Microsoft has responded to claims made by The Sun newspaper that “online crooks had hacked into thousands of Xbox Live accounts to steal millions of pounds.”
A statement read: “Xbox LIVE has not been hacked. Microsoft can confirm that there has been no breach to the security of our Xbox LIVE service. In this case, a number of Xbox LIVE members appear to have recently been victim of malicious ‘phishing’ scams (ie. online attempts to acquire personal information such as passwords, user names and credit card details by purporting to be a legitimate company or person).”
According to the newspaper, “the average loss to gamers in the UK is around £100 — but many have had more than £200 stolen,” though it’s unclear where the information came from.
Microsoft’s statement continued: “The online safety of Xbox LIVE members remains of the utmost importance, which is why we consistently take measures to protect Xbox LIVE against ever-changing threats. As a result, 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 also reminded all customers “that they should be very careful to keep all personal information secure whenever online and never supply e-mail addresses, passwords or credit card information to strangers.“
