Fortnite and Roblox players are being hit with a deadly offer scam
Players of games like Fortnite and Roblox are being hit with a deadly scam involving in-game skins - with parents being warned that children are being tricked.
15th Aug 2023 17:35
Roblox Corporation | Epic Games
Fortnite and Roblox players are being hit with a deadly offer scam
Players of games like Fortnite and Roblox are being hit with a deadly scam involving in-game skins - with parents being warned that children are being tricked.
15th Aug 2023 17:35
Roblox Corporation | Epic Games
While most kids are happy earning their in-game skins through battle passes or challenges, there's a wealth of players who love getting their parents' debit cards out and splash out on some V-Bucks.
Sometimes, this happens without the consent of their parents, as we all know what kids are like. But there's currently one scam going around that is targeting these youngsters on titles like Fortnite and Roblox. Worryingly, it's proving to be rather malicious.
New scams are disguising themselves as government websites
According to gaming news sites such as TechSpot and Wired, there are currently thousands of scams that are being found online. They're specifically targeting gamers, disguising themselves as government websites.
Wired claims to have found an abundance of scam sites that are using domains with ".gov" or ".org," mainly attaching themselves to Fortnite and Roblox search terms while masquerading as a free offer. Obviously, they phish your details and can steal more than just your details - with credit cards being up for grabs.
Zach Edwards, Senior Manager of threat insights at Human Security, told Wired that he uncovers a range of these scams every single day. "This group is what I would consider to be the number one group at bulk compromising infrastructure across the internet and hosting scams on it and other types of exploits," he said.
New malicious scams are targeting young gamers
These scams are reportedly targeting search terms such as V-Bucks or other currencies in Roblox, games that are designed for kids, mainly, and will direct them to official-looking domains with government URLs.
Here though, they will be probed to open "poison PDFs" which can cause malware problems, and if sign-on details are published, they can be used for fraud. There are "lots of landing pages that appear super targeted to children," Edwards says.
So, next time you (or your kids) are looking for V-Bucks or other currencies, you're best to stick directly to the in-game stores or vouchers at supermarkets, rather than scouring the internet. Although we all like a good deal, you could be opening yourselves up to some serious scams.
About The Author
Jack Marsh
Jack is an Esports Journalist at GGRecon. Graduating from the University of Chester, with a BA Honours degree in Journalism, Jack is an avid esports enthusiast and specialises in Rocket League, Call of Duty, VALORANT, and trending gaming news.
