StarCraft II players targeted for phishing email scams

With StarCraft II being the “it” game of the summer and hundreds of thousands of people playing it, it’s no wonder that it’s being used by shady shysters. Email phishing scams and falsified product keys have been making their way to players’ in-boxes, in an attempt to steal their passwords, accounts, and other private information.

The European World of Warcraft forums are warning users not to respond to emails that supposedly came from Battle.net. These emails may promise players with all sorts of things such as in-game prizes or beta invites. Other times the email may look alarming, claming that your account has been compromised and you have to log in by clicking on the URL provided in the email.

Similarly, Siliconera reports that false product keys to StarCraft II are being mailed out, leading the receiver to think that they’ve somehow received a “free” game. Of course, the email wants you to click on the link provided to ahem, “verify” your email address.

Be vigilant folks. Read your emails very carefully. Never click directly on a link. Type the URL in directly to your browser. Remember, a legitimate email will never ask you for your password. Also, if you mysteriously win a prize (in-game or in real life) even though you didn’t enter any contest, then most likely it’s a trick.

Unfortunately, just checking the sender’s email to make sure it comes from “@blizzard.com” or “@battle.net” isn’t enough these days, as those can be disguised, or “spoofed”. Blizzard has a page that describes how to identify spoofed email addresses.

Site [European WoW forums] Site [Siliconera] Via [MTV Multiplayer]

Phishing image courtesy of HowStuffWorks. Amateur MS Paint work by the author.