Xbox users targetted in phishing campaign
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Phishing scam hits 'thousands' of Xbox Live users, The Sun newspaper has reported, although there is no evidence of Microsoft having been hacked
Users of Microsoft's Xbox Live gaming network are being targetted by a phishing campaign, according to The Sun newspaper.
The scam involves sending users emails that direct them to a fake site offering free Microsoft points, which can be used on the Xbox Live marketplace to buy games and other media. If gamers enter their login details, scammers can subsequently access their credit card details.
"We are currently working closely with affected members who have been in touch with us to investigate and/or resolve any unauthorized changes to their accounts resulting from phishing scams," Microsoft said in a statement.
The Sun reports that Microsoft will offer refunds to users that can prove they did not reveal their passwords (the company would not confirm or deny this), although entering passwords seems to be the basis of the scam.
A Microsoft spokesperson explained that its online gaming network had not been hacked. "This is not a large scale hacking event like we saw with the Playstation Network," the spokesperson told Information Age. "We've looked and there is no evidence of large scale breaking into the mainframe."
