this post was submitted on 19 Aug 2023
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I bought Mega Man X Dive Offline, really hyped for it, but then when I double checked my VPN, I realized it was set for the Netherlands.... Not good, I thought I had it set for the US as per usual.

Now it still showed the price in USD, but now I'm paranoid, I put in a refund explaining the situation and promising I'd buy it with the VPN turned off this time..

How fucked am I?

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[–] [email protected] 146 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Its already too late.

Every relevant law enforcement and investigation agency from the fbi to interpol have been notified

[–] [email protected] 28 points 1 year ago (3 children)

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! I DON'T WANT TO GO TO JAIL!

[–] [email protected] 22 points 1 year ago

Texting from the inside. See you soon. I'll get you a burner from Buba.

[–] [email protected] 18 points 1 year ago

It's been 3h. I think they nabbed 'em

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

This is your local sherif, and I demand $10000 paid in ITunes gift cards or else we will issue a warrant for your arrest.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago
[–] [email protected] 37 points 1 year ago

Lmao dude it doesn't matter at all

[–] [email protected] 34 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Straight to jail. Do not pass go. Do not collect 200 dollars.

[–] [email protected] 16 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Buying a game with VPN on? Believe it or not, jail.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Federal “pound me in the ass” prison, actually

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago

They never told me THAT was an option! I'd have pled guilty.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago

You underpay for game? Believe it or not, jail. You overpay for game, also jail.

[–] [email protected] 24 points 1 year ago

(assuming your home country is USA) You are allowed to purchase games from US websites while you travel. As long as the purchase is linked to your US payment method, with US residence address on the bill, it does not matter where I'm the world you connect from.

You might raise suspicion if you bought something via NL VPN, using Dutch credit card and address. Otherwise you are all good.

[–] [email protected] 20 points 1 year ago (2 children)

What's your concern? I've never heard any issues with purchasing anything on VPN. In fact, it's recommended to save money by getting around geo-pricing

[–] [email protected] 16 points 1 year ago

It is against the steam subscriber agreement to use a VPN. Particularly if you're using it to get around a region restricted game. Will they check and catch you? Probably not, but they can. It's definately not recommended though.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 1 year ago

Getting around geo-pricing is a bannable offense

[–] [email protected] 16 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Wut? Why would you be fucked? I buy games with my VPN on all the time

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Arent you not allowed to buy games if Steam thinks you're somewhere you aren't?

[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 year ago (1 children)

You’re also not allowed to cross the street outside of a crosswalk

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I don’t know if you’re kidding, but that would be a very weird law.

[–] violetgreendev 8 points 1 year ago (2 children)

It's called jaywalking - illegal in Australian cities actually.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Also in US, and I suspect many other countries

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I don’t know if something that oppressive is going to be true in many countries.

Maybe only in oppressive countries like China and the US, and a few others.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

It varies state to state but in my experience it's a single digit dollar amount fine and that's it. Only in places that have adequate crosswalks everywhere and rarely enforced unless there's been chronic pedestrian issues. In US, pedestrians always have right of way. Jaywalking laws are there as a deterrent to protect pedestrians as much as drivers. About the only place I've seen jaywalking laws enforced are university campuses. You've got throngs of young adults, on their own for the first time, and walking around everywhere in busy urban environments

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Illegal in the USA, too. It is a rarely enforced law.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

This is so weird to me. In Belgium, if there is no crosswalk in 20meters, you can cross (and cars a supposed to stop to let you go).

What do you do if there is non ? You take your car to cross the street ? Or everything is well done and you have a crosswalk every few meters on every road ?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

Oh, we don't walk. We drive everywhere, even if our destination is in the same neighborhood.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

In the US it’s only illegal if there is a crosswalk and you don’t use it. If there is no crosswalk, then it’s not jaywalking.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 year ago

The reason you set a steam shop location. If it's longer term it may be beneficial to change the region but usually you can let it be whereever you want.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I've never heard of that. Pretty sure even if they cared about that for some reason, there would be nothing they could do about it. What are they gonna do, take you to court? They can't prove you weren't in the Netherlands.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

That would be very easy to proof actually (Not that I think Op did anything wrong or that steam would care)

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

How would it be easy? Please elaborate how steam would go about investigating OPs private life around the day of purchase and gather actual proof of them not going to the netherlands.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

I dont see any problem. Even without refund, what would be the worst case?

My guess: you need to play the game with vpn set to the netherlands? Not more, not less. Or is using vpn prohibitted where you life?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

Is the netherlands price even different? If you aren't changing the vpn to Argentina or some other country with an undervalued currency, you'll probably be fine.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 1 year ago

Does anyone know if its illegal for me to login to my friends account and buy the game for him because I live in a region that's cheaper?