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New E-mail Scam Targets PlayStation Network

According to IronStar, a gaming website, PlayStation Network or PSN users are apparently receiving a scam e-mail. The news first came from IronStar itself. Reportedly, during the attack, an IronStar member, fell prey to the e-mail scam when he was asked to pay $350 for some PSN products that he didn't buy.

Following this, PlayStation forums also disclosed similar woeful stories depicting gamers who had been defrauded of their hard-earned money.

Understandably, the scam uses a chain of e-mails supposedly from friends that are dispatched to the e-mail accounts of PlayStation Network victims.
The e-mail talk about PSN downloads available for free through a code generator over the Internet. If users do as per the instructions, it enables attackers to exploit those users' mode of payment on their file. Indeed, by just viewing the e-mails, users' accounts can become compromised since the messages carry a malicious Trojan.

Describing what a Trojan is, security researchers state that it's a program that contains malicious code within seemingly innocuous data or programming that allows the malware to gain control as well as execute its pre-designed damage.

In the meantime, with the scam circulating, PSN is suggesting gamers to remain vigilant about newly dispatched e-mails from unfamiliar sender accounts, in case they've stored their payment card details on personal PSN accounts. Additionally, if any of the gamers doubts a risk on his debit or credit card, it's advisable that he delete his card details off his account on the PlayStation website's account settings section.

Further, users are advised to delete dubious e-mails immediately without even clicking on them, and thereafter block of the sender to evade the chances of receiving such vicious e-mails further.

Moreover, if anyone feels he has opened a chain e-mail, and then he must instantly call the customer service of Sony PlayStation and report the event as well as avail advice and help.

Finally, this latest attack comes soon after the security firm Sunbelt Software reported another PSN scam during early March this year (2010). In that scam, criminals circulated a fake PlayStation game on the Net as it delivered a Trojan horse called 'CodecPack-2GCash-Gen'.

Related article: New Zealand Releases Code To Reduce Spam

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