Protect PlayStation Accounts From Social-Engineering Hacks

PlayStation accounts are being taken over through social-engineering attacks in which scammers supply public account details to PlayStation support agents and request that two-factor authentication be disabled. Attackers then change the account email and password, preventing the original owner from regaining access. Journalist Colin Moriarty recovered his account, while community member Radec remained locked out after a weekend incident.

Attackers collect information such as a target’s PSN ID, public email address, recently played games, trophy lists and visible transaction details. With a PSN ID and a recent purchase or transaction reference, attackers contact support and present those items as proof of ownership. Once 2FA is disabled, the support-assisted account changes allow the attacker to add a new email address and reset the password.

The pattern of compromises has intensified in recent weeks and drew attention after the incident affecting Radec. Moriarty regained access using contacts within the industry. Other players who post gaming activity publicly report long delays or no resolution when trying to recover accounts.

Sony has not announced public changes to support verification procedures or issued a formal alert about the pattern of account takeovers. Affected players and community members have called for clearer protections and faster recovery options for compromised accounts.

Players are being urged to reduce public information linked to their PSN accounts. Recommended steps include using a separate, private email address for PSN, setting the Recently Played list to private or friends only, avoiding screenshots that show transaction numbers or receipts, not accepting friend requests from unknown people, reviewing account privacy settings and keeping two-factor authentication active. These measures address how attackers obtain the verification details they use when contacting support.