Subeta News

1. Never give out your vital account details. Unless you are working one-on-one with a staff member via our Ticket Center or support e-mail, you should never provide anyone with your important account information. You are the only person who should know your password and PIN. No matter how much you trust someone, there is simply no way to ensure that the information won't fall into the wrong hands once you've passed it along to a third party.

2. Be skeptical of anyone claiming to be staff offsite. Subeta's staff will not attempt to contact you for official purposes through third-party chat rooms, your friend's friends, or other pet sites. If we need to get in touch with you for any reason, we will do so from a clearly-labeled staff account here on Subeta. Don't hesitate to ask for proof if you are contacted offsite from someone claiming to be a staff member; a real staff member will be happy to drop you an smail, event, profile comment or other solid on-site evidence that they are legitimately who they claim to be. If someone is pretending to be staff but are behaving in a way that seems questionable, follow your instincts and file a report through the Ticket Center right away. Real staff members will not threaten you, blackmail or extort you, or ask you to do anything illegal, and they will not freeze your account if you ask them to verify their identities.

3. Be cautious in giving out personal information. There is an addage about not being able to un-say things posted to the internet, and it's true. The information you disclose about yourself and your personal life can be stored, sold, or used against you by the unscrupulous. In some cases, the information is used in ways that could pose a risk to your account or even your life. All the tidbits you share about your age, your school, where you live, what your hobbies are, etc. can be utilized by malicious third parties to answer security questions on your email account, guess your passwords, impersonate you, or to find and hurt you in real life. Stop and think about the risks before sharing your personal information, even if you believe the recipient is a friend.

4. Use a secure PIN and password and be sure to change them regularly. Wikipedia has an excellent article on this topic here. Make sure your Subeta password is secure, hard to guess, and not used for any of your other accounts elsewhere. Change it every few months to keep it fresh and be careful not to recycle old passwords. Don't store your login information in your browser or leave it on a Post-It stuck to your monitor, either, or others in your household may decide to leave you with an unpleasant surprise.

5. Don't fall for scams or tricks. If someone claims they have a program that will give you a wealth of sP, hack your account if you don't give them what they want, or that they will make you rich beyond your wildest dreams if you will give them your PIN or password, don't believe them! No cheats or programs will take the effort out of playing and your account is secure as long as you follow basic safety precautions. File a ticket and have a good laugh at their expense instead of falling for the oldest tricks in the book.

6. Don't allow yourself to be victimized by sexual predators. The Subeta rules and terms cover a code of conduct that all members are expected to follow, and they include a ban on mature adult roleplays, cybersex, and explicit conversations. They exist for a reason, and that reason is to keep you safe! You simply do not know who the person you are talking with is, and the simple fact of the matter is that no matter how long you've been friends online, they may have a history you aren't familiar with. Learn the warning signs that could indicate your special friend is a pedophile or predator and keep yourself from becoming another victim. They may compliment your maturity, offer you gifts, or even "groom" you for months to trick you into believing that you two really have something special, but don't fall for it -- they only want to hurt you. You are smart, you are special, and you absolutely deserve better than to be abused at the hands of some creep. Remember that if you are inappropriately solicited, you should file a report right away; even if you know enough to tell them to get lost, they may simply move on to a more vulnerable person. The only way to stop the cycle of abuse is to make victimizers accountable for their actions.

7. Remember to log out. This is a simple tip that a surprising number of people forget. Log out when you are done playing to prevent others from that location from accessing your account! This is particularly important if you play from a public place like a school or library, but applies to home situations as well.