Blizzard’s October announcements explain different parts of its response to real-money trading, often shortened to RMT. They can help you understand a notice, but they cannot establish why a particular account received it.
A trade warning explains a risk
In its 1 October announcement, Blizzard said it would soon add a warning when trading with strangers. The warning cautioned against accepting gold from unknown or suspicious sources because of the risk of account closure if the provider was involved in RMT.
That was an announcement of a warning. It does not establish every current trigger or why a particular message appeared. The warning alone does not tell us that Blizzard has found a violation on your account.
A Temporary Economy Hold restricts economic activity during investigation
The 13 October explanation says suspected involvement in selling or receiving illicit gold can lead to restricted use of trade, mail, guild banks and the Auction House while Blizzard investigates.
Blizzard says the hold is removed automatically if the triggering activity is investigated and found false. If involvement in RMT is established, account action can follow. The post acknowledges possible false positives and says a hold alone leaves no permanent strike unless later proven to be RMT-motivated.
A confirmed violation can lead to a penalty
The 1 October post lists gold removal, suspension or permanent account closure as possible consequences when participation in generating, selling, buying or receiving illicit gold is established. It says enforcement applies in beta and after launch.
Those possible consequences should not be treated as the outcome of every warning or hold. These announcements do not publish a safe trading amount, a guaranteed investigation time or a verdict on transfers between particular friends or alts.
Read your own notice before comparing stories
Keep the exact wording and date. A remembered summary such as “I got banned” can lose the distinction you need.
Separate the message from the restriction. Note whether you saw a warning, found an economic action unavailable, or received a specific account-action notice. Do not assume one proves the cause of another.
Use the matching official explanation. Read the linked announcement alongside your notice. Another player’s screenshot cannot establish what happened to your account.
Checked 23 October 2026 against Blizzard’s two announcements. This explainer does not diagnose individual accounts or provide an appeal procedure. It makes no promise about how quickly a hold will be resolved.