Bioware warns of The Old Republic scams

Bioware has warned gamers that it has become aware of scams that claim to offer access to a beta of Bioware's upcoming MMO, Star Wars: The Old Republic, in exchange for a small fee.

Writing on the official Bioware forums, community coordinator Allison Berryman explained that all such offers are false and that the only way to get beta access would be with a invitation from the developer itself, which it would not charge for.

'It has come to our attention that there are multiple individuals and sites claiming to sell testing accounts, 'beta keys', or other offers of access to our Game Testing Program,' reads the full statement.

'All of these offers are false. BioWare is not issuing invites to Game Testing via any method other than those we outline here on SWTOR.com.'

'We must caution you that these offers are often scams designed to steal your money, credit card information, or identity. While we understand that you are eager to participate in Game Testing, your security is extremely important, and attempting to participate in these offers could put you in very real danger.'

'Furthermore, the sale of accounts with access to the Game Testing Program is strictly prohibited by the Game Testing Agreement. We closely monitor the activities of all accounts involved in the Game Testing Program, and are quick to notice accounts that change hands.'

'In the event that an account in the Game Testing Program does change ownership, we immediately take action to the fullest extent possible, including permanently banning the account from the Service.'

'You may also encounter e-mail scams that indicate you have been invited to the Game Testing Program. If you are invited to the real Game Testing Program, you will receive an e-mail with instructions from no-reply@bioware.swtor.com. Any other e-mail address claiming to offer an invitation is likely to be a scam.'

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