As much as you may enjoy playing video games on sites like https://omiqq.com and against virtual opponents from around the world, it is important for you to know that not every gamer you come across on most gaming platforms are actually there with pure intentions.
While you’re there β on the gaming platform β to bruise people’s egos, make some money, earn some cool rewards, and brag to your friends about how you’re one of the best on the platform – there are other players on the same platforms with ulterior motives. And the earlier you discover how these types of people operate, the better.
In that light, here are some of the commonest tricks used by video game scammers to steal money from unaware gamers.
Game cheats and free downloads
Gamers love free downloads and gaming cheats to perform better at their games and to enjoy the very best of gaming experiences. Unfortunately, fraudsters know about this too, and they prey on the desires of gamers to find free cheats by infecting their consoles, PCs, and mobile devices with infectious malware and computer programs that corrupt, locks, or steal vital personal and financial details.
These conmen will come on social platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Discord, and the likes to advertize game cheats and offer online gamers free downloads. But in order to be able to download these cheats or access these free downloads, gamers are often required to click a link, read a blog, or watch a video.
Unfortunately, they’re just waiting on the side of the screen for you to click the link they’ve attached and to download any of the goodies they’ve uploaded. Once you do, they’ll now infect your system with spyware programs to spy on your system details such as your bitcoin wallet address, Steam address details, and other vital information.
To beat this trick, you need to avoid all forms of downloads from sites you know nothing of. And avoid looking out for game cheats and free offers.
Money Laundering
In the not too distant past, crimes such as money laundering were known to be prevalent in business dealings and business environment only. But due to the introduction of digital currencies such as Ethereum, Bitcoin, and other cryptos, gamers are now getting involved in money laundering accusations.
Not that they intend to, though, but due to the fact that some activities require gamers to make payments through digital currencies, gamers are bound to be found guilty of money laundering.
For instance, if you buy virtual currencies such as Bitcoins, you might inadvertently involve yourself in criminal activity. As law enforcement agencies attempt to trace transactions and money-laundering schemes, they may find a link that connects the criminal activity to you, despite you being an innocent user.
Scam trades
These are the most prevalent fraud tricks in the gaming world. Due to the fact that gamers are always on the lookout for new opportunities to make a few bucks, they become exposed to several fraudulent trades and activities from scammers.
Scam trades can come in various forms ranging from direct messages, emailing, spamming, and voice calls. But regardless of the form through which they appear, there is always one common thing about them β they always involve gamers needing to send something to receive something. Usually, what you send could be in the forms of Gift Cards, Steam cards, money, or other items.
For example, a fellow Steam user might message you, offering to buy items from you at a premium, suggesting that you make the trade outside of Steam. To make it sound convincing, he would suggest trading via Skrill, PayPal, or some other money-transfer platform.
Once he/she gets the items, they ask for a reversal of payment from the platform claiming they’ve been scammed by you and that the items you sent are counterfeits. Unfortunately, you won’t know they’ve filed a complaint against you on the platform. And since you don’t know about the report, you can’t refute the claims in time to stop the platform from reversing the money.
Impersonations
This is one of the hardest cyber tricks to trace because most of its victims are always too ashamed to admit they were duped because of what they think their friends might say about them. It involves scammers gathering information about you from the gaming platforms you visit the most and then creating a duplicate of your profile to swindle your friends.
They would take their time to study when you come online to play, how you play, who your friends are, and how your profile looks. Afterward, they would create a like-for-like profile and contact your friends, pretending to be you.
Once they reach out to them, they would ask to borrow their in-game items, use their gaming sessions, and even ask for money from them. And since your friends would think it was you who was talking to them, theyβd likely fall for the trap and send these conmen whatever they ask of them.
Mobile scams
While a large percentage of gaming scams happen on desktop computers, there are still a few of them that happen on mobile devices to. In one typical mobile scam, for example, the victim downloads a free game on his smartphone. While playing the game, the game app secretly makes international and premium-line calls, racking up hundreds or thousands of dollars in charges to be paid by the victim.
In another mobile scam, the victim is invited to partake in an online survey or quiz in exchange for a few gaming V-bucks, Swagbucks, Gift Cards, real money, or other gaming items. Once the gamer clicks on the link that goes to the survey, the fraudulent malware that has been incorporated with the link attaches itself to the smartphone of the visitor (the victim). Once in, the malware siphons relevant information and sends them to the system of the fraudster who created the survey in the first place. Usually, some of these malware can siphon information such as Bitcoin wallet, bank app details, credit card details, and other vital financial information.
If you enjoy games and gaming and want more NEWS from the Gaming World Click Here
