Serious Harassment and the Efficacy of Account Bans

xR3ACTORx · December 2025

I am writing to ask about a serious security concern regarding persistent harassment. Recently a Guild Master on Xbox EU was threatened with doxing via Xbox Messages.

A formal report including screenshots has already been filed with ZOS. I am withholding the players name to comply with forum rules.
The ticket number is:
251226-001447

The individual in question appears to be a repeat offender, who has previously faced disciplinary actions on other accounts. Given how easy it is to create new accounts or repurchase the game during sales, standard account bans seem ineffective in preventing this level of targeted harassment.

I would like to ask if there are possibilities for more stringent measures such as hardware-level bans for cases involving illegal activities like doxing.
Such threats are serious legal violations in many jurisdictions and compromise the safety of the community.

Thanks in advance. I hope this posting is conform to ZOS Forum ToS.

Radiate77 · December 2025

Good luck man, be sure to grab the ticket number and post it.

Edit: Almost forgot to mention, Hardware bans are through Xbox, ZOS are not going to be able lock out a player entirely, as IP masking will make them appear to login from anywhere.

xR3ACTORx · December 2025

Radiate77 wrote: »

Good luck man, be sure to grab the ticket number and post it.

Thanks.

Tandor · December 2025

This does sound more like a Microsoft issue than a ZOS one, but perhaps they could even work together on it @ZOS_Kevin ?

xR3ACTORx · December 2025

Tandor wrote: »

This does sound more like a Microsoft issue than a ZOS one, but perhaps they could even work together on it @ZOS_Kevin ?

Since ZOS is part of the MS family this was exactly what I was thinking about. Thanks.

spartaxoxo · December 2025

Has the friend reported this message to XBOX? If the message was sent through Xbox messages, then I think that they'd be better able to assist in that outcome since Xbox can ban the entire Xbox account from online multiplayer. I know someone threatened me on PSN with a different game (not as seriously) but I reported the message on both platforms. The message was found in violation and the person was banned by PS. IDK the outcome of the other report but for sure they got action taken against them on PS. I would bet Xbox is the same.

xR3ACTORx · December 2025

spartaxoxo wrote: »

Has the friend reported this message to XBOX? If the message was sent through Xbox messages, then I think that they'd be better able to assist in that outcome since Xbox can ban the entire Xbox account from online multiplayer. I know someone threatened me on PSN with a different game (not as seriously) but I reported the message on both platforms. The message was found in violation and the person was banned by PS. IDK the outcome of the other report but for sure they got action taken against them on PS. I would bet Xbox is the same.

Yes. It was just confirmed to me that the person who was threatened also reported the player to ZOS and Xbox.

Also the other gamer tags were reported as well.

The ticket number is 251227-000623.

Malyore · December 2025

How long are ZOS staff out for holidays? There may be different channels for you to go through if you are needing a speedier response.

AScarlato · December 2025

If there is a concern that a law is being broken, then this should be reported to proper authorities that go beyond reporting in-game or to X-box.

Since the messages are not even in-game this is probably the least successful route to getting resolution.

A dedicated harasser will probably find ways around getting specific accounts banned, however.

Frayton · December 2025

No to hardware level bans bc computers and consoles aren't always tied to a single person - gaming and internet cafes, buying/selling used systems, sharing, etc. There's only so much ZOS/MS can do bc they can't enforce laws. They can only discontinue their services to any users. If the harassment spills out of the game and breaks real world laws, contact real world law enforcement.

Gabriel_H · December 2025

Frayton wrote: »

No to hardware level bans bc computers and consoles aren't always tied to a single person - gaming and internet cafes, buying/selling used systems, sharing, etc. There's only so much ZOS/MS can do bc they can't enforce laws. They can only discontinue their services to any users. If the harassment spills out of the game and breaks real world laws, contact real world law enforcement.

Just to add to that, you can't ban based on IP addresses either. Most home routers will change IP address when they are rebooted, and ISP periodically cycle them too as part of the standard DHCP protocol.

xR3ACTORx · December 2025

Yes. That's why I was also asking about the possibility of a hardware ban, as the person already has a history of bans in ESO and on Xbox.
The issue with this user is still persistent and I hope zos staff can care about this when they are back from their holidays.

Arrodisia · 1:14PM

Frayton wrote: »

No to hardware level bans bc computers and consoles aren't always tied to a single person - gaming and internet cafes, buying/selling used systems, sharing, etc. There's only so much ZOS/MS can do bc they can't enforce laws. They can only discontinue their services to any users. If the harassment spills out of the game and breaks real world laws, contact real world law enforcement.

this

because there is also a rampant issue with deep faked screen shots and even audio to launch false reports. Local law enforcement can solve that better. If there is a legitimate issue, and the person is across the world, contact authorities, block them everywhere and move on. Those cases rarely get solved. Take it more as a lesson learned to keep private information to ourselves in all online games and forums.