The time spent by people playing video games has increased by 102% in the first week of April, as people remained at home amid the lockdown.
Online gaming, over the years, has evolved in a great way, live gaming, streaming becoming common. Games have a robust economy both in and out of the games themselves. In-game currency, in-game purchases, real-world currency stored in wallets and the games themselves are all lucrative assets, and they are enticing targets for scammers and cybercriminals.
Given the number of people playing games online, cyberthieves have already unleashed a host of scams.
In a note about scams targeted at online games, Cybersecurity major NortonLifeLock has said that cyberthieves can rely on a variety of tricks to steal gamers' identities, tap their bank accounts, or run up charges on their credit cards.
Some scammers create fake mobile versions of popular online games. These phonies, once downloaded, install malware on victims' phones or computers.
In some cases, they use phishing scams to trick people into surrendering their account details. Often, fraudsters will send an email to gamers telling them they need to confirm their password and log-in information. “If gamers click on the link in the email, they'll be taken to a fake sign-in page that asks them to input their current password and username. Or, as recently seen, attackers were sending Discord QR codes promising rewards for using them, but ultimately stealing the gamer’s account information,” Norton said in a blogpost.
There is also a type of scam where using malware programs, scammers capture the details of gamers' online accounts, such as those used to access the online offerings of popular video game platforms, including Steam, Epic, Origin, Uplay, and even Xbox and PlayStation consoles.
Using these details, they can steal sensitive user info such as credit card information, home address, and phone numbers.
How can gamers protect themselves against scams?
- NortonLL recommends never responding to email or direct message requests from Discord, Twitch, Steam, or other platforms requesting credit card, personal, or banking information.
- Never click on any of links asking to reconfirm password. Instead, delete any email that asks you to update your log-in information.
- On your gaming accounts, use passwords that are difficult for hackers to guess. Don’t use the same password over several accounts.
- Use two-factor authentication
- Install and use a VPN when playing games that expose your IP address: When playing on a desktop computer, there are times when concealing your location is a critical way to protect your identity. According to Vpnpro it is especially essential when you play on gambling sites like Pokerstars where real money is involved. VPNs are easily installed and require very little configuration to use. When using a VPN, your computer can appear to be somewhere else in the world, preventing attackers from finding your location.