@Virgil Tibbs:

Oh damn, never knew about that. She screwed herself HARD:
[en.wikipedia.org]

I feel bad for her, but you need to blame California law, not Sega. They only did what the law allowed. She sued them, it cost them money, they recouped said money. It's not like they countersued her or something to make a profit.

If anything Sega, is as legally lax (in a good way) as a company can get........unless you count old-school SNK. You could take a burger off their lunch tray and all they'd say was "Do you want fries with that?"

Billkwando

[www.velvetland.org]

Virgil Tibbs

Kotaku

Please follow this story. Find out how it ends. Because I really need to know if these guys get shut down as hard as Lady Miss Kier Kirby did. After the Space Channel 5 lawsuit, I will never buy a sega product again (I own 2 dreamcasts and a saturn bought before the lawsuit).

Virgil Tibbs

I still own a dreamcast.... good think I did not gave anything to that site LOL....

Video

How you can tell its fake. A whois (while illegal) can be faked;

'PING Dreamcast.com and you get the IP 72.29.74.51 which links to a cPanel set-up page. PING SEGA.jp and get IP 210.174.184.7, SEGA.com: 204.155.67.210, Sonic Team: 202.3.142.231. All SEGA sites are no where near the IP range of dreamcast.com. Running a trace on this IP brings us to DimeNoc/dizinc. SEGA.com is run from San Francisco under their own, internal servers. SEGA.jp and Sonicteam.com are run a server inside Japan etc.

Dreamcast.com is a site not on ANY of SEGA's servers, it's supposedly a Japanese site running on a shared server in Orlando, emails sent out are from a dizinc email address, uses Gmail as a front for a Dreamcast email address, the site poses as an official website (including copyright marks from SEGA).

Emails sent from dreamcast.com are emails actually sent from a dizinc.com email address, which forwards instantly to DimeNoc. I believe DimeNoc are a hosting company and are actually just the service provider for this scam.'

[www.dcemu.co.uk]

Kevyn

Why would I give anyone my email password? They have a cheap password and email address I use on probable scam sites. :p

fuchikoma

I did wonder when they were going to post a second update that day, considering the comments and the fact that the person whose post they linked to was banned from the Sega forums within a few hours.

Billkwando

I'd like to accept your apology, but you didn't seem to give one. Rather poor form considering this could have been avoided with a little bit of research (or even simply reading your user's comments).

I suppose this must be one of those convenient "we're not journalists, we're bloggers" times.

On the positive side, perhaps Sega will keep this incident in the back of their mind, specifically the amount of people who are still Dreamcast fans (remakes, HD ports, sequels).

HJungle

I was a bit worried for Fahey, since I read that he had signed up.

The best way to avoid this is to enter the url at a domain name information website (like [www.domaintools.com]) and check for anything strange in the domain registry.

As statet above by a fellow Kotakuite, people usualy use the same password for all mail accounts, so this was a simple way to geet access not only to tons of emails ready to be sold for spammers, but also a good way to snoop around peoples mail boxes.

I do hope they find the guy who did this so eveyone of you who entered your email there can sue him.

Shiryu

didn't anybody think why sega would want serial numbers at this time. a simple email sign-up to show interest would've made more sense.

xbulletholes

I've been having these wonderful dreams about a second internet, one where trying to make money is left to the real world and everyone was just surfing and relaxing to the full extent of their bandwidth, instead of the like, fifty percent it is now.

StartRunning

@Dirk_Dorkelson:
I didn't say that Kotaku shouldn't be responsible for their actions, I just think ultimately the responsibility lies with the end user. This is a blog, albeit a bigger and more well known one than most, and at the end of the day they're only hurting themselves if people lose confidence in them in the form of less traffic, creating less sponsor revenue. I do see your point, however I would agree with it more if like I said earlier you actually had to pay money to read the articles. I agree that it would have been smart of them to dig into this a little further, but in the end they didn't make anyone give their personal information to this website. It just sucks people have to pull this kind of crap to make a buck or whatever reason they wanted this information for.

evilcartman

Kotaku got pwned^tm !!!!!

Traceur

@Most Wanted: Well... Sega does need the money...

Guizzy

Whoops, that's a shame. It's a good thing I never had any fond memories of the Dreamcast in the first place. Hand-cramping, one-analoged beast that it was. It had a few decent games, I'll admit.

Wolfers

Here is the Google Adsense ID for the perps:

pub-8310719792636859

Any Google Insider want to investigate?

Most Wanted

@enix2093: All right. I take back what I said about the 5 mins. to do a WHOIS lookup. I'll also live by my own words and apologize for/own up to my mistake. However, I still hold that Kotaku's follow-up post could have been a bit more apologetic.

Dirk Dorkelson

what???. now im lost, either way i changed all my passwords even though it said my DC was already registered, just to be safe. Not Kotaku's fault though, my lack of common sense at the time.

YuSuzuki

oh, and [wayofthebadge.com]

word.

enix2093

Domain Name: DREAMCAST.COM

Registrant:
SEGA CORPORATION
Shoji Takamitsu (Shoji_Takamitsu@sega.co.jp)
Haneda 1-2-12, Ohta-ku, Tokyo
Tokyo
null,1448531
JP
Tel. +81.0357367080

Creation Date: 12-Jun-2005
Expiration Date: 12-Jun-2008

Domain servers in listed order:
ns2.dreamcast.com
ns1.dreamcast.com

Administrative Contact:
SEGA CORPORATION
Shoji Takamitsu (Shoji_Takamitsu@sega.co.jp)
Haneda 1-2-12, Ohta-ku, Tokyo
Tokyo
null,1448531
JP
Tel. +81.0357367080

Technical Contact:
Brights Consulting
Domain Administrator (domain.master@brights.jp)
2F Kyodo Bldg, 4-3-11
Nihonbashi-muromachi
Chuo-ku
Tokyo
null,103-0022
JP
Tel. +81.33231507

Billing Contact:
Brights Consulting
Domain Administrator (domain.master@brights.jp)
2F Kyodo Bldg, 4-3-11
Nihonbashi-muromachi
Chuo-ku
Tokyo
null,103-0022
JP
Tel. +81.33231507

Status:ACTIVE

enix2093

@Cheebahawk:

I agree. Someone needs to do some research before they actually TELL or should I say ASK us readers to do something. I know Kotaku isn't, but seems like you guys are in kahoots.

LanceJr

whew, close one. Good thing I was too lazy to submit my random info anyway.

NPC

@evilcartman: I fail to understand the logic that says everyone should be responsible for their own actions except Kotaku. I agree with you wholeheartedly that individual users are equally responsible for checking out anything they submit their personal data to, but I don't think that exempts Kotaku (and any other site that unwittingly helped these scammers) from a share of the blame. As a journalist, I also think that if you write for any sort of audience beyond yourself, you have to take responsibility for your words and apologize when you screw up. That said, I'm equally thankful for Kotaku as a source of gaming news, and everyone deserves a mulligan once in a while.

Dirk Dorkelson

Can I get a Jet Set Radio 3??????????? WTF Sega you have fans you are ignoring!

Strider-No.9

Thanks kotaku for letting us fall in it. Thanks again for letting us know it was bogus... Would have been a nice april fools joke.

adragonfang18

I fell victim to this... though I haven't seen any negative affects from doing so. Once it was posted as a scam on gaf I immediately changed all my PW's just to be safe. No spam or anything... yet.

Kewk

@Facemeat: i agree. :{ kotaku.

subterfunk

If sega was smart, they would use the dreamcast brand to form a new studio. put out the games that ""hardcore" gamers are into. Imagine what a great portfolio of titles they would have to look back to. sega's "dreamcast studio" could focus on the games we all want to see the light of day, and have the regular sega studio focus on all the sports/crappy sonic party games etc.

pipe dreams, I has them.

ryan_h

I've been bamboozled!
No seriously. Not cool, Kotaku, not cool at all...

Facemeat

@Inkz:
So be sides the DC serial number, they've also got your current email address, and a password that is probably the same as your current email address.
Alot of people will set up a different email address, and use different passwords for sign ups, but again alot of people don't. They'll use the same password for everything so they don't forget.

So it's just simply entering the password you gave to your current email address. If it's the address you use all the time, most likely you won't erase your paypal/amazon/online shop account sign-up/password change notice, or any important information so you can check it later yourself.

People might also memo important information on their email account so they can check it everywhere they go.
Name, home address, phone number, birthday, or even social security number could be in your memo or profile. Your friend's info are probably on there too.
Selling Name/Phone Number/Home Address is a business.
There are also people selling credit card numbers. People with both could just cross reference the name on the card with the list they bought, if the name is on it then they've also got your phone/address/area code that they need to make purchases online or what not.

Beleive me there are information about everybody floating around somewhere with blanks waiting to be filled in, it's simply as cross reference it every time they obtaining a new list with a computer; An example would be even if they don't have your name, but have your phone number, then a credit card number w/ your phone number on the list matches, then they've got your name. And this is just for credit card fraud, one out of many other things they could do depends on how much info of you they have.

Loving the Dreamcast so much to sign up? I can guess that people who signed up are probably aged from early 20's to mid 30's. There are some other fraud ideas that I can come up with now I can guess your age group. So you can give away your information even if you think it's something un-important.

Personal information is gold, crooks can turn that into as much money as the ideas they can come up with.

Dir_en_grey

@Dirk_Dorkelson:
It would have taken any internet user 5 minutes to find out the domain wasn't registered to Sega. Everybody should be responsible for their own actions on the internet, instead of looking to blame someone else. I'm just glad that Kotaku gets it right the majority of the time, and doesn't ask us to pay a fee. If they did ask us to pay, then I could understand people putting more blame on them, as they would be paying for a service.

evilcartman

Whoops. Thank God the site had already gone down by the time I tried to sign up.

kylenalepa

man I am glad I was too lazy to sign up for it lol.

Inferno_22

I wonder if someone will sue Kotaku over this.

"I trusted the reputable gaming site and they were negligent in their conduct!"

SSJPabs

@DaiMacculate: It would have taken like 5 minutes tops to WHOIS this and at least be able to say, "Nope. Looks fishy." Five minutes is not the difference between awesome breaking news and "Old news! Fail!" Also, if you publish a site as widely read as Kotaku, your standards for verifying information should be roughly on par with a newspaper or a TV station. The whole "It's the Internet. Who cares if it's true?" mentality is what harms the credibility of legit stuff all over the medium.

Dirk Dorkelson

@Dir_en_grey
Just the DC serial number and email adress. I think also a password for the new @dreamcast.co account.

Inkz

@Inkz:
What was required when you signed up?
To give your name? e-mail address? phone number? home address? Do you enter your own password for your new dreamcast.com email?

Dir_en_grey

Not to be a jerk but there were many users in that original thread who pointed out the domain was bought and it was a scam. I don't know why it wasn;t submitted to tip AT Kotaku or why it wasn't updated. Depending on the personal information given they could go into person's emails and bank accounts. More research should of been put into this before going on such a major site as this.

kylo4

So what information at what point would this person be able to see?

1- Would he be able to see the password you used on the initial signup?
2- Would he only be able to see the password you have currently assigned to the bogus account?
3- Is the account even active if you dont follow the link in the returned confirmation email?

Travezy

I feel like such a bastard for falling for this.

Sailorcancer

How much damage can someone possibly do with a bunch of Dreamcast serial numbers? Oh, and I bet it took them a while to figure out what's wrong because the only response Sega ever gave was in Japanese.

jamar0303

We really hope you didn't bite when...

Oh, like your colleague did?

P.N.03

:/ I gave my info but I didn't make a account. Oh well. :/

ShinjiKinomoto

A "oops our bad" would have been nice.

TheRemedy

Glad I didn't register my console.

Heyyou27

@DaiMacculate: Hehe, that's where I got it from. Credit goes to Spaceballs.

Eltigro

you bastards!

SAKY

BWAH-HAHAHAHAhahahaha... it worked! My evil plan worked! I've done it, my cruel minions! I've collected thousands upon thousands of Dreamcast serial numbers! The world is now mine!

Now I will ... I will ... ummm ... well ... I know! I'll revel in the fact that I have them!

jayntampa

At worst they would have your password if you're one of those morons that uses the same password for everything. If you're not a moron, they now have whatever email address you signed up with and your Dreamcast's serial number. If you're really worried about it, just don't use the email account they gave you.

Valaris

Im surprised it took you this long Kotaku :/

NoBullet

First things first KOTAKU FIX YOUR SITE!!!! We miss the clicking the logo to go back to the home page.

xpnet

@Eltigro: "Thats sounds like a password an idiot would have on his luggage!"

Also, while Kotaku was pretty positive in their initial lead to the story, its not their responsibility to immediately sort out the veracity of stuff like this. I'm sure they check their facts when possible, but then it delays the news we all crave as quickly as possible. They can't win, because if they wait its "Old News! Fail!" and if they rush it out as fast as possible stuff like this or maybe way worse slips through and their credibility is shot.

Damn Kids!

*Goes to check on his Lawn*

DaiMacculate

Okay. Lat's say I'm a dope and signed up for some Dreamcast goodness. What's the worst thing that could happen now that we know it was a scam. Just, you know, hypothetically.

Inkz

DAMMIT!

Changing password.

Old Password: 12345

New Password: 23456

There, that does it.

I think that, if nothing else, it shows how many of us are passionate for old systems. In this case, it was the Dreamcast. I'm sure a lot of people went for this (I did). It seems like, of all the defunct systems, the Dreamcast followers are the most fanatical. It was a great system, and if someone was trying to use people's retro-gaming interest to get information in a phishing scam, I think the Dreamcast would be the way to go.

Eltigro

I was thinking of registering, I was afraid it might be a scam, but it showed up on tons of video game sites...

Gam3r

@Dir_en_grey:
if someone is going to report something news worthy they should research it a little bit first, having said that everyone makes mistakes. But I think kotaku owes it to it's readership to say sorry we goofed.

Tri5cui7

@Dir_en_grey: I read the comments. My point was that One story makes it seem like they didn't try to urge people to flock over and sign up.

Demonbird

I really don't see a "ha ha you got owned" type of comment in the story. I think these people are just paranoid/looking for someone to blame.

Krug

I would've hoped Kotaku would've verified this before encouraging everyone to sign up. Oh well, that's why I have separate email accounts specifically for signing up for this type of thing.

Fangeh

Someone, somewhere must be laughing very loudly. Holding thousands of e-mails and google ad hits. Just another day on the 'net...

Aion

Admittedly I was going to sign up when the servers came back up. Under normal circumstances I'd whois the domain, but I found this story on Kotaku, so I figured it'd all ready been checked out. Not to say the blame lay with Kotaku, but Kotaku is an authority figure with access to content and information we don't have.

Verum

@parad0x360:
@clintonskneecap:
@Demonbird:
There were a bunch of comments warning people it might be fake, and also pointing out why it was fake.
Too bad people don't read other's comments before they post. Think of it as a lesson learned; now you will know how fraud works...
Hopefully nobody still thinks "oh, all they got was my DC serial number, ha ha"

Dir_en_grey

Instead of a "Sorry about this guys but a site we TOLD you to go and sign up on is in fact a complete scam, our bad, again we're really sorry, here have some ice cream."

We get "LOL I hope you guys didn't goto this site and sign up because if you did you got PWNED"

Nice Kotaku, real nice.

If I weren't at Uni and had my Dreamcast to hand i would have jumped on this in a flash, because Kotaku told me to. I guess I was lucky...

Cheebahawk

i understand that urgency takes precedent when posting a story on a blog, but maybe a little more research could've been done before posting the site as a verified sega domain?
it would be pretty rad if the scam artist was also the tipster.

buttpwner

Phuck! We got phished!

Inkz

HA HA! That's some funny stuff.

PapaBear434

Lol that's interesting.

I wish Sega would ask how my DC is doing. :( Bring back Dreamcast!

munkah

FUCK.

GC

And here I was thinking how bummed I was that I didn't have my Dreamcast to do that...

DoDoDo

lol
Kotaku "Holy shit guys this is awesome Dreamcast ftw go do this!"
2 Days later
Kotaku "insert comment making it seem like we considered that site suspect at first here"

Demonbird

@clintonskneecap: i was thinking the same thing when i read this on digg a couple hours ago. I was gonna send it in but then i figured they were probably already prepping a story...whoops. I was planning on checking that site out too because of Kotaku.

I think this site owes its readers better. A little checking before telling us to give out info like that next time please.

parad0x360

Didn't a bunch of guys on this site say not to do it?

Collapse The Control

wait a min. First you guys say "Hey Sega wants to know about your dreamcast" Then say to us "Hope you didn't fall for it" WTF Kotaku?

clintonskneecap

good thing that the site didn't work at time of registration

reptile168

I want the head of the bastard who did this mounted on my wall.

The Amazing Exploding-Man

I wonder how many DC serial numbers they got.

AndrewDB

Lucky I didn't have my Dreamcast to hand to upload the serial number, otherwise I would've registered for that site in a flash.

akwinters

lole phish much????

oldirtdog

Well that's a pretty sad story.

Want a soda?

2NinjasTapedTogether

@jive238: They do have that new "Tips Tool" at the top of the site now that I think is working but I'm not sure if they see them on their end as well. Hopefully they do because I tried submitting some tips with it and it's really convenient.

Nirolak

well, i suppose we should thank kotaku for telling us about the site before verifying that it had anything to do with sega.

ty for all the spam in the mailbox.

sarcasm_eludes_you

@Mike Fahey: And hey, maybe Sega will realize from this event how much many people liked the Dreamcast and release sequels to many of the games that were on the system that have been neglected for so long. ...At least we can hope.

Nirolak

Heh, and I was just reading this on Joystiq, I was hoping you guys would hear about it. One day i'm gonna learn to submit tips to Kotaku... one of these days.

jive238

It's a good thing that I don't have an inflated opinion of the Dreamcast, so felt absolutely no desire to register with this web site.

Sherlock_the_Barbarian

Yeah, I got all excited to. Luckily the form didn't really contain any personal information aside from your email address.

On the plus side, it did make me break out my Dreamcast again for Record of the Lodosss Wars, so it wasn't all bad.

Mike Fahey

Ah ha :)
Great scam to whomever you are (so many idiots out there).

elpoepFTW

Well duh...they were running Google Adsense on the the page....if it was legit I'd be thinking that wouldn't have been there.

Most Wanted

Somebody set us up the bomb.

Molbork

I hereby officially accuse Reggie.

Moonshadow101

I'm so glad i didn't fill that in. I was about to do it today, but was doing revision instead. I'm a huge DC fan, and would have loved a @user.dreamcast.com email address.

snorri788

Although this is an ingenious stunt for phishing or simply getting peoples email addresses.

Billy Bob Joe

But if Kotaku posts it, it must be true! :(

imbusion

oh snap!

DragonSphere

lol good thing i didn't buy into it.

Raziel3333

Consider my heart broken. I'm glad the site went down due to traffic before I could enter my info.

Lotharian

I knew it!

Billy Bob Joe

I wish Sega did ask about my Dreamcast... it's nice to talk sometimes, y'know?

Northernsky

Dirty... I'm always (as I'm sure many other students) to this in college. Spam mail in my own student e-mail account happens to leak through at times and ask for PayPal information and other such things. Some people fall for it as not everyone is completely internet-savvy. It's disappointing really, I hate this kind of stuff.

September