PokerStars Player Accounts At Risk Due To Phishing Scam

It’s been the bane of the internet since e-mail first appeared on the scene, and poker isn’t immune from the phishing scams which regularly do the rounds, PokerStars the target this week of a fairly unsophisticated but realistic-looking attempt to snare unwary players.

The ‘password reset’ e-mail is a very popular way for scammers to access account information, and the ‘StarsAccount’ version which appeared this week is a generic-looking message from ‘support’ at the world’s biggest poker site.

This latest phishing attempt is slightly unusual in that there are no obvious errors in spelling or syntax, the message short and to the point:

"Hello, Following your request to reset your password we have located the account(s) listed below. Please click the appropriate link (Stars ID) below to start the password reset process…"

Naturally, once the link is clicked, the player is taken to a fake site and the log-in details for the players account are then at the mercy of the scammer – and from past experience tens of thousands of dollars have instantly disappeared from unsuspecting players accounts.

PokerStars own ‘Help’ pages explain what should happen and what to do if you are unsure about such an attempt to obtain your details.

"PokerStars will never ask you for your password in an email. The only place where your PokerStars password will be requested is in the PokerStars software. If you have any doubt about the authenticity of an email, please forward it to support@pokerstars.com and you will be advised if the email is genuine."

As you can see from the above, the e-mail address is very similar – though false, and the red and white ‘Stars Account’ banner on the phishing email lends the scam legitimacy for those players unused to how such things work in the genuine world of poker accounts.

A previous PokerStars phishing scam attempt back in 2011 saw customers contacted via Skype in a similar attempt to steal their log-in data. While in March of this year players on MPN received “an e-mail that falsely confirmed a deposit on the network. A link was provided for players to check on the deposit, but that link did not take players to their account, but rather to a file that likely contained malware,” according to Pokernewsdaily.

As Dan Katz explained in his article on the MPN scam:

“If you are not sure about the validity of an e-mail, either call the business to check if they sent it or type the site’s URL into your browser and go there directly to check on your account.”

He explains that if there really has been an issue or password information required:

“You will see it soon enough when you login to your account directly, WITHOUT clicking on the link in the e-mail.”

Although PokerStars have yet to comment on the latest phishing attempt, their general advice states that:

"The only place where your PokerStars password will be requested is in the PokerStars software..."

If you have received this fake, or a similar dubious email from your poker room recently, simply log into your account as normal and contact the site directly and speak to the genuine customer support staff via the e-mail there or live help if available.

PokerTube also advise you to spread the news of such phishing attempts on whatever poker forums you use, and such forums are also a great place for advice and information on avoiding or correcting problems resulting from such scams.