He opened a shady tab, entered his character name, and paid $40 for a "safe" delivery. An hour later, a level 1 character named Goldsellerqt traded him a stack of gold in the Stormwind Cathedral. Jax felt a rush. He bought his mount, learned the skill, and finally felt like a "real" player. Three days later, he tried to log in for raid night.

Jax sat in front of his monitor, the blue glow of Ironforge reflecting in his glasses. His Epic Mount training cost 5,000 gold—a mountain he didn’t have the time to climb between his 9-to-5 job and family. He’d seen the posts on r/classicwow warning about bans, but he’d also heard that "everyone does it."

Even if you aren't banned, Blizzard may wipe the gold and items bought with it.

The following story reflects the common community experience of a "swipe" gone wrong.

Third-party sites are often linked to scams and account hijacking .

Suspensions can range from 14 days to permanent bans .