I wish only to be heard.

I plan to contact EA customer service to verify my options, if it transpires that I have any; I outline below what I would like to choose to do below, and invite advice on the matter.

Even Balance have issued me a global ban for a violation, namely "gamehack #83016". They have also denied my appeal with the standard copy-paste message.

I am innocent, but I am not going to waste time expecting this assertion to make any difference.

I am a forty year-old IT engineer, a mild Asperger, and an avid gamer with nearly 3,000 hours of (fairly average) BF4 gameplay invested. It has taken me several days to move through my feelings as my routine has been disrupted, my name besmirched, my integrity cast into doubt, and my investment of time and money summarily trashed. I've been in an apoplexy of indignant rage while supporting a server/network installation for sixty hours this week at an event in The Savoy Hotel, London, on minimal sleep and with my primary stress outlet abruptly denied me.

I am hardly incapable of expressing myself under normal circumstances, but it's difficult to put into words just how awful this has been or how much it has hurt me. It would seem like a waste of time anyway. I've finally got my head back on straight, and I have a statement:

I don't think I want to waste more money re-buying anything and starting anew. Even Balance have effectively burned my entire Battlefield collection (so much time and money, I could cry) but I haven't played anything but Battlefield 4 since its release. As long as Battlefield 5 doesn't end up using PunkBuster, I'll probably still take the plunge on that as I love Battlefield and would have made the jump anyway, I expect (pending review, at least).

I don't want to change my account or create a new one either, regardless of the ban being associated with it. I've got more than just Battlefield on it, and Even Balance can choke on one if they think they can burn all of that, too. It would be cheaper to buy a ticket to Texas than to replace them all, so I'm going to keep my account and all my games. I might not be able to play Battlefield 4 online again, but I'm proud of my soldier and I'm keeping it on record.

I can't see how this has happened but I'm already sick of thinking about it, and nothing further is my responsibility to explain. I have two-factor authentication enabled now (and would have taken advantage of this feature already if I'd been paying attention), so I'm going to just shake it off; I won't be ashamed of this blemish any more than any victim should be ashamed of their scars, and a victim I am in spite of those who might regard my proclamation with scepticism. I am innocent, and the only people who matter already know that.

I'm certainly not happy about my (semi-static) home IP address being publicly paraded on walls of shame via third (third) parties. It gives me even more reason to be utterly disgusted about this, but I'll be onto my ISP about it as necessary- time for a new one, I guess.

PunkBuster  has been a part of my life, constantly, since the day Wolfenstein:ET came out- a necessary compromise to which I have rarely paid much heed. No more though, as I shall henceforth avoid anything that uses software related to EvenBalance or their services. I shall continue to play your multiplayer games (EA) without cheating or hacking, and without so much as playing in a manner that I might find unfair, not because I fear punishment (which comes regardless, it seems) but because that is the only way I believe one should play.

It really wouldn't be fun any other way.

I am not going to let this experience colour my ongoing gaming adventures or indulge myself in petty bitterness. I'll just vote with my feet and advise others likewise. I've lost more than a little faith in Even Balance's system and methods, especially as real cheats (who appear to care little for the accounts they use) are not effectively curtailed by them.

The ones I hold truly to blame for this? The cheats themselves, both for spoiling online games, and for making necessary such measures as prove this disruptive and heart-breaking when things go wrong. I do not believe in hell, but I can think of numerous special places for their kind.

I appreciate the opportunity to state my case, and I welcome any advice that may be offered. I politely request that nobody bother to explain an inability to overturn bans by third-party services. I'd much prefer to know that this will be the end of this, and that I can indeed make the choices I've expressed herein without further persecution or insult to my integrity, or indeed, further loss of my purchases. If not, what would be a better course of action?

If there is nothing more that I can do about it, I wish only to move on. If there is something I can or should do, please enlighten me.

I'll be honest- there's a part of me that doesn't want to get over it any more than I could walk away from a bully and do nothing. However, the world is unfair. There isn't a lot one struggling geek can do about this sort of injustice.

Even if EA provided me with new game serials and allowed me to assign everything to a new account, it would not give me back my soldier's progress, nearly 3,000 hours on Battlefield 4 alone, or make up for the misery and mental anguish I've suffered.

That this can happen, and that EA's users (I'm guessing I can't possibly be alone in my innocence) can just be fobbed-off without recourse... it's beyond shameful.

I'm being philosophical because it's the best for my mental health. And I can't be arsed buying a ticket to Texas anyway. >=[

I'll never support a game that uses PB again, I shall never support those thieving scumbags again. Is there any reason I shouldn't keep my account?

One question is, do you have a mouse driver installed called BLOODY ? just I also have such a number "Violation (GAMEHACK) #83016" . I suspect mouse driver.

PS

Also at that time the NVIDIA driver was updated on version 399.07 , but I do not think it happened because of it

I'd updated to NVidia driver version 399.07 shortly before the ban, also.

Mouse driver, no.

Whitehawk i feel for you m8 - a mirror of what has happened to me after 849 hours of play time on BF4 all the way from the beginning - I am also walking away and ensuring that i do not buy any games or deal with any companies that are associated with Punkbuster - they have basically stolen my gaming for no good reason. I am merely going to ensure that people become aware of the scandalous actions of Evenbalance/ Punkbuster and the fact that they provide no evidence or assistance and yet can take your game away from you.

This is what sickened me. Their response is contradictory, even confusing, but attempts to abdicate responsibility for the confusion.

I have a long, reasonably complex password that hasn't been leaked by me; I have rarely logged elsewhere into Battlelog, and possibly never Origin (except on my own laptop - may it R.I.P, as I can't afford a new one), and I keep PCs clean and maintained for a living (I'm an IT engineer who does event and conference installations), so I'm not an idiot.

The only way that someone could have used my account and/or GUID is if they've got them from somewhere else. If they'd used Battlefield 4, I'd have seen the activity in my soldier's history, and/or run into login conflicts. They would have had to have played another game, or simply spoofed my information.

They could only have spoofed something to which they had access from a source other than me, which entails a security breach elsewhere; EA, a compromised/complicit server, or THEM. They don't confirm or deny this, but they have good go at saying they don't give a sh**.

They then go on to claim that they won't un-ban my GUID because the detected cheat could still use it.

HOW?

I have a longer password now, and 2FA enabled, so if they are able to spoof it, they are able to do so without having access to my account- any information they have has been gleaned from elsewhere and they have not had access through me or my PC! Even Balance are free to provide evidence, despite their claims not to store IP addresses (wtf), as they must have information pertinent to their judgement that could help, but they're not going to share that.

If hackers are spoofing information stolen during play, or from any location other than my PC, they can and will continue to do so with anyone they like, any time they like. The answer to this? Ban the victims until there aren't any victims left, and while you're at it, leave them to have their personal details (home IP address and GUID) paraded publicly - both shaming and attacking the personal security of VICTIMS!

The only possibility other than a false detection on my own machine (NVidia driver or Windows update, perhaps) is, without any failure or deficit on my part, that my information has possibly been used by someone else (according to their admission). EA could tell me whether my account has been accessed elsewhere, but I am not sure if I'm ready for that conversation yet, as it is forecast to be fruitless and I am still trying to find my calm.

If they kept IP addresses for violations, and those IP addresses were not any known to me (my home and office IP addresses have been fairly static for two decades, and I'm usually supplied with the same set of public addresses for my installations - all of which will correlate with my Google location timeline), then they have all the proof that they need of my innocence.

On the other hand, if I've been compromised, then as a professional, I NEED TO KNOW! My PC and my office network could be victims of an ongoing breach that I cannot detect, but about which they have vital information!

As I KNOW that I have done nothing wrong, and as I KNOW that I have not compromised my account, yet they KNOW (according to infallible information they hold, NOT INCLUDING THE LOCATION) that a "gamehack" has been used, I am being victimised three times. In no particular order of injury:

1) by the party or parties responsible for stealing and/or spoofing my EA identity, PB GUID, or both.

2) by the company or elements from/through whom this information has been leached, apparently silently.

3) by the reprehensible, contemptible, callous filth who have now taken my games, reputation, and history from me.

I would happily send them my Google Timeline so that they can check whether I was 'hacking' while riding the train to work at 06:22, or 'interfering' with their protection service while packing equipment for an overseas event team at 22:30, or selling my coveted personal information to a hacker while enjoying a butterfly exhibit on the Isle of Wight.

And that information would be accurate and secure until I gave it to them, but I have zero faith that it would be secure afterward - I trust Google infinitely more than I trust them (which is saying something). They could certainly trust that I was where I was (though they'll question the legality of the hours I often work).

I'm over the shock, and now I'm just angry. I really don't know why I thought I could let this drop.

My soldier is honourable and fair, and while he doesn't shoot particularly straight (I play with a well-earned beer by my mouse), he drops ammo and health packs, clears a room before turning his back on it, has a wicked sense of humour with C4 (plant C4, sneak away, GOL tank kill- cry with laughter), and backs his team mates up like a shaggy great bullet shield.

My pals are online right now. If I were to arrive, they'd immediately invite me into their squad(s), and they know they'd get a great medic. The sense of comradery and fun I have is a major release for all the frustrations and stresses of dealing with a world that just doesn't make sense, AND THEY TOOK IT AWAY FROM ME! They just yanked it from me without explanation or reason, and they've dismissed me like some sort of moron.

I work, I cook, I love my wife, and I play Battlefield, and I try every day to make someone else smile (only strangers count). I love everything I do, and I don't cheat any of them (though I can make my wife giggle by just looking like I'm going to say the word "giggle", so that's a kind of cheat code, I guess). I don't deserve this, and nobody else does either.

Like hell am I over it. I'm not letting this go. By THEIR wording, my violation was either a false positive or a spoofer, and I'm not going to accept being called a £!@&%$ liar much longer. What's done is decidedly not done.

Screw Even Balance sideways, and throw in a handful of sand. I want justice, and I'll never recover myself if I don't at least try to seek it.

On the 26th of June, 2013, I received an email from EA customer support telling me that my password had been successfully changed.

I had never requested a password change.

I immediately used the 'forgot password' function to send myself a password reset email and regain access to my account.

I attempted to engage a chat representative about the issue, who informed me that the representative responsible for the breach was "Vikas".

This same representative then started vandalising my account WHILE I WATCHED, and despite my asking him several times to stop (he started adding my personal details to an account that was potentially compromised, and for no reason at all, messed up my persona name without my consent).

I went a little mad (as I am apt to do when confronted with this level of carelessness and stupidity) and ranted on a support ticket about it. Ultimately, this was fruitless, and I received no satisfactory response of any kind.

I admit, I typed a couple of choice insults, and then gave up.

Now, a few years later, I've received a ban from PunkBuster, and Even Balance claim that a cheat was used by someone who had access to my account. Obviously, they didn't have access to my account, but it seems possible that they had access to information that they shouldn't have had.

I have not cheated, and I have not compromised my account, but by Even Balance's testimony, there appears to have been a serious breach of my account leading to this false, unjust, and unacceptable ban.

I can only assume that my GUIDs (EA and PB) have been spoofed. As nobody has my password but me and I don't have a habit of sharing my details and logins with the public at large, they can only have got this information through EA or Even Balance.

I'm pointing the finger at you, EA, and I want my games back. This ban is a travesty that I can only guess was facilitated by a mistake or breach on your part.

I'd forgotten about that password reset, and the ineptitude of the support I received in its aftermath.

What I need EA to do is determine where and when my supposed cheat was perpetrated. My home IP address is known (hell, it's publicly broadcast in relation to this false ban), so if a game other than Battlefield 4 was played with a cheat, and if it was not my home IP address, I'm going to need that information.

How do I go about chasing this?

Well you certainly have made some good points - the responses you received are identical to what i got - however i went one step further and contacted EA who are almost as useless as

their response - all i wanted was a time and date of the alleged hacking so i could at least see if i was on my PC or not and to help me disprove this false accusation.

Thank you for your prompt reply - I understand that you are not getting support from punk buster side, however, as the ban has been imposed by them, I am afraid there is nothing we can do at our end.Your account is perfectly fine at our end.Its active & has no Ban on it.

To summarize the contact , we have informed you that Punk Buster can only lift the ban. Should you have any further questions regarding this or any other issues, please do not hesitate to let us know. You can also find answers to common questions on our Help Center at http://help.ea.com, or ask our community experts by visiting Answer HQ at http://answers.ea.com.

Thank you once again for contacting EA help.

and there follow up email stated

Thank you for your prompt reply , Had it been possible from my end, I would have done it for you. I hope that you understand my limitation here. If there was any possible way to proceed with your request, I wouldn't have given a second thought here.

You can post this as a feedback on the BF4 forums that we should have some control over reverting punk buster bans.Here is the link for forums :

https://answers.ea.com/t5/EA-General-Questions/What-happened-to-BF4-forums/td-p/5452125

To summarize the contact we have suggested you to refer to forums for feedback.

Should you have any further questions regarding this or any other issues, please do not hesitate to let us know. You can also find answers to common questions on our Help Center at http://help.ea.com, or ask our community experts by visiting Answer HQ at http://answers.ea.com.

Thank you once again for contacting EA help.

So no one can provide any help or any answers or any support and what really pees me of is EA just sit on the fence and say we cant do anything about it, they are happy for their customers to be wrongly done by from a company they are affiliated with and just sit back and let the gaming time and account be taken away wrongly