Several Nintendo Switch owners took to social media sites and online message boards over the weekend to report unauthorized third-party access attempts to their Nintendo accounts.
Some of the Switch owners who had their accounts compromised reported that the debit or credit card saved to their account was used to make actual game purchases or in-game purchases. What’s worse is that users who had their accounts linked to PayPal were used to buy Fortnite’s VBuck currency without their knowledge.
One of the tweets to go viral came from Twitter user @Pixelpar, who runs the Nintendo news and reviews website LootPots, reports Eurogamer. He tweeted that his account “was accessed numerous times overnight” despite having a unique password and also that his PC hadn’t been compromised.
In another tweet, @TerranSherwood says, “my Nintendo Account was hacked this morning and they made off with $100 for Fortnite“.
Over the past weeks, similar stories have been found across the likes of Twitter and Resetera with accounts being accessed from countries such as the U.S., Chile, and Russia.
Also, users whose accounts were accessed had payment details stolen with both saved credit cards and linked PayPal accounts to buy Fortnite’s VBuck currency.
Also Read- Best Nintendo Switch Games You Must Play
While Nintendo has yet to acknowledge the problem, it had published the below tweet just over a week ago encouraging western players to enable 2-Step Verification (2FA) for their Nintendo Accounts.
You can help secure your Nintendo Account by enabling 2-Step Verification.
For more details, visit: https://t.co/kqxbp8TobD pic.twitter.com/hZ1PnFWZQw
— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) April 9, 2020
Just days before the above tweet was posted, Nintendo had also warned their Japanese customers to use two-step verification to protect their accounts due to the increasing number of queries related to credit card fraud.
In the current scenario, we would suggest setting up 2-Step Verification for your own safety and account security by following the steps below:
How To Enable 2-Step Verification In Nintendo Switch Account:
1. Visit the Nintendo Account website and sign in to your Nintendo Account.
2. Select Sign-in and security settings, then scroll down to 2-Step Verification and click Edit.
3. Click on 2-Step Verification settings.
4. Click Send email to have a verification code sent to the email address on file.
- If the email address is incorrect, click the Email address menu setting under User Info to change it.
5. Enter the verification code from the email, then Submit.
6. Install the Google Authenticator app on your smart device.
- This is a free app, available through Google Play (Android) and the App Store (iOS).
7. Use the smart device app to scan the QR code displayed on your Nintendo Account screen.
8. A 6-digit verification code will appear on your smart device. Enter the verification code into the field under step 3 on the Nintendo Account screen, then Submit.
9. A list of backup codes will appear. Click Copy to copy all the codes, then paste them somewhere safe.
- A backup code will be required to log in if you don’t have access to the Google Authenticator app. MAKE SURE TO KEEP THESE SOMEWHERE SAFE.
- You can use these (one time each) if you do not have access to the Google Authenticator app.
10. Click I have saved the backup codes, then OK.
- Once set, you can return to the 2-step verification settings section to review the backup codes and remove the 2-step restriction.
