KYODO NEWS - Feb 28, 2020 - 14:14 | All, Japan

A total of 4,225 registered accounts on messaging app Line have been hacked during February, with some used for phishing scams, according to the operator.

Line Corp. said 4,073 accounts in Japan, 81 in Taiwan, two in Thailand and 69 in other parts of the world have been accessed illegally. The breach was discovered on Feb. 13 .

Some accounts were used to send messages to direct account owners' contacts to a fake website illegally requesting their login information, Line said.

It added that it has asked users to take countermeasures such as changing passwords, and said that affected account holders will be notified.

Line asked users not to access suspicious-looking websites even if they were shown in messages from friends' accounts, and not to respond to requests for identification and passwords.

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