"Whenever I log on to my Windows Live Messenger account, my friends suspect I am a fraud who wants to swindle them."
A Beijing woman, who requested anonymity, explains how her account with instant messaging program Windows Live Messenger was hacked. Over a period of 48 hours, a hacker conned the woman's friends out of 13,000 yuan ($2,085) by asking them to buy prepaid phone cards or transfer money. There has been a surge in such cases lately. Analysts have linked the recent poor service of Windows Live Messenger, formerly named MSN Messenger, to Microsoft's announcement on November 6 that it would phase out Messenger in favor of Skype worldwide, except the Chinese mainland. (Source: The Beijing News)