Phishing Through Steam

Steam users should have more caution when it comes to emails sent from Steam itself. An account phishing scam emerged going after users with the empty carrot promise of a free downloadable copy of Far Cry 2. Most gamers know anything free will always come with a price.

I personally received this “free game” email from noreply@steampowered.com, but not having playing anything Steam-related since Half-Life 2, I was a little skeptical about why I would be getting an invite for a free title that my laptop could not play at more than ten frames per second. Like most phishing emails, it links you onto another site where users would pony up their account information for Steam access that could lead to more personal information. Phishers could then use this information for other devious purposes.

The fancy image in my email

If you happen to click the link, it brings the user to a copied Steam webpage. The main issue that should stick out to many knowledgeable users is that the page does not show up as a secure website, like Steam should be once you are to log in. Users who feel like they have been fooled will want to contact Steam to clear up any issues.

Many phishing swindles come in all different forms, some even appear through instant messengers. With this attempt however, the promise of a free game is almost enough to steer caution into the garbage disposal. It appears most competent gamers knew there was something wrong with the email and ignored it, but there is always a town idiot somewhere.