Ummmmmmmmmm... hey. I haven’t posted in… months. (AGH… sorry!) As Dogo predicted, I was blocked from my blog, but on the other hand, even if I wasn’t blocked, I still wouldn’t have had much time to post. I had an exam coming up, and I also suffered from a finger injury, so I couldn’t write or type. Time when the pain was bearable had to be spent catching up on homework, and by the end of that I was perfectly exhausted with 0 energy to type up and formulate a post. I've also started high school, so I'm pretty busy with my schoolwork and other extra-curriculars.
I’ve been working on this post through google documents on the side, typing as much as I can every day. I hope this makes up for the long months without a post! (I’m still working on part two of my last post, so look forward to that, sometime in the future!)
Onto today’s post!
Today, I’m going to cover an important part of Animal Jam that is often seen as a thing of the past, but has affected thousands of Jammers, including me.
Today, I will be discussing hacking: what hacking is, how hacking has affected me, how to avoid being hacked, what to do if you have been hacked and how to help others that have been hacked.
(DISCLAIMER: these are only recommendations. I am not responsible for any consequences for the use of this information, proper or improper.)
What Is Hacking?
Simply put, hacking is the act of gaining unauthorized access to data in a system or computer. In Animal Jam, most hackers hack to gain items that are stored on another Jammer’s account or to create their own, one of a kind, items. Some, if not most hackers don’t actually use crazy coding tricks to get access into your account, but try the age-old trick of guessing your password.
Some popular hackers in Animal Jam include fman122 and wretchedjungle, but there are a lot of other not well known Jammers that hack, and can look just like any other Jammer. Hackers that boast of hacking and dress like well known hackers are most likely not real hackers and are just trying to scare you into giving them items. (If they
were hackers, they would probably just hack your account.
How Hacking Has Affected Me: A Brief History of My Account
I started playing Animal Jam Classic in March of 2018. I originally started playing under the username sia007- “sia” was one of my nicknames, and the “7” was one of my lucky numbers (Back then, your user had to have 6 characters, so I had to add two 0’s). For months, I wasn’t treated the same as other, rarer, Jammers. I was determined to be treated fairly and as an equal, and I soon became OBSESSED with “getting rare”, and spent ages trying to get a pair of nerd glasses and candy cane socks, only to be met with little success.
A few months later, I created a new account under the username “sia321”. I transferred all my items to this account, and was soon met with success. A Jammer kindly gifted me a pair of adventure nerd glasses, which I later traded away for a pink long collar and several clothing betas (This was a HUGE overtrade, and I felt that I had to accept). I then traded the pink long for my dream item, a sheep cloak, and a spiked collar. This sheep cloak, who I nicknamed Fluffy, stayed with me and on my avatar for almost two years.
Around this time, I started becoming more active within Animal Jam Wiki Worth under the user sia321playsaj. It was an easy way for me to tell others what I was looking for, what I was offering, and quickly get the items I had always dreamed of having.
I used a backup account, pandasaresupercool25, to catch scammers trying to scam (in some cases my main), and later post about them on the Wiki’s blog section. (Read more here: User blog:Sia321playsaj/New Possible Parent Email Scam | Animal Jam Item Worth Wiki | Fandom )
Around this time I also got more involved in the blogging community, and won Doomy’s Autumn Den Decorating Contest.
However, this exposure would soon lead to my account’s demise.
On December 19, 2020, at around 6:00pm, I logged into my account to receive the daily Jammalidays prize. For some reason, the gift calendar wasn’t loading. I reloaded, but the same thing happened- again. That was when I noticed all my items on my bunny avatar were missing. After heading to the “customize your animal” screen, I discovered what I had always feared: my account had been hacked. I had lost my sheep cloak, along with a skunk tail, crystal pegasus gauntlets, peacock feathers, two black long spiked collars, two headfeathers, a patched hat, and several promotional items. I also lost my favourite pet: peanut the squirrel. All my items had been traded away from my account to another for a salon shelf. Miraculously, my den items were untouched. For fear that the hacker would return to collect my remaining items, I transferred all my remaining items to a new account. Tkaranto was born.
With the help of several kind jammers, I was gifted a sheep cloak (Fluffy Jr!) and, by chance, won a yellow party hat from a jammer playing a “Guess my favourite colour to win a prize!”. I gave up trading for a profit, and turned to the small joys of jamming- den decorating, chatting with my buddies, having fun without the stress of the fear of being hacked and losing my items. It is still hard for me to accept a trade without rushing off to AJ Wiki Worth to see if it is “over”, “under”, or “fair”.
I know that I was hacked for my rares.
Nowadays, I like to say:
“Animal Jam- where people fight over pixels. Don’t let pixels labeled “RARE” control your life.”
How Can You Avoid Being Hacked?
How can you avoid being hacked? I’ve included a few tips to help others avoid my fate.
Create a Strong Password.
Strong passwords have six or more characters and include letters (Uppercase and Lowercase), numbers, and symbols. Make sure it isn’t too complicated. You should still be able to remember it!
When I first joined Animal Jam, I didn’t really care about my account and had a weak, easy to guess password. A hacker could’ve easily guessed my password without crazy hacking skills.
Connect a Parent Email/Account.
This can help you change your password periodically to make your account secure. However, note that Animal Jam is not very secure and the parent emails have previously been hacked. Talk to your parents before you do this.
Also note that entering another person’s email gives them access to your account- I was almost hacked by a person who wanted to give me free chat by entering their email. Is giving up your account worth 1500 gems and the ability to say the number one?
Filter Your Buddies.
Only accept buddy requests from friends you know in-person, Jammers who are active in the blogging/youtube community, and Jammers who are frequently online and chat with you, that you know relatively well. Some hackers may buddy you so they have a list of future targets.
Don’t Get Too Involved in the AJ Wiki Worth Community.
Going onto AJ Wiki Worth to check the value of your items is completely safe, but telling others what you have may bring a hacker’s attention to you.
Create a Complex Username.
Even if you filter your buddies, sometimes hackers will try to remember your username. Creating a username that is easy to remember but hard to spell can fool hackers when they try to search for you. However, having usernames that include accents (such as é or Ø) may cause some problems (watch https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OBX5T44bX8k)
Avoid “Flashing” Rare Items
Wearing or even having lots of rare or coveted items on trade can draw attention to you. Try basing your outfit off of your favourite item (rare or not) and then choose several store bought items to complement it. For example, instead of dressing your avatar with a headdress, spiked collars and wristbands, a beta elf tail and crystal pegasys gauntlets, try wearing a sheep cloak with a lei and some flip flops!
I’ve Been Hacked! What Should I Do?
Stay Calm!
Don’t Panic! You may make a decision that you will regret. Take a deep breath in, and think about something that you love that isn’t related to Animal Jam, whether it's a pet, a friend or a favourite food. Thinking about Animal Jam may increase your panicking.
Gather Information
When did you first notice that your items were missing? Do you have any suspicions of who did it, such as a jealous Jammer you met the day before? What items did you loose? Were the items you lost traded for anything that is new in your account? Take notes and screenshots to use as evidence.
Change Your Password With Parental Controls.
If you have connected a parent email to your account in the past, head to the parent control dashboard, change your password, and lock your account. This should keep your account secure while you figure things out. If you haven’t previously connected a parent account, head to the next step below.
Create A New Account
If you cannot change your password, create a new account. While staying logged into your account that has been hacked, open the Animal Jam App on another computer or device. Create a new account, and trade your remaining items to it. If you have any diamonds, sapphires or gems left on your hacked account, spend them in stores and trade the items you have purchased to your new account, as there is no way just yet to transfer currency, unless you have a membership and can purchase items in your new account’s shop.
Reach Out To AJHQ
The sooner you reach out to them, the better your chances are of getting your items back, as AJHQ can only do this in a specific window of time after the incident. Gather the information you collected and submit a report to AJHQ.
If you have a membership, talk to your parents about canceling it and transferring it to your new account, if you plan to continue playing on a new account.
You can submit a report here: https://dailyexplorer.animaljam.com/en/posts/need-assistance-from-our-support-team-regarding-your-account/#comments
What Could I Do to Help Jammers Affected by a Hacker?
Offer Your Support.
This is most likely very hard for them- they have just lost everything that they have worked for. Remind them that you are in this together, that they can still get their items back, and the situation may turn for the better.
Help Them Collect Information and Contact AJHQ.
Help guide them through the steps of securing their account. They may be flustered, which may cause them to miss a step or make a decision that wasn’t well thought through, complicating things further. Speak calmly, slowly and clearly.
If You Wish, Gift Them An Item!
Doesn’t It make your day when someone gifts you an item for FREE, especially if it’s your dream item? Gifting them an item may make them feel a bit better and take their mind off their loss. If you have several close buddies in-game, let them know that your buddie got hacked and your buddie would really appreciate it if they could help you find a specific item.
Note that some people will take advantage of compassionate and caring Jammers and claim that they have been hacked/scammed to get free Items.
Thanks So Much For Reading!
This post was a bit longer than usual (ok… way more than a BIT. Eight pages in total on google documents, size 11 Times New Roman), but I hope you enjoyed reading!
Stay safe, and help keep Jamma a safe and positive place for all Jammers.
See you in Jamma!
*collapses on bed and promptly falls asleep, exhausted but extremely proud of this post essay*
