Sony warns Home identity thieves will be punished

Sony has issued a warning to its users following an increase in the numbers of its Home community attempting to steal login information.

In a post on the official Home forum, the PlayStation Home community manager warned users against giving out their PSN identification and password to people claiming to be offering them items.

"As many of you are already aware, there are members of our community who are requesting your PSN identification and password to grant select items in Home," reads the statement.

"We would like to remind you that the Home staff will never ask you for your password, or any other personal information in Home. The members of the community doing so are participating in activities that violate our terms of service. This is wrong, illegal, and most definitely not OK, and we will be handling these offences accordingly."

According to Sony, it is aware of which users have breached the rules of its online space and of "who has done what" and it plans to take action against those individuals.

"We know that many of you who participated in this are also some of our most dedicated and enthusiastic Home users and might not have been fully aware of the ramifications of your actions. That said, appropriate actions will be taken against individuals violating our terms of use."

Sony's free-to-use Home space launched in open Beta form in December 2008. Sony recently revealed the number of PSN users that have downloaded the service now exceed seven million worldwide.