Scammers are betting you don't know a "vv" from a "w"
Scammers never stop trying, do they? They're always out there coming up with new and interesting ways to part players from their World of Warcraft accounts. Most recently, a European scam has set itself up by registering the domain www.vvovv-europe.com (currently, it's just redirecting to the main page), as opposed to the genuine EU site, www.wow-europe.com. (It shouldn't surprise us, then, that there's also a www.vvorldofvvarcraft.com -- but it hasn't been spotting using its domain for e-mail scams.) That's right, they've replaced the w in the authentic domain with a pair of v's. And while the difference is painfully obvious on a site like WoW Insider that uses a serif-style font, most browsers use a sans-serif style for their address bar in which the two v's look almost exactly like a w. (They're a bit wider than a normal w, but it's not a difference you're likely to notice at a glance.) So be extra careful of incoming e-mails that might try to convince you an e-mail from vvovv-europe is the real thing -- and remember, Blizzard will never ask you for your password!
[Thanks, Jon]
[Thanks, Jon]







Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Joseph Jul 31st 2007 9:39AM
What will they think of next?
Franky Jul 31st 2007 9:45AM
That actually seems like it could be a rather dangerous/successful scam. Just glancing at links, I doubt anyone would notice the 'v v'. I guess it depends how well the scammers can duplicate the WoW main page and if they can actually fool someone.
jorelius Jul 31st 2007 9:47AM
May I please direct you all to a great warcraft blog:
http://www.vvovvinsider.com/
(I dont actually have it but hey, someone might have fun camping it)
Jellodyne Jul 31st 2007 9:49AM
Dude, Blizzard asks me for my password every time I log in. :P
Nick S Jul 31st 2007 10:01AM
it'd be rather clever of the account thieves to rip out the code for the WoW front-end and make a little password-stealing program. drop an icon on the desktop in the manner of innumerable malware programs, then when people double-click on what looks like WoW, they get the same login screen as always... except that it sends their username and password to the scammer.
not 100% foolproof, but i'll bet you'd get a few accounts that way.
Tiago Jul 31st 2007 10:07AM
@5: If they are capable of putting an icon on your desktop, your computer has been compromised.
They could just as easily put a keylogger in and save themselves the elaborate fake login screen.
schlomo Jul 31st 2007 10:08AM
I guess it's Macs FTW in this case :D
Erica Olson Jul 31st 2007 11:03AM
Perhaps they're not scammers at all. Perhaps they're Transylvanian and it's their dialect.
Todd Jul 31st 2007 1:15PM
@7 (schlomo). I'm sorry, but how does owning a Mac prevent you from clicking on a link or entering your personal information on a website?
This is not intended as a flame against Macs or Mac owners.
Kahja Jul 31st 2007 2:34PM
I hate places with no serifs. It's just not fun.
Nick S Aug 1st 2007 9:20AM
@6 But the fake login screen is so much cooler!
RogueJedi86 Jul 31st 2007 9:16PM
Maybe Blizz should use a few thousand of our subscription dollars to buy up these domain names so their customers are protected. I wouldn't mind.