How to Stop People From Stealing Your X-Box Account

Keep all of your personal information private. This includes your name, physical address and email address. This information can be used by others to steal your X-Box account.

Change your X-Box account password once every few months. Just as with email and other online accounts, changing your password periodically prevents others from stealing your account. To change the password, turn the X-Box on and scroll to your account avatar. Choose the "Manage Account" option and then select the "Windows Live ID" option. Then choose the "Change Password" option. Follow the listed directions to change your X-Box account password.

Contact X-Box Support (see Resources) if you receive any suspicious emails regarding your account. Microsoft never asks for your password or specific account information via email unless first contacted by you. Such fraudulent emails are sent from hackers so they can steal your account.

Add notification alerts to your X-Box Live account. These alerts let you know if somebody is attempting to reset your X-Box account password. Open the "live.accounts" links in the Resources section. Then, sign into your account. Click on the "Add" links found under each category inside the "Password reset information" section on the page. Then, add a secondary email account or multiple accounts and a mobile phone number. The added account(s) and number will receive the alerts whenever someone attempts to change your account password.

Avoid adding personal information in your X-Box account profile. Would-be hackers use any information, such as job location or a pet's name, to steal X-Box accounts.

Use X-Box Live only on secure, password-protected networks. This prevents users from jumping onto the Internet connection and then hacking your X-Box account.