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Nintendo has reportedly made changes to how they handle potentially fraudulent game code purchases

A method for recourse
by rawmeatcowboy
05 February 2020
GN Version 5.0

Most Switch owners will go about their digital game purchases through the Switch eShop itself, or through respected retailers like Amazon, Best Buy, GameStop, and so on. Those purchases all go through without a hiccup, and people can enjoy their games right away. It's certainly the safest way to get a digital game, but not always the cheapest. That hunt for the cheapest offer on digital games has lead to some people getting their Nintendo account banned, along with losing access to their entire library of games.

It's fair to say that some people browsing unscrupulous sites for cheap game codes know exactly what they're doing, but others are honestly just trying to find the best deal. That's what's been happening Gameflip.com, which is a legit 'digital item' selling site that has been hit with some rather unsavory sellers. People buy games from sellers who were involved in fraudulent activity, and then the customer ends up receiving a ban when they thought they'd gone about everything the right way.

While Nintendo hasn't talked about it publicly, VICE has gotten some internal Nintendo documentation indicating policy changes, as well as comment from an anonymous source who is closely tied to the matter. Apparently customers can now show proof of attempting to dispute the purchase to get a refund, and Nintendo will consider lifting the ban. Customers can either go for a refund from the seller, or dispute the charges with their bank/card holder. If Nintendo lifts the ban, the offending game will be removed from the customer's library, but all other titles will remain. That user is free to download the troublesome game again, but through legitimate means.

As we said, the problem stems from shady sellers on these digital item sites. Some of them are selling game codes at cheaper-than-usual prices, all because they purchased the codes with stolen credit cards or other stolen funds. The unsuspecting customer buys a cheap code, downloads the game, and plays on as usual. Then when the person who had their card stolen finds out, they obviously cancel the card and look to get charges removed. When Nintendo gets hit with the chargeback, they go to the account that caused the issue and ban it.

Long story short, be safe out there. Buy your game codes from legitimate sources and trusted sellers. It might not be the best deal, but it's certainly better than losing access to your Switch.

[Link]