Microsoft warns of Xbox Live "fishing" News • News • Eurogamer.net

News Xbox 360

Scammers target Modern Warfare 2.

Microsoft has warned Xbox Live users of "fishing" attempts on secure data while you're playing smash-hit Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.

"Users may receive potential fishing attempts via title specific messaging while playing Modern Warfare 2," the Xbox Live Status page warned.

"We are aware of the problem and are working to resolve the issue.

"We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause and thank you for your patience."

Fishing, or phishing, is the process of trying to acquire top secret data such as credit card information under false pretence. This commonly involves a fisher pretending to be a company they are not, and asking that you update your account information.

The Xbox Live Status currently has Matchmacking on Service Alert as a result.

About Robert Purchese

Bertie is Eurogamer's Senior Staff Writer. When he's not hunting down news stories he's often found playing with his kids or gabbling about fantasy games and strange online worlds.

Read more articles from Robert by visiting the Robert Purchese archive page.

Comments (33) Latest comment 7 months ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

Order
- Oldest
- Newest
- Best
- Worst
Score
- -25
- -10
- -1
- 0
- +1
- +10
- +25

jag10 #1 10 months ago

Comment below viewing threshold Show
pfft!
- Log in or register to reply
- -5 - +
bemaniac #2 10 months ago

Comment below viewing threshold Show
You'd be pretty dumb to type your credit card number into ingame chat lol
- Log in or register to reply
- +17 - +
the_dudefather #3 10 months ago

Comment below viewing threshold Show
I was playing online and some guy said I could get the headshottiest gun if I created a PSN account and put my CC details on it
- Log in or register to reply
- +11 - +
JBlokeUK #4 10 months ago

Comment below viewing threshold Show
Yesterday Sony is "finished".

Today, Microsoft?

Nintendo tomorrow. There'll be nobody left by the weekend!
- Log in or register to reply
- -3 - +
AcidSnake #5 10 months ago

Comment below viewing threshold Show
But...but...he said his dad works for Microsoft! And I wanted to be 10th prestige!
- Log in or register to reply
- +12 - +
JBlokeUK #6 10 months ago

Comment below viewing threshold Show
One of my best mates actually works for Microsoft.

I'm not a keen fisherman though.
- Log in or register to reply
- +2 - +
JBlokeUK #7 10 months ago

Comment below viewing threshold Show
Apparently, if some of the idiots around here are to be believed.
- Log in or register to reply
- +5 - +
MDL199 #8 10 months ago

Comment below viewing threshold Show
Can you imagine if Xbox Live got hacked I seriously think Coolbritania would go and top himself lol.

Every cloud and all that

Edited by 1 at 27/04/11 @ 11:40
- Log in or register to reply
- +5 - +
Deckard1 #9 10 months ago

Comment below viewing threshold Show
Pfft this is silly, people who play MW2 don't have any money.
- Log in or register to reply
- +4 - +
JBlokeUK #10 10 months ago

Comment below viewing threshold Show
@MDL

He's already masturbating furiously in excitement over this Sony fiasco.
- Log in or register to reply
- +7 - +
TheEarlOfZinger #11 10 months ago

Comment below viewing threshold Show
@MDL199

ha! He's the only person I've stuck on 'ignore'. I couldn't take any more of the smug wanker.
- Log in or register to reply
- +4 - +
mcmonkeyplc #12 10 months ago

Comment below viewing threshold Show
SHIELDS! SHIELDS damn it Where are my god damned SHIELDS!
- Log in or register to reply
- 0 - +
coolbritannia #13 10 months ago

Comment below viewing threshold Show
they're doing this all wrong, we don't need to know this until early May at the earliest. seems they're trying to crack live as well, although I thought MW2 has had security issues for years?

also, for the guy wishing i would kill myself, very classy. get some perspective.
- Log in or register to reply
- 0 - +
digoutyoursoul #14 10 months ago

Comment below viewing threshold Show
anyone who calls someone a "xbot" is a fucking loser
- Log in or register to reply
- +18 - +
uknortherner2000 #15 10 months ago

Comment below viewing threshold Show
But apparently calling someone "SDF" is perfectly fine. Ah, the world of petty fanboi squabbles.
- Log in or register to reply
- -9 - +
JBlokeUK #16 10 months ago

Comment below viewing threshold Show
Ironic, isn't it?
- Log in or register to reply
- 0 - +
Bealsy #17 10 months ago

Comment below viewing threshold Show
people still play that buggy tosh?
- Log in or register to reply
- 0 - +
Daeltaja #18 10 months ago

Comment below viewing threshold Show
Saw this yesterday, my nephew was playing it and the screen was literally SPAMMED with coloured text, with a website link and the a message like "looking for modders for a modders clan, visit http://www.blablabla.com"

The gamerwebs are under attack!
- Log in or register to reply
- 0 - +
RobotRocker #19 10 months ago

Comment below viewing threshold Show
Actually, this scam has been in operation for a while where people invite people to prestige lobbies to boost their XP in MW2 and Black Ops. It was usually done with payment of MS points but some have extended it to paypal and credit card scams. When you have idiot kids with access to credit cards wanting to increase their E-Peen. This is the result.

Check out http://www.whywasibanne d.com for some hilarious examples of some of the people running the scams getting busted though.

XBOTS RROD fans hit by karma. Hilarious.

Subtlety in trolling is a lost art.
- Log in or register to reply
- +4 - +
Salgar #20 10 months ago

Comment below viewing threshold Show
It's called phishing, not fishing.
- Log in or register to reply
- +5 - +
DAN.E.B #21 10 months ago

Comment below viewing threshold Show
"Microsoft warns of Xbox Live "fishing"

Sure Sega Bass Fishing is a lazy port to XBLA but a warnings a bit extreme.
- Log in or register to reply
- +16 - +
paulf #22 10 months ago

Comment below viewing threshold Show
their rivalry with sony is so intense that they have to release a hacker based alert as well
- Log in or register to reply
- +6 - +
davisorle #23 10 months ago

Comment below viewing threshold Show
Fishing scam isnt anything like hwats going on at Sony. For those confused you can read above from comments. Its just pretend companies asking for your info. If you are dumb enough you go along and give your personal info. Something that happens to many people daily in places like Facebook ( omfg how much i hate it ) having clients bitching as if its my fault they are suckers for being victims of such a fraud. just DONT give your personal info and dont follow links asking for your log in info either.

Simple..
- Log in or register to reply
- 0 - +
Noble6 #24 10 months ago

Comment below viewing threshold Show
I call myself an x-bot.
- Log in or register to reply
- -4 - +
dirtysteve #25 10 months ago

Comment below viewing threshold Show
I have got some random invites to games on xbox, I usually delete them. I naively assumed that they were sent to me by mistake. I guess I'm just not cynical enough.
- Log in or register to reply
- +1 - +
Telephasic #26 10 months ago

Comment below viewing threshold Show
"Top Secret" is quite a specific, defined term that probably isn't right in this context. I could go on to pedantically point out the value of pedantry itself, but I won't. Suffice to say it's awesome.
- Log in or register to reply
- +2 - +
RodHull #27 10 months ago

Comment below viewing threshold Show
This has nowt to do with any security breach at Microsoft, they're just letting us know there's some dastardly sorts out there trying to make us give out our banking details. Just like those Nigerian princes and those goons that appear on here selling handbags. The fact they're on an 18 month old game iteration says it all.
- Log in or register to reply
- +1 - +
Bluetooth #28 10 months ago

Comment below viewing threshold Show
I knew those fangled techo computery things were no good. I'm switching this off after I post and going back to good old pen and paper.
- Log in or register to reply
- +1 - +
metalangel #29 10 months ago

Comment below viewing threshold Show
"Xbot" doesn't even make sense as an insult.
- Log in or register to reply
- -1 - +
Hungry_Horace #30 10 months ago

Comment below viewing threshold Show
@dirtysteve

I've had a similar experience playing Black Ops on the PSN (before it went down of course!) - loads of invites from people I'd never heard of. Looking through the recently met players list, I hadn't even played with them. I'd just assumed they were friends of friends, or were so enamoured with my playing skill (not), that they were desperate to get me on their team. Didn't realise it was a phishing expedition. Fuckers are everywhere.
- Log in or register to reply
- 0 - +
metalangel #31 10 months ago

Comment below viewing threshold Show
*steals Bluetooth's paper, and breaks the pen*
- Log in or register to reply
- -1 - +
TrailDingo #32 10 months ago

Comment below viewing threshold Show
....but you have to 18 to have a credit card, some poor market research by the fishingmen!
- Log in or register to reply
- 0 - +
james-mw3-mw3 #33 7 months ago

Comment below viewing threshold Show
MW3, like its predecessors, is a first-person shooter. To give it a competitive edge over other games, Modern Warfare 3 runs at 60FPS! A new Special Ops mode includes one and two player cooperative play with a survival mode and new weapons and perks, so with this Modern Warfare 3 is 100x better than this game.
- Log in or register to reply
- 0 - +