Xbox Identity Theft Warning
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Thieves are accessing people's bank accounts by stealing information through video game consoles. Video by tmj4.com
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Money hungry thieves are finding a new way into your bank account--through video games.
Xbox won't be the same for 14-year-old Zach Grant. He's had to learn the oldest advice in the parental handbook has moved to the virtual world too: Bad things can happen when you're talking to people you don't know.
His mom, Lisa, says it started when her teenager started chatting on Xbox Live. Someone named Mr. Lambourgini had something to offer Zach that he wanted: Microsoft points used for Xbox games. This hacker used that technique for this phishing scam.
He offered Zach the points. All he needed to do was give an email address and password. He actually was able to record the conversation.
The hacker said things like, "What you have to do is send me an email address and a password."
The hacker even got a little pushy and said, "You have like 20 minutes to get me an email address and password. I am not a hacker."
So when Zach gave up the info, his father's credit card information was exposed, and the scammer wasted no time buying movies and video games on the card.
Lisa says the hacker charged around 5 hundred dollars to their card--money they don't know if they'll get back, and Microsoft hasn't yet presented a solution for them.
"You can't give people information. You can't let someone tell you they'll give you something in return, that can really hurt your family," Lisa warns.
It's a tough lesson, but Lisa says she's not mad at Zach. She says he just took the bait of a hacker looking for a quick score. "I didn't blame him. I just want him to see how being careless, what will happen."
Gaming experts say one easy way to protect your hard-earned cash is to use pre-paid cards to buy items while using your online gaming system.
The same warning goes for people who use other internet-based video game consoles like the Nintendo Wii.
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