If you have signed up for anything offering testing access to the next-gen Xbox, then you have been scammed, according to a Microsoft representative.
Over Twitter, Xbox Live Director of programming Larry Hryb confirmed that any and all websites offering early access to the newest Xbox is scamming the user.
"Confirmed: All sign-up pages for testing the 'next Xbox' are FAKE. Do not give them your information--it's a scam."
It is not surprising that certain nefarious individuals would take advantage of the hype and excitement over the Xbox 720 and use it for their own personal gain. No word on how many people are estimated to have been tricked into giving away personal information by these websites.
The next-gen Xbox has yet to be shown off in public, but has been rumored to have been unveiled to insiders last week. In addition, Assassin's Creed 4 director Jean Guesdon may have let slip that the new Xbox (and PlayStation 4) would be out by the time his game ships, though neither console has a release date set. At the SXSW Festival, the next-gen Xbox was predicted to "win" the next console war by industry analyst Michael Pachter, despite the lack of information about the system.
Given that details about the Xbox 720 have been sparse, it would make sense that unlucky and gullible fans would try to receive early access to the machine. Larry Hryb's message should hopefully spread quickly, as this is an easy case of potential identity theft that could be avoided. Microsoft should take the message further and release an official statement about the scammers, and take action against the scammers, so that nobody else tries this trick again.