So i just found out that the hacker didn't use my microsoft points to buy games on an Xbox 360, they used my points to buy The Sims 3 Generations and Mass Effect 2 for PC! I don't even own a PC... So apparently this has little to do with my Xbox 360 and more to do with my email account being hacked. Which sucks cause now I can't check email or play my 360...

I don't know if my password is "easy to guess" it said it was "strong" when I made it, so I guess it was fine. I used it for my EA Sports Hockey League account. The representative said I didn't have a security question, honestly i don't remember it even asking me to make one.

I know I don't have to, it just seems like Microsoft is placing the blame on the users as if we give out our passwords to people and try to get hacked. Idk, it's just a crap situation. I checked my computer for viruses, changed the password on the account, and canceled the card that was linked to the Live account. Luckily they didn't hit my card, just took about $60 of stored Microsoft Points and used them on games I'll never play. Guess all I can do is play the waiting game till further notice...

Was your windows live password easy to guess? Do you use the same password for anything else? Are your security answers obvious?

You don't need to click a link or fill out a form in order for people to get access to your account.

@Maxx2029: That really blows, i've been playing the original Saint's Row offline. Guess I might as well put my PS3 and Wii to use =/ Thanks for the information, really appreciate it!

I also reported the credit card that was linked to my live membership as lost/stolen so they'd give me a new account number. I am not sure why the stupid account insists on having a credit card linked to it! I took advantage of that 2 years of xbox live for $80 deal back in nov of 2010 and it charged me back then but still needs the card info... Luckily they didn't do anything with my bank account.

I didn't get to keep my achievements. When I got the account back, I could no longer log in using the profile on my XBox360 and had to download it from xbox.com. Which meant it wiped all the achievements I got offline. Now I'm missing achievements from the the middle of Saints Row..

@The_Laughing_Man: Never played FIFA, only accounts linked with EA are the NHL 11 and NHL 12 EA Sports Hockey League accounts and Mass Effect 2 account. My e-mail address was also sending out weird e-mails to people on my contacts list about a "new years resolution" with a link. Again I never click on that stupid stuff, and I am a Mac user who actually scans every few days for viruses. Nothing usually comes up but the occasional phishing email that is erased immediately after the scan. The whole situation sucks really.

@pw2566ch: i hope you're right. It'd really suck if I can't even play offline games. I disconnected my xbox from the internet so I can't see how they'd be able to kick me from the account.

Most of the questions you asked should be answered by Xbox Live reps. Everyone's situation is always different. There could even be a chance that you will get your account back in less than a month because it's not a bank account issue, it's them spending 5000 MSP that's already on your account.

As far as your achievements go, you should be bale to keep them.

My Xbox live account got hacked! Woopie! I haven't given out any information to ANYONE, or clicked any weird links. I am not quite sure what happened, all I do know is, someone used my 5,000 MS Points to purchase Mass Effect 2 (a game I already own and completed a while ago) and Sims 3. As far as I can tell, this will leave me off Xbox Live for a long while (saw people waiting as long as SIX months!). So my questions are, will I still be able to use my account offline to play my games? Do achievements get wiped when they give you back access to your account? Do achievements earned offline get wiped upon gaining access to your account? Do they actually refund you for the amount of time your account was locked: meaning do they give you six months of live for free if the investigation locked you out for six months. Does Microsoft actually refund your credit card/MS Points? If anyone has been in this situation, please fill me in, it'd be greatly apperciated!

What really sucks is, my main e-mail account is on live.com which means I'm locked out of my e-mail as well!

My Xbox live account got hacked! Woopie! I haven't given out any information to ANYONE, or clicked any weird links. I am not quite sure what happened, all I do know is, someone used my 5,000 MS Points to purchase Mass Effect 2 (a game I already own and completed a while ago) and Sims 3. As far as I can tell, this will leave me off Xbox Live for a long while (saw people waiting as long as SIX months!). So my questions are, will I still be able to use my account offline to play my games? Do achievements get wiped when they give you back access to your account? Do achievements earned offline get wiped upon gaining access to your account? Do they actually refund you for the amount of time your account was locked: meaning do they give you six months of live for free if the investigation locked you out for six months. Does Microsoft actually refund your credit card/MS Points? If anyone has been in this situation, please fill me in, it'd be greatly apperciated!

What really sucks is, my main e-mail account is on live.com which means I'm locked out of my e-mail as well!