Last year the Panda wrote a long, involved post that gave detailed
information on phishing. It's still worth reading and you should check
it out. The thing is, hackers and phishers don't stand still. They're
constantly looking for new ways to steal your information. MapleStory
and Nexon are no different in that regard. Our company and our players
are plagued by this as much as anyone. That's the reason that we're
throwing our second annual Security Awareness Month. We wanted to give
you*some tips on avoiding phishing scams -- and I want to focus
specifically on some of the most common ways MapleStory users get
scammed.*
1. Stop and think. Then stop and think again!*
One of the best ways a phisher can get your information is to get you to
panic. If they can get you to act before you think about what you're
doing, they have a better chance of getting you to do something that
might compromise your information.
Nexon will never do anything to your account, your characters, your items, or your information without your consent. If
you see an email that threatens to delete inactive characters or that
warns you to update your password within 24 hours, be very suspicious.
There's always time to investigate a strange email or Website. You will
never lose anything by waiting.
2. Be smart on Facebook.
Facebook is a wonderful way to connect with friends, have fun, and find
other Maplers. The official MapleStory Facebook page is constantly
updated with information on sales, in-game events, previews of upcoming
content, contests, and much more. Be careful though. Facebook has also
become a breeding ground for phishers. They mostly come in two forms:*
***** --
Linked comments: Nexon does not*comment on its own
Facebook posts. If you see a link offering "Free NX" or some kind of
special Maple event, it's a scam. Do not click on it. We do our best to
eliminate these phony comments, but they do slip through.
***** --
Phony Facebook page: The URL for the official MapleStory Facebook is
http://www.facebook.com/maplestory.
Be careful of Facebook pages that may look like the official page. They
may even replicate our posts and use*links to send you to a phishing
site.
3. Be careful with strange emails
One of the primary way phishers scam you is through phony
emails. Here are a few things to look for when confronted by a strange
email.*
*****--*
Strange sender:*An email from Nexon will always come from
info@blockparty.com. If it comes from another email sender, be suspicious.*
****
*--* Strange or unfamiliar links: Be careful of clicking
links in an e-mail message. While the links text may look completely
legitimate, the links source code points to a completely different site.
Always remember that you dont have to click on a link. You can cut and
paste it into your Web browser or type it in yourself.*
******--*
Strange greetings: Phishing emails often have unusual greetings designed to slip past email filters.
******--*
Typos: Phishers will often deliberately introduce typos into an e-mail message in order to bypass email filters.*
******--*
Incorrect Grammar: This is another method used to slip past email filters.*
******-- *
Misspelled company name. Another method that phishers
use to get past email filters. Common variations include using a 0 for
the o on Nexon and unusual spacing.: e.g. Nex0n, NexonAmerica and Nex
on.
4. Don't ever give out your information to anybody -- ever!
Nexon will never ask you for your personal information such as a
password or any real information such as your name or address or Social
Security number. If you are asked for your personal information by
someone claiming to be a Nexon representative, they're lying. This
includes requests via email, instant message, via Facebook
communication, or by any other method. Be wary of pop-up windows also.
Nexon does not use pop-up windows to ask for information. If you see
one, a phisher has directed you to the real Nexon site but is using a
program to generate a fake window to get your information.
5. Protect your computer
There's a lot of good spyware, anti-virus,
anti-malware, and firewall software out there. Much of it is cheap, or
free! Use it and keep it updated. There are also many good add-on
security programs for your Web browsers that will block malicious
programs or prevent unauthorized scripts from running.
6. Change your password regularly and use different passwords
Using*the same password for all*of*your accounts is
actually a faily common mistake people make. Doing so though,*means that
if a hacker or phisher get one password, they'll get access to
everything you have! Don't use*the same password for your MapleStory
account that you use for your bank account, your school account, or
anything else you do online.
7. Watch out for phony Websites
Phishers often use the Nexon logo or official art from one of our games
to make their emails and Websites look real.* Here are some things to
look for that will tell you a Website is suspicious.
*
Here are some other ways to detect youve been directed to a fake site.*
***** * How did you get here? Did you follow an email or chat link to get to the site? If you did, use caution.*
*****
* Check the URL: All official Nexon sites use the URL
pattern "http://[gamename].nexon.net." If a site doesnt end with
Nexon.net, its not an official Website.*
*****
* Look for blind links and broken or dead end pages: Look
around for ways to get back to the home page or to find other
information. If there are no other links on the page and no way to get
to any other locations on the site, be suspicious.*
***
8. Don't share accounts!
This can't be stressed often enough. Do not share your accounts! It
doesn't matter how much you trust someone, once your information is out
of your control, you do not know what will happen to it. While*the
friend
