Username/Name sniping

Name sniping is the act of registering a new account for the purpose of taking a special username (typically a word in the dictionary or a legible phrase, or small usernames). Users who partake in this act are known as name snipers, and occasionally make "list accounts" with the special name (such as "ExploiterList") and use the description to name different users of that type. This is synonymous with tracker accounts, where the account lists every account that meets the criteria, such as an administrator. Most players who Name Snipe join their accounts to Name Sniping Groups such as Name Snipes.
Name sniping frequently occurred during Roblox's early history, when it was gaining popularity. Many name-sniped accounts from that time are inactive. There are debates as to whether inactive namesniped accounts should be forced to relinquish their username so that the namesniped name can become available for new, active players to take. Roblox's stance is that the name is left alone unless there is a violation of the Terms of Use, regardless of player activity.
Name sniping can be used maliciously, such as through impersonation. This occurs when a player creates a similar username to another notable player and pretends to be that account. For instance, could have been name-sniped as (capital i instead of lowercase L). This can become malicious, particularly if that account is used to scam players who are unable to identify the difference. Of course, that isn't the usual intent of name sniping.
Around October 2022, an exploit was found which involves contacting support and claiming that a username was "inappropriate." They would then reset the username, leaving it available for taking. Many users took advantage of this to steal 3 and 4 character usernames such as "pig" or "fog." This exploit was later discovered by more users, leading to its patch in early 2023.
In early February 2024 players found a way to abuse the DSA support form to reset a bunch of rare, famous, and inappropriate usernames. This caused players like Faave, Pheedy, AlexValentinoCrown, Ellernate, pheeqy (pheedy alt/main), MSE6, 0_0 (his old username 8_8), and many more to be reset and their names to be stolen. After this happened users found a way to change the usernames of the accounts, Faave was name changed to FreakyTenjo, Pheedy was name changed to Andryify_1337, and Ellernate was name changed to VillainIsCool1295. Over 100 3 character usernames were made due to this method.
Category:Community