Origin users find their accounts being used fraudulently to make purchases

Users have been reporting mysterious activity such as purchases of services they did not ask for on their accounts for Electronic Arts’ Origin service. These do not seem to be the result of a specific hack as none have been reported in recent memory. However, these activities can be the result of previous hacks on gaming services and other networks from which the Origin account information seems to have been stolen and is used by the hackers to get access to it and make purchases.

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This is potentially the result of many recent hacks that leaked passwords for a number of websites and online services. One hack in November distributed personal information from PlayStation Network, Windows Live, and 2K Games servers. Another hit Amazon, Walmart, and porn site Brazzers. Lots of users ids and passwords were stolen from all the above hack and allegedly are being used to make fraudulent purchases in Origin accounts.

EA was emailed about this anomaly by Venture Beat and it provided with the following statement :

“We found no indication at this point of a breach of our Origin account database. Privacy and security of user account information are of the utmost importance to us. We encourage our players to use Origin user ID and passwords that are unique to their account and to report any activity they feel may be unauthorized to EA customer support at help.ea.com.”

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People has reported getting receipts on German and Russian, some are even reporting problems on Valve’s Steam service.For both Origin and Steam, it is possible that the hackers did not get into EA’s or Valve’s respective servers. Instead, it is likely that this activity is the result of one of the recent publicized attacks, and hackers are trying email and password combinations on other sites.

Steam users have also noticed such activities in recent past but their number is smaller compared to Origin users. For both Origin and Steam, it is possible that the hackers did not get into EA’s or Valve’s respective servers. Instead, it is likely that this activity is the result of one of the recent publicized attacks, and hackers are trying email and password combinations on other sites.

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Origin has been place to use stolen credentials multiple times since it saves past payment information. In addition, many users fail to use two-factor authentication. But even that may prove futile if the hackers have gained control over the email accounts as well.

If you notice any false charges in your Origin or Steam account, it better to get in touch with EA/Valve and the credit card company.

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