Top 5 Most Common Gaming Scams In 2024

Every gamer in the world is familiar with the feeling of looking for the next adventure, especially after finishing an epic video game. Unfortunately, this can sometimes lead us to compromise our gaming system, our accounts, and our finances’ security. 

Hackers have been sneaking into the video game industry for years now. 

In this article, let’s explore the five most common gaming scams and how to prevent them. 

1. Phishing attacks 

We’ve all received dodgy emails with different promises. 

From in-game currency to exclusive rewards, opening the link can be very tempting, but it’s best to take a good look and check out the source of this information. 

Phishing attacks are one of the most common scams in the gaming world and the world, with an estimated 3.4 billion spam emails sent every day. 

The goal scammers pursue is simple: they want access to passwords, to accounts, and, ultimately, to money. What better way to achieve this than by prompting people with emergencies, rewards, or whatever they might click on?

Legitimate companies never ask for information in this way; they won’t send links for you to click on to reestablish your password, and they definitely won’t send weirdly spelt emails. Just in case, this is what you need to do:

• Check out if the mail is unsolicited or not. 
• Check out the sender, look over their address, and get to the official website to see if it’s legitimate. 
• Never click on a suspicious link, and never download weird attachments from the sources you don’t know. 
• Do not share passwords or sensitive information via email. 

2. Fake giveaways, unrealistic prizes, and other contests

If you participate at all in the gaming community across the world, you might have taken part in a challenge or two with other members of the community. Often, these challenges are rewarded. 

However, not all that glitter is gold. 

Fake giveaways and sketchy contests are growing in popularity, playing on people’s ignorance or their wish to find new folks to game with. 

This is what you can do to avoid falling for it:

1. Stalk the hosting organization and make sure it’s legitimate. Do not sign up if you’re suspicious. 
2. Make sure the prices are realistic; if they’re too low or too high, you might get scammed. 
3. Do not give away your information, especially not bank information; avoid those giveaways like the plague. 

1. 3. Account hijacking

When your account is hijacked, it means you’ve lost everything from your video game progress to the rarest item that you found in a quest two years ago. 

Account hijacking is one of the worst-case scenarios, and it’s growing in popularity in 2024.  

Scammers can use the methods we talked about before, like phishing or malware and even brute force attacks, just to get access to your accounts. 

Make sure to enable two-factor authentication and also take a look at your passwords and update the ones that aren’t strong by today’s standards. 

When you make this a habit, you’ll quickly be able to do something if there’s suspicious activity in any of your accounts. You can click here to learn more about other ways to protect your sensitive information.

1. 4. Currency scams in-game

Let’s be honest: online games are the best, but the virtual economy in each of these platforms can be a little too complicated, especially when you’re learning how to play the game. 

That’s why so many people fall for in-game currency scams: they’ve never thought to be cautious. 

So, whether you’re dealing with trading websites promising to make you rich in the game or alternative sellers that supposedly have the best rates in the market, think very well before you trust anyone outside the official, reputable sources. 

The legitimacy of trading platforms is crucial to keep your finances safe. 

1. 5. Fake game mods and other cheats

If there’s one thing I love, it is playing a video game with mods. They’re easy to install, and they can improve my gaming experience. I am unashamed: I use mods and cheats liberally. 

That being said, downloading them from unverified sources can be a risk, and it’s easy work for hackers because they can slip in malware without you raising it. 

So, before downloading any mod, make sure to check out who the developer behind it is and the website where it’s promoted. 

To sum up

If you take proactive measures, you can avoid getting your information stolen. It’s not the end of the world, and you’re not in danger as long as you check out your sources. 

Remember, being overly careful is better than having to pay money to restore your account or lose it altogether. 

The world of gaming, with its immersive experiences, vast worlds, and exciting adventures, will continue to develop into something more wonderful every year. 

Common Gaming Scams Pay attention to the risks involved in gaming, whether it is online with friends or at home with mods and cheats, and you’ll be fine.