Nintendo Is 'Investigating' Reports of Unauthorized Account Breaches

Nintendo says it is investigating the recent uptick in unauthorized access attempts on people’s Nintendo Accounts. The company is also urging Nintendo Account owners to enable two-factor verification for added security. “We are aware of reports of unauthorized access to some Nintendo Accounts and we are investigating the situation,” Nintendo of America told IGN in a statement. Nintendo also shared links to its FAQ on enabling two-step verification and its official support page. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-2020-video-game-release&captions=true"] In recent weeks Nintendo Switch owners have shared unauthorized attempts at accessing their accounts. Some have shared on social media sites that they’ve received emails from Nintendo notifying them that someone has attempted to log into their account. Nintendo shares where the login attempts come from and some IGN staffers have reported attempted access from hackers in China and the US. Others report that their accounts were successfully breached and that the PayPal account tied to their Nintendo account was used to purchase Fortnite VBucks. Two-step verification is quick safety precaution users can enable. The process requires Google’s free Authenticator app for iOS and Android. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/09/26/nintendo-switch-lite-review"] It’s unclear exactly how hackers are gaining access to Nintendo accounts, or why there’s a surge at this time. However, we recommend users activate two-step verification if they haven’t done so already. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Kim is a reporter for IGN.