Your Steam account may have been “hijacked” if you are unable to log in, your personal settings have changed, or it appears that someone else was using your account to play games.
If you believe someone has gained unauthorized access to your account, take immediate action. Follow these steps to prevent further access to your account by unauthorized users and to ensure that your account stays secure in the future:
1. Determine the cause of the security breach
2. Submit an incident report to Steam Support
3. Take action to keep your login information secure
1. Determine the cause of the security breach
In order to take effective action to retrieve and secure your account, try to determine how your account was compromised. By doing so, Steam Support can more effectively secure your account, take action against the person who hijacked your account, and help you ensure that you have the tools and knowledge to keep your account safe in the future.
Ask yourself the following questions:
*
Have I enabled another person to access my account?
Important:
Valve Software, Steam Support or any other affiliates of Steam will *never* ask you for your account password. Do not provide your password to anyone.
If you have given your login information to someone else or someone with access to your computer may have logged in to your account, that person might have performed an action that is preventing you from accessing the account.
Providing your account information to another person is the most common way that accounts are hijacked. Never give out your account password.
If someone in the Steam Community asked for your account name and password in a chat or during a game, or if you responded to an offer for a free game advertised on a website other than www.steampowered.com, you have most likely compromised your account information. If your Steam account password is the same as your e-mail account or any other accounts a hijacker could gain access to, please change your password immediately. Once you are certain that your e-mail account is secure, please submit a case to Steam Support to help you reclaim your account.
*
Have I downloaded and installed any programs from a gaming forum site, a peer to peer file trading program or over a chat program such as mIRC, AIM, Yahoo Messenger or MSN Messenger?
If so, the software you downloaded may contain a malicious key-logger program. Key-loggers can be used to record and retrieve your Steam account information as well as passwords for other programs and services, credit card details and personal information. Download the latest virus and spyware definitions for your virus and spyware scanners and run a full virus scan before taking any further action. If another user is monitoring your activities through a key-logger it is very important that they do not receive any further information.
Once you have removed any key-loggers or other malicious software from your computer, follow the steps below to submit a case to Steam Support.
*
Could someone have guessed my password?
Steam safeguards against this vulnerability, however it is still possible for someone to guess your password if you use a simple, predictable word or set of characters. Learn more about how to select a strong password and then submit a case to Steam Support to help reclaim your account.
*
Have I accessed my account in a public setting, such as a Cyber Café, tournament, or LAN party?
Two scenarios might be possible: a hijacker may have observed you entering your account name and password at a Cyber Café, tournament, or LAN game; or the account was not properly logged out when another user began using a public or shared computer. Public computers may also be compromised by key-loggers.
Be very cautious when accessing your account in public places. Submit an incident report to Steam Support to help you reclaim your account, and then follow the steps listed here to help protect your account when accessing it from public or shared computers.
2. Submit a case to Steam Support
Immediately inform Steam Support about the account security breach by submitting a request for assistance, also known as an incident report, using the Steam Support system.
If you have not previously done so, please create a Steam Support account with a unique user ID. This is a separate account from your Steam account and it does not exist by default. Please do not attempt to enter your Steam account information for the Steam Support system, as it will not work.
Remember to write down your User ID and password for your Steam Support account as you will be required to use this information to submit any future support requests.
Once you’ve created a Steam Support account, or if you already have one, click here to create an incident report.
When filing an incident report about an account security breach, please provide the following concise pieces of information:
1. Your User ID. This is the User ID for the Steam Support system. If you have not yet created an account, please enter your contact e-mail address.
2. The subject of your claim, such as “Steam account security breach.”
3. Your request for assistance. Your question should include the last email address you associated your Steam account with. Please also indicate the approximate timeframe (date and time) of the account hijacking, if possible. If you believe you know how your account was compromised, please indicate the method the hijacker may have used.
4. Select “STEAM” from the Product dropdown, then Select “Account Questions” as the Category of your request and finally “Hijacked or Stolen Account” as the subcategory. This information will help Steam Support address your issue as quickly as possible.
5. Your Steam account name. If you do not include the account name, it may result in a delay in recovering your Steam account.
6. Verification of ownership of your Steam account. To prove yourself the rightful owner of your Steam account, you must provide one of the following:
* If you registered software purchased at a retail location, please attach a digital photo or scan of a CD Key registered to your account. Please write your Steam account username on the quick reference card or CD Key sticker below the code in permanent ink.
* Below is a typical example of a picture of a CD-key submitted with an incident report. Please write your account name or your support incident number on the reference card or sticker of your CD-key. If you do not know your account name, you must submit your incident, write your incident number on the CD Key, and then update your case with the scan.
EA CD Key Scan
Sierra CD Key Scan
* If you purchased software through Steam with a credit card, please provide the following:
o The Card Type (Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express)
o The Cardholder’s Full Name
o The Credit Card Expiration Date
o The last four digits of the credit card number - Do not provide the full credit card number
* If you purchased software through Steam using a PayPal account, please provide:
o The Billing Name on the PayPal Account
o The full Billing Address on the PayPal Account
o The PayPal PayerID
o The Invoice ID and the Transaction ID
We will reassign ownership of the account to you upon verifying that you are the rightful owner.
If we are unable to verify ownership given the information you provide to us online, you may be asked to mail in your physical CD Key as evidence of ownership.
Note:
In the event that a hijacked Steam account is banned by the Valve Anti-Cheat System, Steam Support will not be able to reverse the ban.
3. Take action to keep your login information secure
To make sure no one regains access to your account, take preventative measures that will help keep your account secure and protect your privacy.
Remember: Never share your password with anyone and periodically change your password and security question to keep your private account information secure.
If you believe someone has gained unauthorized access to your account, take immediate action. Follow these steps to prevent further access to your account by unauthorized users and to ensure that your account stays secure in the future:
1. Determine the cause of the security breach
2. Submit an incident report to Steam Support
3. Take action to keep your login information secure
1. Determine the cause of the security breach
In order to take effective action to retrieve and secure your account, try to determine how your account was compromised. By doing so, Steam Support can more effectively secure your account, take action against the person who hijacked your account, and help you ensure that you have the tools and knowledge to keep your account safe in the future.
Ask yourself the following questions:
*
Have I enabled another person to access my account?
Important:
Valve Software, Steam Support or any other affiliates of Steam will *never* ask you for your account password. Do not provide your password to anyone.
If you have given your login information to someone else or someone with access to your computer may have logged in to your account, that person might have performed an action that is preventing you from accessing the account.
Providing your account information to another person is the most common way that accounts are hijacked. Never give out your account password.
If someone in the Steam Community asked for your account name and password in a chat or during a game, or if you responded to an offer for a free game advertised on a website other than www.steampowered.com, you have most likely compromised your account information. If your Steam account password is the same as your e-mail account or any other accounts a hijacker could gain access to, please change your password immediately. Once you are certain that your e-mail account is secure, please submit a case to Steam Support to help you reclaim your account.
*
Have I downloaded and installed any programs from a gaming forum site, a peer to peer file trading program or over a chat program such as mIRC, AIM, Yahoo Messenger or MSN Messenger?
If so, the software you downloaded may contain a malicious key-logger program. Key-loggers can be used to record and retrieve your Steam account information as well as passwords for other programs and services, credit card details and personal information. Download the latest virus and spyware definitions for your virus and spyware scanners and run a full virus scan before taking any further action. If another user is monitoring your activities through a key-logger it is very important that they do not receive any further information.
Once you have removed any key-loggers or other malicious software from your computer, follow the steps below to submit a case to Steam Support.
*
Could someone have guessed my password?
Steam safeguards against this vulnerability, however it is still possible for someone to guess your password if you use a simple, predictable word or set of characters. Learn more about how to select a strong password and then submit a case to Steam Support to help reclaim your account.
*
Have I accessed my account in a public setting, such as a Cyber Café, tournament, or LAN party?
Two scenarios might be possible: a hijacker may have observed you entering your account name and password at a Cyber Café, tournament, or LAN game; or the account was not properly logged out when another user began using a public or shared computer. Public computers may also be compromised by key-loggers.
Be very cautious when accessing your account in public places. Submit an incident report to Steam Support to help you reclaim your account, and then follow the steps listed here to help protect your account when accessing it from public or shared computers.
2. Submit a case to Steam Support
Immediately inform Steam Support about the account security breach by submitting a request for assistance, also known as an incident report, using the Steam Support system.
If you have not previously done so, please create a Steam Support account with a unique user ID. This is a separate account from your Steam account and it does not exist by default. Please do not attempt to enter your Steam account information for the Steam Support system, as it will not work.
Remember to write down your User ID and password for your Steam Support account as you will be required to use this information to submit any future support requests.
Once you’ve created a Steam Support account, or if you already have one, click here to create an incident report.
When filing an incident report about an account security breach, please provide the following concise pieces of information:
1. Your User ID. This is the User ID for the Steam Support system. If you have not yet created an account, please enter your contact e-mail address.
2. The subject of your claim, such as “Steam account security breach.”
3. Your request for assistance. Your question should include the last email address you associated your Steam account with. Please also indicate the approximate timeframe (date and time) of the account hijacking, if possible. If you believe you know how your account was compromised, please indicate the method the hijacker may have used.
4. Select “STEAM” from the Product dropdown, then Select “Account Questions” as the Category of your request and finally “Hijacked or Stolen Account” as the subcategory. This information will help Steam Support address your issue as quickly as possible.
5. Your Steam account name. If you do not include the account name, it may result in a delay in recovering your Steam account.
6. Verification of ownership of your Steam account. To prove yourself the rightful owner of your Steam account, you must provide one of the following:
* If you registered software purchased at a retail location, please attach a digital photo or scan of a CD Key registered to your account. Please write your Steam account username on the quick reference card or CD Key sticker below the code in permanent ink.
* Below is a typical example of a picture of a CD-key submitted with an incident report. Please write your account name or your support incident number on the reference card or sticker of your CD-key. If you do not know your account name, you must submit your incident, write your incident number on the CD Key, and then update your case with the scan.
EA CD Key Scan
Sierra CD Key Scan
* If you purchased software through Steam with a credit card, please provide the following:
o The Card Type (Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express)
o The Cardholder’s Full Name
o The Credit Card Expiration Date
o The last four digits of the credit card number - Do not provide the full credit card number
* If you purchased software through Steam using a PayPal account, please provide:
o The Billing Name on the PayPal Account
o The full Billing Address on the PayPal Account
o The PayPal PayerID
o The Invoice ID and the Transaction ID
We will reassign ownership of the account to you upon verifying that you are the rightful owner.
If we are unable to verify ownership given the information you provide to us online, you may be asked to mail in your physical CD Key as evidence of ownership.
Note:
In the event that a hijacked Steam account is banned by the Valve Anti-Cheat System, Steam Support will not be able to reverse the ban.
3. Take action to keep your login information secure
To make sure no one regains access to your account, take preventative measures that will help keep your account secure and protect your privacy.
Remember: Never share your password with anyone and periodically change your password and security question to keep your private account information secure.