Spam from "GSN" to e-mail address registered on Play.com

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Comments

  • Internet_Pawn
    Internet_Pawn Posts: 5 Forumite
    edited 22 March 2011 at 7:15PM
    Play.com_Company_Representative wrote: »
    Message from Play.com CEO John Perkins

    Dear Customer,

    As a follow up to the email we sent you last night, I would like to give you some further details. On Sunday the 20th of March some customers reported receiving a spam email to email addresses they only use for Play.com. We reacted immediately by informing all our customers of this potential security breach in order for them to take the necessary precautionary steps. ...

    Thanks for the update, Play company rep, but it seems either your CEO has been misinformed or he is being disingenuous. Play's first action when I reported this issue was to deny it completely - others here also received the same response. Only when it became clear that that wouldn't wash did Play admit the possibility (only the possibility, mind) that data may have been misused. And now it transpires that the potential security breach they have only now chosen to tell us about is something they have known about since December.

    It doesn't exactly inspire confidence, does it?
  • Cybergeek
    Cybergeek Posts: 19 Forumite
    Play.com_Company_Representative wrote: »
    Message from Play.com CEO John Perkins

    ...We believe this issue maybe related to some irregular activity that was identified in December 2010 at our email service provider, Silverpop.

    John,

    I'm shocked that a company with an otherwise excellent reputation like Play.com would use Silverpop. Looking at WOT and a quick Google search tells me that people have long suspected Silverpop systems have been used for spam. Have you seen http://cyberinsecure.com/deviantart-members-emails-leaked-by-marketing-partner-silverpop-systems/ ?? It seems Silverpop have a generally lax approach to the security of clients data.

    John, please will you confirm to MSE readers that Play.com has severed its business relationship with Silverpop? I would urge you to bring this marketing function back in-house.
  • mime20
    mime20 Posts: 37 Forumite
    First Post First Anniversary Combo Breaker
    I recieved the email today (I wasn't going to open it as I thought it might be junk), then I looked in my junk folder & there was an email there which was from my name & my email address which I knew I hadn't sent. So it looks like something more than just random spam is going on. My email password is different from my play password but don't know what's happening. Advice please (play not being helpful)
  • butters_2
    butters_2 Posts: 11 Forumite
    w ww.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-12819330

    I'm not allowed to post links but looks like the BBC have picked up on this too
  • dragonmeat
    dragonmeat Posts: 6 Forumite
    Their "message to customers" reads more like it was written for the benefit of the media and Play's lawyers :(

    By "we reacted immediately", he presumably means "we fobbed off our customers with factually incorrect boilerplate responses until the volume of complaints reached critical mass".
  • dragonmeat
    dragonmeat Posts: 6 Forumite
    Cybergeek wrote: »
    John, please will you confirm to MSE readers that Play.com has severed its business relationship with Silverpop? I would urge you to bring this marketing function back in-house.

    They're quoted as saying they've taken "every step" to ensure this doesn't happen again. So presumably yes.
  • DonnyDave
    DonnyDave Posts: 1,579 Forumite
    And The Guardian:

    http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2011/mar/22/play-customer-details-leaked
    Dave
    Say no to 0870!
  • Redcase
    Redcase Posts: 107 Forumite
    edited 23 March 2011 at 12:44AM
    I changed my email early this afternoon and received a conformation email right away.This second email from John at play was sent to my original address,does this mean that they are outsourcing thier responces.sorry if i am being thick,but if they acknowledged the change in email right away why did they send their email from John to my old one 8 hours later.Also could the credit card storage be optional please.

    John from play could you get back to me on this when you are back on and posting .Thank you
  • lizards
    lizards Posts: 244 Forumite
    Name Dropper First Anniversary First Post Combo Breaker
    Interestingly despite getting the dodgy email to both my play@... and play247@... addresses, I've only been getting the "apology" emails to my play@ address. The other one I have not used for years and had forgotten it even existed. So I guess not everyone will get one - either that or they don't realise just how far back the leaked email addresses went.
  • capate
    capate Posts: 15 Forumite
    dragonmeat wrote: »
    By "we reacted immediately", he presumably means "we fobbed off our customers with factually incorrect boilerplate responses until the volume of complaints reached critical mass".

    When problems like this arise, due to the potential liabilities (legal and financial), companies tend to go into a damage limitation mode. The main purpose of these carefully crafted company statements (think of it as spin), is not keeping the customer apprised, but looking to downplay, misdirect, confuse issues and mitigate their position.
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