Reminder: Watch out for Mists of Pandaria beta invite scams
by Anne Stickney 
Mar 22nd 2012 at 4:00PM
- Don't click any link in the email. Blizzard will never ask you for your account information via email, nor will it usually provide any kind of link to click on.
- Do head to Battle.net. Type the URL into your browser (don't follow a search or email link) and use the secure login on that page to log into your account.
The same applies with beta keys as well. If you receive a notification with a beta key, do not click on any links in the email. Go to your Battle.net account as listed above, head to Manage My Games, choose Add or Upgrade a Game, and manually enter the beta key. If the beta key works, you're in; if it doesn't work, you may have been the recipient of a fake key.
Remember, any time there is a beta or a trial period for a new game, there will usually be an upswing in attempts to nab accounts, too. Keep your account safe -- and if you made it in the beta, have fun!
It's open warfare between Alliance and Horde in Mists of Pandaria, World of Warcraft's next expansion. Jump into five new levels with new talents and class mechanics, try the new monk class, and create a pandaren character to ally with either Horde or Alliance. Look for expansion basics in our Mists FAQ, or dig into our spring press event coverage for more details!Filed under: Account Security, Mists of Pandaria
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Arbolamante Mar 22nd 2012 4:03PM
Absolutely. This is prime phising season -- trust no one! (Well, the dog is probably ok. Maybe. I'll get back to you on that.)
vincentmagius Mar 22nd 2012 4:30PM
Dogs are loyal. It's that sneaky cat you need to watch out for. He'll turn on you when he no longer wants your attention.
Arbolamante Mar 22nd 2012 4:53PM
100%, Vincent. My cat's about the last creature I'd trust with my account information.
Though come to think of it, if it was on a piece of paper, she'd probably just shred it.
Pyromelter Mar 22nd 2012 4:07PM
And here is your friendly neighborhood reminder:
If you don't have one, GET AN AUTHENTICATOR!!! With virtually everyone having a smartphone of some kind these days, there is no excuse anymore, you can simply download the authenticator for your phone and attach it to your account.
Saves both you and Blizzard time, money, and grief.
kL Mar 22nd 2012 4:26PM
And you get the corehound pet.
jfofla Mar 22nd 2012 4:26PM
Anybody playing WOW without an Authenticator deserves what they get.
qwerty31 Mar 22nd 2012 4:47PM
I don't have a smartphone.
Arbolamante Mar 22nd 2012 4:54PM
If you don't a smartphone, there's a physical authenticator you can order.
Nadia Mar 22nd 2012 5:21PM
They also have a dial-in authenticator, which you can call from any phone, smart or not.
Drakkenfyre Mar 22nd 2012 7:26PM
One little bit of disclaimer there.
The hardware authenticators are considered cryptographic technology, and is banned from export to certain countries.
And not everyone in every country has a smartphone.
So while it's smart to have one, anyone saying "if you don't have one, you're dumb", should know that not everyone can easily get one.
Jeff (Not that one ^ ) Mar 22nd 2012 4:13PM
Sad (and annoying) that people still need to be reminded to not be dumb.
Titusx Mar 22nd 2012 4:26PM
Hey, those email can be rather convincing at times. I never click anything and try to do a quick check on forums and what not when a weird mail comes up but there have been times when I've had to go to Battle.net just to verify that its fake.
This scams become more elaborate and detailed every day. Don't think you are beyond being tricked.
Revnah Mar 22nd 2012 4:28PM
Remember that some people are new to the game, or started during Cataclysm. This may be the first Beta they see, so they don't know the procedure yet. Anyway, a reminder never hurts, does it?
Jeff (Not that one ^ ) Mar 22nd 2012 5:15PM
@Titusx
The thing is, anyone who does the simple thing of not clicking any links in emails and types in their URLs by hand actually _IS_ beyond being tricked by these things.
DonSerrot Mar 22nd 2012 6:07PM
Herro! Chosen you are being in the Pandaria Mysts beta! Please clicking this link to testing Pandaria Mist! The email being 100% not scam!
Drakkenfyre Mar 22nd 2012 7:26PM
THE most elaborate one I have ever seen, I almost clicked the link (because it sounded legit, used images just like Blizzard does, didn't contain anything sounding suspicious, and sounded like it might have been a real issue (family member and guild member had his account compromised once, and they took a couple minor things out of the guild bank, if I remember correctly this email was "letting me know" there had been another guild bank theft), and even the URL on the hoverover on the link looked legit at a half-second glance (not even going to attempt to recreate it, in case it goes to a real site, and someone tries it.) I caught it before I clicked, but even if I had, the second I would have seen a login screen, I would know it's fake.)
But most of them are like "Hello we welcome you to contest win. You have been randomly selected to win this new mount for the new patch (insert patch number two months out of date) for exciting game. Please click link below and give information to confirm your win and accept mount to you. Please do not login and change password for 24 hours after winning to assure you get mount correctly. Thank you, Blizzard manager head of contests division."
Snuzzle Mar 22nd 2012 10:15PM
And with all the AP people gnashing their teeth for their invites, they might not think to look too closely at the email and just be happy that ITS FINALLY HERE and click before they think.
Skyburnone Mar 22nd 2012 4:19PM
Hooray for safety!
Titusx Mar 22nd 2012 4:23PM
When in doubt just head straight to Battle.net and check things there. If its a true invite then chances are you'll be able to see it from your account and complete any due process safely.
Great reminder if you ask me.
Forward Mar 22nd 2012 4:31PM
What was said about getting an authenticator. Everyone has a smart phone.. It's crazy not to just install the App and protect your account. Why would you NOT do this. Prevent so many potential problems if someone does try to get your account.
I've seen lots of mates and fellow guildees get caught out with scams and it's painful getting it all sorted again. And don't forget you even get a free pet for doing it.