It has come to our attention that some individuals are contacting FINAL FANTASY XI players in-game and referring them to fake websites resembling the official PlayOnline.com (
http://www.playonline.com/) site. These sites ask the player to enter their PlayOnline ID and password at the fake website, with the intent of stealing items belonging to the player's character or characters. This practice, commonly known as "phishing," has become very common on the Internet.
We have permanently removed the PlayOnline membership of these players who are responsible for hosting such websites to the attention of the proper authorities, requested further investigation on this issue with the help of the public organization, and have also shut down these sites to protect the FINAL FANTASY XI community.