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How to Not Have Your Pet Stolen
This article not only shows you how to protect your pet in the event that it
does get stolen, the second half is dedicated on instructions in regards to what
to do if it does get stolen. Enjoy and good luck!
First and foremost, Neopets is a game and accordingly, should be treated as one.
However some people tend to take it too far, opting to waste time “hacking” into
other people’s accounts, stealing their items and np and unfortunately for some,
pets. While np and items can easily be regained, creating a new pet and bringing
it to the same level as the old one is a very hard thing to do. Likewise, people
are more willing to start again when they know their account is still intact, in
contrast to the amount of people opting to quit the game after they discover
their pet has been kidnapped.
For the many of us, we know someone or know of someone, who has had this happen
to. One day, they log into their account to find everything gone, and worst of
all, their pets abandoned into the pound and adopted by either another random
person, or the intruder himself/herself. While I did state at the start of the
game that Neopets is only a game, being on the receiving end of this occurrence
is not very nice at all, and hence I have decided to create this guide, to show
people how to protect their pets from being kidnapped, moreover vital
instructions on how to set up your account so the pet can be identified as
yours.
So why do people steal pets? Is it because they are jealous, or is it because
they are petty. In many instances, they are most likely both petty and jealous.
So what can we do, in response to having one of our pets kidnapped?
1) First and foremost, I urge all players to edit all of their pet pages. They
are there for a reason. Enter your pet page for every single one of your pets,
click on the edit page option, and type in big, bold letters, “This NeoPet
Belongs To “yourusername”!” Save and congratulations, you have taken the first
step in regards to safeguarding your pet.
This is done, to bolster your argument that the pet is really yours (in the case
that your pet has been stolen, and the new owner disputing your claim). More
often that not, if your pet was abandoned and then adopted by another person or
the intruder himself/herself, he/she will deny all claims that the pet was
originally yours, and make statements such as, “The pet was mine all along. Stop
harassing me.” In the event that you have had your pet stolen by another user
and he/she states the above or something similar, be smug that you have evidence
that the pet is really yours, because you placed in big, bold letters on the
pet’s page “This NeoPet Belongs To “yourusername”!” 99 out of 100 kidnappers
never check the pet page, so be smug! A word of warning however, do not reply to
the new owner that the pet’s pet page in question states that it is really
yours, because if you do, all the new owner has to do is go off and edit the pet
page himself/herself, hence destroying any hope you had of gaining your pet
again.
2) Assuming that you currently have your pet in your account, I also urge you,
the owner, to take a screen shot of your account with your pet in it. Go to your
pet status page where you will be able to choose which active pet you want, and
press the button (Print Screen) which is on your keyboard. Open up a graphics
program such as Microsoft Paint, click on edit and select “paste”. Now you
should see a screen shot of your Neopets page with an image and name of your pet
in it. Save the image on your computer so that you can use as evidence later on
that the pet is really yours, in the event that you need to email Neopets for
outside help. Make sure the address in Internet Explorer or any other browsers
are viewable in your screen shot.
Assuming that your pet is already stolen and you haven’t had the chance to take
a screenshot of your pet in your account, go to your pet status page and take a
screen shot of “This NeoPet Belongs To “yourusername”!” so that if the kidnapper
does edit the page, you have evidence that it really was yours. Note that this
can only be done if:
a. You had put that text in before your pet was stolen
b. If the kidnapper hasn’t checked and edited it out already.
Instructions on how to take screen shots are in the paragraph above. Once again,
make sure the address in Internet Explorer or any other browsers are viewable in
the screen shot.
Doing the above mentioned, pet page identification and screen shots should be
sufficient proof that you really own the neopet in question, to find some help
from the Neopets team. More often than not, the Neopets team will not help out
unless there is substantial evidence to protect those against bogus claims.
However, even if you do have the above, do not hold your breath that you will
get your pet back.
3) Assuming that you have already had your pet stolen and adopted by someone
else, I would suggest neomailing the new person first and explaining the
situation to them. Any reasonable person would understand and give your pet back
to you. However I emphasize the need to not blow your head off at the person.
Many times, the new owner is innocent and people do not appreciate being yelled
at. If you want your pet back, show a little respect. They are the one’s helping
you after all.
If they refuse to co-operate, do not start harassing them. Neopets will freeze
your account and trying to justify your harassment as acceptable in response to
having your pet stolen is not on. Do not also threaten them in any way. If they
refuse to co-operate, that’s their decision, however you should take your case
up to Neopets and try to regain your pet there.
When you email Neopets, include attachments of the screen shots (preferably in
*.jpg or *.gif form for smaller size) and a full explanation of what has
occurred. Explain to them why the pet is really yours. Be succinct (to the
point), be reasonable, show them you are mature and show that you are simply a
person who had his/her pet stolen and put into the pound without your consent.
Once again I stipulate, do not hold your breath and wait for Neopets to transfer
the pet back to your account. If you still decide to continue playing Neopets,
just keep playing as you normally would and decide on what to do next after you
receive a reply from Neopets.
So have the NeoPet Team ever given someone back their pet before? Of course they
have! A while back, Amanda worked for PPT as part of the news crew. She had a
very prominent pet stolen and adopted by another person late 2002. Because she
had overwhelming evidence that the pet was originally hers and was stolen
without her consent, she had her pet given back to her by the Neopets team. This
is what you should also be aiming for, providing Neopets with overwhelming
evidence that the pet in question is yours and if you can, Bob’s your uncle!
You’ve done all you can to have your pet restored back to you, the ball is now
in Neopets hands unless they specifically ask you for further information.
Until next time, happy NeoPetting!
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