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I have been using SO for about 11 months. Once I lost my first account so then I built up the new one and started gaining reputation again.

I have been busy with my office work so I couldn't find enough time to spend on SO. On Wednesday (26-12-2012) I spent my whole day on SO to answer different questions and to accept the answers to questions that I have asked. I also up voted the answers that helped me and gave me direction. I also up voted the question from which I found some learning material.

BUT

The next day I found an email in my inbox that my account has not been blocked but removed. And the reasons described in email were that I am supposed to be a SockPuppet.

I object to that; I didn't do anything inappropriate to gain reputation.

  • Is posting an answer to any question wrong or against the policy?
  • Is voting the question up wrong or against the policy?
  • Is voting the answer up wrong or against the policy?

OR

  • Is spending 24 hours on Stack Overflow prohibited according to the policy?

If all the things are true then I think the policy should be changed or all the users should be blocked because I see every day others accept answers, vote up answers and do every thing to gain reputation.

If I gained enough reputation in one day then this should be thought that from where I have earned this reputation. Definitely I have earned reputation from the system you have made. I didn't use any wrong means or ways to earn it. But I don't know why the system has removed my account without giving me the warning that I am doing something wrong according to the policy.

This is not fair at all. I request to recover my account. I hope the management will listen to my question and make the right decision.

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  • 7
    Gee, I wonder if the timing of this has anything to do with any other recent posts, here...
    – Andrew Barber
    Commented Dec 28, 2012 at 5:17
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    Did you have multiple accounts with the same IP?
    – Ramy Al Zuhouri
    Commented Dec 28, 2012 at 5:20
  • @RamyAlZuhouri That should not matter. My lab mates have the same IP as me. That isn't against the rules.
    – Austin Henley
    Commented Dec 28, 2012 at 5:22
  • similar thing has happened to me on SO. In last few days i built reputation up to some mark but on that very day after few hours i got decrement in my reputation of 34 points neither i get any warning nor any one did vote me down but still i got my reputation went down that is not fair
    – Usman Kurd
    Commented Dec 28, 2012 at 5:29
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    @UsmanKurd What happened to you is not at all similar to what this user has done. He was caught cheating.
    – Andrew Barber
    Commented Dec 28, 2012 at 5:31
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    @UsmanKurd If your reputation was decremented, but your account wasn't blocked or removed, and you weren't downvoted etc., it might be because a question that you had given an answer to was deleted. That has happened to me too. It isn't your fault, or because of anything you did necessarily! It was likely several different things happening for it to be 34 points, maybe an answer with 3 up votes (the -30 portion) was deleted plus something else that subtracted 4 rep points.
    – Ellie K
    Commented Dec 28, 2012 at 5:34
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    If you are sharing a single internet facing IP address with several other active Stack OVerflow users and you have not been voting for one another then you should replay to the email that you recieved explaining the situation. You certainly won't get anywhere by just posting to meta: you have an unusual case and there are no provisions to handle it through the usual channels.
    – dmckee --- ex-moderator kitten
    Commented Dec 28, 2012 at 5:42
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    You say you were told you were using a "Sock Puppet". That is cheating. For an account to actually get wiped out is pretty rare, and the mods tend to exercise that option pretty carefully.
    – Andrew Barber
    Commented Dec 28, 2012 at 5:43
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    I told that they called me "Sock Puppet". I know what does Sock puppet mean. But I was not a Sock Puppet.
    – user1931542
    Commented Dec 28, 2012 at 5:48
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    @Krishnabhadra I was going to send this URL to you via Twitter, as I don't want to interfere with the main intent of the original question (I shouldn't have said anything, that's my fault). I saw you don't use Twitter much though. Points removal for deleted questions is not straightforward, per this blog.stackoverflow.com/2012/03/… I only mentioned it, as I lost 35 rep pts from WebApps SE today, for a deleted answer that was accepted from Sept. 2011, so it has been on my mind.
    – Ellie K
    Commented Dec 28, 2012 at 5:50
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    This comment meta.stackexchange.com/questions/22568/… to an answer in another question says that you should email [email protected] about recovering a deleted account, or to plea your case, in the current, post-Jeff Atwood era.
    – Ellie K
    Commented Dec 28, 2012 at 5:54
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    FeralOink is not a moderator or staff member here (neither am I). We don't at all have access to the information that moderators used to determine you should be deleted. So asking our opinion on "your case" is not terribly productive.
    – Andrew Barber
    Commented Dec 28, 2012 at 6:05
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    That was a joke. I am sorry. I should delete it. I don't know what StackExchange policy is, nor am I implying that they would do anything of the sort that I described. I am not a moderator. @AndrewBarber is correct. I'm sorry, and will now extract myself, from this, as a StackExchange person is the proper person for you to contact, not me.
    – Ellie K
    Commented Dec 28, 2012 at 6:13
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    I'm pretty sure your account was deleted because you admitted to having created several new accounts to circumvent a ban. Saying that publicly, where mods can see, probably influenced one such mod to delete your account.
    – user176326
    Commented Dec 28, 2012 at 8:09
  • 5
    It blows my mind that you continue this discussion in a public post with people who have no bearing on the outcome.
    – Mike B
    Commented Dec 28, 2012 at 17:22

1 Answer 1

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If your account has been removed, things are past the point that even a diamond moderator can assist you. This is what I recommend you do:

  1. Use this form to contact our community management team

  2. Indicate that you don't think the destruction of your account was appropriate and give them the following details:

    • Your old user name / ID, a link to where your profile page used to be would be ideal, or a link to one of your questions or answers that now show the 'anonymous' user. This is needed to identify the now defunct account.
    • Why you think the action was unwarranted
    • A copy of the e-mail you received from the moderator that took the action (which should also contain the details needed to identify your account)
    • A link to this meta question

  3. Wait for a reply, most of the team is on a holiday break, as far as I know.

I have brought this post to the attention of the community team in chat, however as I said, please be patient.

Sorry that I'm unable to do more, as you're obviously quite upset, but the steps above are your clearest path to a favorable resolution.

Important Note

Please do not use comments under this answer to request support. Rather, follow the steps I outlined above if you want to resolve your concerns. Comments left under this answer requesting support will simply be removed - please follow the instructions given and wait for a response, you'll get one - I promise.

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  • :: Thank you buddy, Thank you so much. You at least released my some of tension. I definitely provide all the details. I have every thing. I have emailed my query to [email protected]. but I have not get any replay yet. but now as you told that most of team is on holidays, so I am waiting am let you know if I get a replay from them
    – user1931542
    Commented Dec 28, 2012 at 10:21

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