Could accepting a gift result in losing your Steam account?

The worst thing that will happen is the gifted game will be removed (if game is obtained via illegal means). If it's a raw serial key not a gift then it's up to valve's discretion. But I think the user agreement you have to accept before you can enter serial numbers on steam gives valve the right to take your account if you use shady keys.

But I think there is more to the story, then what it appears. Once you lose control of the steam account (via hackers) then they use your account for whatever EULA violating, and fraud (including the use of stolen credit card numbers). Valve does warn to never accept gifts from people you don't know and don't trust to avoid being involve with the activities of these shady people. We must keep these shady people out of the community.

I was iffy about the key giveaways before, now I'm definitely going to avoid them.
Even if the submitter is a good guy, you have no control over keys in someone else's possession and no guarantee their kid brother isn't going to post the keys on a forum somewhere and leave you screwed.

If you are suspected of knowingly participating in fraud or illegal activities with the other party IE by accepting the gift or key when you know of the activities of the other person then you'll most defiantly will lose your account. If you are completely oblivious then you have a better case, and you most likely just lose the games acquired from the guilty party.

ccino the owner of the box is technically the owner of the game, but the game is linked to somebody else's account. It's a grey area that should be avoided. They would at best be able to claim that you stole that game. Your account can be froze and if it violates TOS (which it does I think) valve can do whatever they want with your account because you didn't play by their rules. Best advice don't post serial keys on this site for box/physical copies of games, and don't enter into any such giveaways. I think one of the mods opinion is to keep those (physical copy serial numbers) off the site. Unless they mail you the box and the CD long with the serial number you should not accept serial keys from physical copies.

If they can prove they own the box, discs, and can scan in the serial number, they can prove they are the physical owner of the game. If valve looks up the serial number linked to your steam account and it matches the other party's game then you look guilty.

And they are not the owner of your entire account they are just the own of one game. It would make you look like a thief so valve very well could do what they want with your account.

I think I'm beating a dead horse but I think you see what I'm getting at.

Thanks for this thread, I didn't even think about CD keys being that much of an issue... Definitely do not see me knowingly joining a giveaway for a key now

Hmm. If they are giving away UNUSED Cd Keys here, there wouldn't be a problem. That CD Key was already tied to this guys account, and someone else got it eventually and tried to convince Steam that the account was really theirs (because the CD Key had already been used on that account). As long as people are giving away new, unused Steam Keys here, there shouldn't be any sort of similar problem.

Again. There is nothing wrong with giving away CD keys, but it is in the Gifter's and Gifted's best interest not to give away a CD key they have already used (obviously).

Annnnnd.... I just got turned down when offering an invite. Apparently the key giveaways are poisoning the rep of the site already.

This seems like a drama llama post.

just a thought: since your steamgifts account is tied to your steam account, you could use this site to prove that you won the CD key from the person. that would also somewhat prove that the giftee does not own the game anymore even though he has the boxed copy.

speaking about owning the boxed copy. how would you prove you own a boxed copy? mail it to valve? take a picture and send it to support? if it was the latter, a person could have gotten that picture anywhere, right? it wouldnt be much of a proof

doesnt steam have code that you need to get from your email before logging in from a different computer or location?

Reading the terms of service for steam is the best way to answer your question or ask support as they be best to answer

but what if somebody gives me a serial number from a boxed game, then claims my account is his?
can't i use the same trick to recover my account? (i bought the orange box and left4dead via retail)

Basically, you shouldn't accept "serial keys", because whoever has the original retail box can gain access to any Steam account where such key was redeemed. I'd only accept the keys if they're from the humble bundles.

even the humble bundle keys are still risky. Yes they are not risky in the sense they are not a box game, but it can easily be a key that has been used already.

This actually has me worried a little bit now. If you send a picture of a serial key on a box with your handwriting on it steam will simply reset your password without batting an eye. They simply send you an email that with a new password that prompts you to change your pass and your email as soon as you log in. you don't have know anything. This also works just like a stolen credit card to. anyone can do the same thing with your credit info.