Beware of this StarCraft II Phishing Scam!

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Did you ever see a scam that looked so much like it was real that you feel lucky to have escaped? When I saw the email posted below from SiliconEra, I was floored and went back to my receipt from Blizzard to make sure it wasn’t a scam!

Here is the malicious email:

From:

Hello, thank you for shopping at the Blizzard Store!

StarCraft II®: Wings of Liberty™: 2775298057033043807536803

To use this key to activate the game, simply follow these instructions:
1. Create a Battle.net account (or if you already have one, log in) at (malicious URL removed)
2. Verify your e-mail address. (If you have previously verified your address, skip this step.) From the main Account Management page, click the ‘verify this e-mail address’ link. Then, check your e-mail account for a verification e-mail. Click the link in this e-mail to verify your e-mail address.
3. Return to the Battle.net account management page, then click on ‘Code Redemption’.
4. Enter the above CDKey in the code field.
5. Once you have successfully redeemed this code, you will be able to play the game.

NOTE: If you have previously chosen to gift your digital purchase, attaching this key to their Battle.net account will prevent you from being able to redeem this key with your Battle.net account.

===========================================
Purchase Receipt
===========================================
Customer Account:
Order Date: 2010-8-2
Order #: 3893676

(1) StarCraft II®: Wings of Liberty™ – $59.99

Credit Card Number : ****-****-****-4406
Credit Card Type : Visa
Item Subtotal: $59.99
Tax: $0.00
Shipping & Handling: $0.00
Shipping Tax: $0.00
Grand Total: $59.99
===========================================

If you have any questions or concerns about your order, please contact us at:

Phone: Toll-free at 1-800-592-5499 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              1-800-592-5499      end_of_the_skype_highlighting
Website: http://support.blizzard.net/account

Live phone support is available seven days a week, 8:00AM – 8:00PM Pacific Time.

Thanks for shopping with us!
Blizzard Customer Service

And here is the sterilized version of my purchase receipt from Blizzard when I bought the game last week:

Hello, Michael! Thank you for making a purchase from Blizzard Entertainment.

The digital game(s) you purchased are now available for download to your computer from your Battle.net account.
If you purchased the digital version of StarCraft II, your license is already attached to your account.
Otherwise, the Game Key(s) for your purchased title(s) are listed above for reference. To access your digital game(s), simply follow these instructions:

1. Log in to your Battle.net account at http://www.battle.net
2. Verify your e-mail address. (If you have previously verified your address, skip this step.) From the main Account Management page, click the ‘verify this e-mail address’ link. Then, check your e-mail account for a verification e-mail. Click the link in this e-mail to verify your e-mail address.
3. Return to the Battle.net account management page.
4. Click the “Add a New Game” button to attach the Game Code to your Battle.net account if you have not already done so.
5. You will now be able to download and install your game(s) at your convenience using the download controls on the account management page.

NOTE: If you have previously chosen to gift your digital game purchase, attaching the Game Key to your Battle.net account and downloading it yourself will prevent the gift recipient from attaching and downloading the game with their Battle.net account.

===========================================
Purchase Receipt
===========================================
Customer Name: Michael Anderson
Order Date: 27/07/2010
Order #:

(1) BAM – Starcraft II – $59.99

Credit Card Number : ****-****-****-****
Credit Card Type :
Item Subtotal: $59.99
Tax: $0.00
Shipping & Handling: $0.00
Shipping Tax: $0.00
Grand Total: $59.99
===========================================

If you have any questions or concerns about your order, please contact us at:

Phone: Toll-free at 1-800-592-5499
E-mail: [email protected]

Live phone support is available seven days a week, 7:00AM – 8:00PM Pacific Time.

Thanks for shopping with us!
Blizzard Customer Service

So what should you do? First off, any legit emails from Blizzard come from Blizzard.com or Battle.net. Also, you can always type Battle.net into your browser and safely log into your account that way. Finally, anything you purchase on the Blizzard store is automatically added to your account … there is no need to do anything else!

And as always, check the links in emails before clicking – that is true for ANY email!
Source: SiliconEra

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About the Author

Michael Anderson
I have loved technology for as long as I can remember - and have been a computer gamer since the PDP-10! Mobile Technology has played a major role in my life - I have used an electronic companion since the HP95LX more than 20 years ago, and have been a 'Laptop First' person since my Compaq LTE Lite 3/20 and Powerbook 170 back in 1991! As an avid gamer and gadget-junkie I was constantly asked for my opinions on new technology, which led to writing small blurbs ... and eventually becoming a reviewer many years ago. My family is my biggest priority in life, and they alternate between loving and tolerating my gaming and gadget hobbies ... but ultimately benefits from the addition of technology to our lives!

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