14 DAY TRIAL // The FTC (US Federal Trade Commission) has issued a public statement advisory (PSA) warning of a series of recent phishing campaigns that have been observed targeting online gamers.
The rise of the gaming-related micro-market has drawn the attention of cyber-crooks, who are employing classic phishing emails but aimed at taking advantages of small insecurities specific to online gamers.
As the FTC explains, most of the time, gamers will receive an email that looks just like authentic ones the game's parent company is sending out on a regular basis.
These emails warn users of an impending fine or legal action against the gamer, citing broken user agreements, most of the time accusing victims of illegally selling game assets or characters for real money (instead of in-game currencies).
As with any classic phishing email, to avoid any consequences, gamers are encouraged to log into their accounts and verify personal details.
This data is harvested by criminals, and either used to access the gaming profile, other user accounts (if password reuse plays a factor), or make fraudulent purchases (if financial details have been obtained).
The FTC recommends that any gamer that receives these kinds of mails get in contact with the game's company from its official website, and avoid clicking links inside the email's body.
As a rule for any situation, no file attachments should ever be opened if received from unknown senders.