Account Security

At the Allakhazam forums that I am a member of, I see a lot of threads about potential scams and compromised accounts. I would like to post some helpful tips and software that you can use to help secure your investment into WoW.

1. Use an authenticator! Here for users in the US, and here for Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Latin America.



This little device that only costs $6.50 can save you a whole lot of hassle if anyone attempts to compromise your account. The authenticator adds an extra level of protection to your account by forcing the user to enter a 6 digit number into their account upon log in to either the game, battle.net, or the official forum boards. The numbers generated are specific to the S/N associated with that authenticator. The numbers are also timed and will change approximately one minute after being generated.

2. Be careful of what sites you visit. As some people have said, "if it's too good to be true, then you probably shouldn't do it." Most scammers get people by telling them they can earn an awesome item if they just click and enter their information. Pretty much the only way an item or reward would be given out through blizzard or anyone else would be from a contest. If you are not being directed to a offical blizzard website or a forum board that you know and trust, chances are you will be scammed. Plus, Blizzard nor will forum boards ever ask for your WoW account information.

3. Watch out for scam emails. A lot of scam emails will tell you that something is wrong with your account and that to need to visit some website to verify everything is ok. NEVER click on any link, or give anyone your information without first checking it's authenticity. First, Blizzard will never ask for your information, if they ask you for your account information that's a dead give away that it's fake. Second, check to make sure they links are sending you to where they say they are. If you hover over the link it should tell you the location it will send you, unless the scammer has masked the link info. Finally, if you have any doubt, call customer support. If there is in fact anything wrong with your account they will be able to tell you.

4. Look into protection your computer with anti-virus software such as, Avast!, AVG Free, and more. You can also get some free software that will scan your computer for any harmful components such as Malware Bytes, Ad-Aware, and more. Running these programs can greatly decrease your risk of having unwanted programs and files being installed onto your computer.

With these tips and software I hope you are able to secure your account and your computer to provide for more worry free play.