Is this a scam?

[gingernut]

Just had an email, unprompted, from Neopets@neopets.com:

'親愛的 <my first name>，

你的登入信息如下所示：

用戶名： <my neopets username>
密碼： <my password>
馬上登入： http://www.neopets.com/loginpage.phtml

您最忠實的，

尼奧寵物工作人員

如果不想再收到 Neopets.com 的電子郵件，請把以下的連結轉貼到瀏覽器的地址欄： <long-winded link to click on with my email address at the end of it>


I checked some of the words on an online translator and it seems to be a standard email sent out to remind me of my password, but why am I getting it in (I think) Chinese? Or at all since I didn't request a reminder?

As a precaution I went into neopets and changed my password, then minutes later I got the same email but with my new password.

I can't see how it could be a hoax since the email got my password right both times, but I'm not sure what to make of it.

[Siouxper]

You need to be really careful now, because it appears someone is sending password requests in an attempt to gain access to your Neopets account. The person probably speaks Chinese to have it sent in Chinese. Also, be careful about your email account, because someone may be trying to get in it to get your Neopets password.

[May]

I would definitely change the password to your e-mail and your Neopets password again. Make sure you don't use the same password for both, but make sure both passwords contain numbers, upper and lowercase letters, and perhaps some symbols.

[gingernut]

Thanks, I should have realised that's what it was, I've changed both passwords. But to hack my email they'd need to know what it was, and they'd only know that if they successfully logged into my neopets account wouldn't they?

At the end of the day it's not going to kill me if someone ruins my neopets account, but it creeps me out to think of someone getting into my email account.

[metalmario]

I wouldn't worry about it. For the longest time (like, 3-4 times a week for I don't know how many months) I was constantly getting password requests for my side, but nothing ever happened. I have no idea what they wanted so badly. It was an account name that I got after they cleared the database of some names, so I guess it could've been the previous owner, but what are the odds right? *shrug*

Nthing the good password maintenance, which should be practiced anyway. If you're really worried, I've heard good things about KeePass (here's its Wiki) which creates a database for all of your passwords, and can generate random ones too (it's good that it stores them for you, because there's no way in hell you're going to remember them. Example: I just generated "1&k^lnf%s,y?b9iRTq#Q" [disclaimer: DO NOT USE THIS PW]. I'd LOVE to see someone crack that.) So... yeah! Long ramble, hopefully it was useful to somebody.

[KMB1933]

Hmmm. I am Chinese and I know a little bit of Chinese. The mail says that it is to confirm your account info. This sounds like a scam to me because why would Neo send you a Chinese mail?

[gingernut]

It seems like it was just someone trying their luck, if anything it was a good thing as I can be a bit lazy about changing passwords and it has prompted me to change a couple now.

[metalmario]

Hmmm. I am Chinese and I know a little bit of Chinese. The mail says that it is to confirm your account info. This sounds like a scam to me because why would Neo send you a Chinese mail?

Nah, it's in the exact same format as a lost password request. Request yours and check your email to see (change language to get the exact email). Comes from neopets@neopets.com and all. Unless the login link leads to a non-neopets website there's nothing about the email to worry about, except why exactly you're getting it if you didn't request it.

[Arka]

If you haven't already, you may want to forward the email, etc, to TNT.

[VirtualMetal]

It's just a password request form. I get them all the time for having a somewhat desirable user-name on a side. I suspect they do it in the hopes for another 04.04.04 (a major glitch where user details were displayed on the page rather than sent to the user's e-mail).

The long-winded thing is a link to un-subscribe from further TNT e-mails.

Here is the format in English;

Dear human,

Your login information is as follows:

Username: -account name-
Password: -password-
Log in now: http://www.neopets.com/loginpage.phtml

Sincerely,

The Neopets Team

To no longer receive Neopets.com emails, copy and paste this link into the address field of your browser:
-long winded un-subscribe link-

There's nothing you can do but ignore them. TNT can't do much about it really.