Xbox Live Phishing Scam Front Page News

The front page of The Sun was today adorned not with reports that a number of Xbox Live members have been victims of an email-based phishing scam. The scam sought to gather account details from users of the service when clicking through to retrieve free Xbox Live Microsoft Points.

Though phishing remains one of the most common forms of cyber fraud, The Sun reports that “thousands of Xbox Live accounts” from over 35 countries have been breached and, of those who have had account details stolen, the average losses per victim amount to a sizeable £100.

This follows similarly high-profile cyber attacks on Sony’s PlayStation Network and Valve’s Steam service, which were both temporarily shut down during their respective attacks to tighten security. Though Microsoft could do little to stop what is a third-party scam, the platform holder has promised to refund anyone who did not reveal their Xbox Live password, indicating to MCV that it is “working closely with affected members who have been in touch to investigate and/or resolve any unauthorised changes to their accounts resulting from phishing scams.”