I got this little gem in my mailbox last night. Since this sort of thing is going around a bit at the moment, I thought I'd use it as a bit of an example.
There are several reasons why this is most likely not a legitimate invitation to the Cataclysm Alpha or Beta tests.
Firstly, I don't know anyone who works for Blizzard, so there's no reason I would be getting an invitation to the Alpha.
Secondly, I haven't even opted in to the Beta in my battle.net account, so there's no reason why I would be getting a Beta invite.
The other reasons are pretty obvious as well. Why would Blizzard be sending me an in-game mail (from a character called "Fudafgh" no less) to invite me to a test? C'mon guys, you can do better than that. At least the spelling was correct, even if the grammar and layout was a bit weird.
If you get a mail (in-game or via email) that you suspect to be dodgy:
- If you don't have one already, GET AN AUTHENTICATOR!
- DO NOT GO TO THE WEBSITE. Even for a look - it may well install a keylogger on your machine that can be used to record your passwords and hack your account.
- Report the mail to Blizzard. In-game, press the "Report Spam" button. If you've received a dodgy email, forward it to hacks@blizzard.com. There's more information about how to distinguish official emails in this page on the Blizzard Support site.
- Laugh as you foil the Evil Person's evil plans!
- Did you get an Authenticator yet? Don't leave it until later, slackers!
