Nintendo has issued a warning to its fans that fraudulent emails are being sent out that look like they're coming from the company. Nintendo gamers should be wary of these emails and make sure to scrutinize anything that looks like it could be official from the company.

Spoofed emails are just one of many ways that internet users can have their information stolen or their money wasted. When looking at a received email, a sent by address is usually included, which can typically be used to determine if an email is legitimate. However, with spoofed emails, the sender looks like it's the real thing, even though the email didn't come from that entity or individual.

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Nintendo has shared a warning that spoofed emails have been received by some of its fans. According to Nintendo, these emails are advertising companies and services that aren't connected to Nintendo. Upon clicking the links included in the emails, users may be asked to login with their Nintendo credentials. Those who have already done so are encouraged to change their passwords immediately and, if not already set up, to activate Nintendo's 2-step authentication and/or a passkey to help prevent unwanted account access. While a full list of email addresses connected to the spoofing haven't been shared, players should keep an eye out for anything suspicious coming from no-reply(at)accounts.nintendo.com, among others.

Nintendo Has No Connection or Control Over Fraudulent Email

While there have been rare instances of companies being hacked and then used to send fake emails and messages to users, this isn't the case here. Nintendo alleges these emails are being sent by third parties, so the company has no control over them being sent and can't put a stop to it. It also notes that blocking the aforementioned email address isn't advised, as it would also put a stop to legitimate emails coming from that address. In the short-term, avoiding opening any email that looks like it's from Nintendo is one way to remain safe. Alternatively, users can avoid clicking any email links and simply go to Nintendo's site directly instead.

Unfortunately, spoofed and fradulent messages like these are often a fact of life for game companies and their fans. Many have been impacted in the past, with major developers and publishers like Ubisoft and Capcom having previously dealt with spoofing and phishing issues. If anyone thinks that they've been sent a spoofed message from Nintendo, they should report it to their email service provider.