I don't claim innocence. I admit that I am guilty.

    Under these circumstances - do I have even the slightest chance to have my SR Ban uplifted? If yes, what are my options?

    I would also like to ask for any advice you can give me on how to get in touch with the person that I scammed - 8 years ago, so I can repay him? How do you solve cases when someone wants to repay the victim, but can't get in touch with him?

    I am deeply sorry for what I did and no matter what the verdict here is - I would like to make a successful contact with the victim, apologize to him and compensate for all the damage caused.
    xeniac, Jan 31, 2020
    #3
  4. Lava

    Lava Public Relations SteamRep Admin

    Messages:
    5,859
    SteamRep Admin:
    STEAM_0:1:46187366
    Unless SteamRep implements a form of "scammer clemency" program as a forgiveness/downgrade option, you have no further options to address your ban. I can make no promises about such a program being implemented, and clearing our appeal backlog is a higher priority. If such a program were implemented, you may or may not qualify, because you already made a change of heart appeal in the past, and were denied.
    Most victims immediately block their scammer, so it's likely that happened with you. With rare exceptions in edge cases, SteamRep does not get involved with returning items, and never under any circumstances acts as a middleman for returning items. Therefore, the best I can suggest is you review the steps in our appeal tips, under section #9. Many scammers who are genuinely remorseful and interested in repaying have found that part of the guide helpful.
    Lava, Feb 3, 2020
    #4