Playing video games can be an extremely fun hobby, and even outside of a game, players usually feel obliged to add to their game collection by any means necessary. Because of this, there is a need to ensure that gamers are able to employ safe methods towards purchasing new titles.
On the internet, a lot of people are susceptible to scams like phishing and malware on their devices. To avoid this, we’ve compiled some important tips that gamers should follow in order to stay safe as they expand their collection of titles.
Safety is a precedent that should be your priority online. With the game comparison website Eldorado.gg, you’ll never need to risk your account details on scams thanks to their trusted status. You’ll get the best possible prices on the newest games from legitimate marketplaces, allowing you to receive Steam Game keys, origin cd keys and other unlocking steps for different platforms.
Ways Gamers get scammed
Falling prey to scammers looking to attach 3rd party apps to your account
In the mobile gaming space, there is an easier process to development compared to what we’ve got on PC and consoles. Because of this, there’s an easier likelihood for malware and other information stealing tools to be attached to an application. Even if it is listed on the Google PlayStore, there’s no guarantee that it is 100% safe.
Game Cracks via torrents
Piracy will never stop existing, even with a few safe piracy sites, there’s an overwhelming amount of scammers that exist outside the scene. Because of this, you’ll be more liable to malware as many hackers tend to spread their malicious products through the use of torrents and video game files. To avoid this, you’ll need to dig deep and find good piracy forums where trusted sites are shared. On the other hand, you can just use a trusted game price comparison site like Eldorado.gg to get a legitimate price on the newest titles. You can get a cheap game key for Dying Light 2: Stay Human and other AAA titles.
Hidden fees
Some video games have ways that they keep players unaware of charges. This leads to players making a purchase and getting a deduction much higher than they anticipated. If you don’t want to fall for this, you’ll have to be more wary of the terms and conditions attached to video games. As a parent, don’t give your kids the credit card information to buy microtransactions.
Types of targets in the Video Game Industry
When cyber criminals target gamers, they usually target accounts seeking one of the following things:
Financial information: Lots of players have histories of making in-game purchases using the accounts they’ve got with video game companies. Therefore, if a hacker were to gain access to such account, they’d be able to make purchases under a gamer’s name. This is actually theft, but with the blanket of anonymity on the internet, getting justice for this crime can sometimes be extremely difficult.
Personal details: To keep video game purchases consistent and convenient, most players have personal information kept for their online accounts. When these accounts are compromised, cyber criminals will gain access to a user’s name, address and date of birth. This therefore becomes a risk that will lead to identity theft. This is especially dangerous when scammers adopt someone else’s details to make illegal purchases. Banks and other organizations might be less inclined to deal with you, even after you recover your details and clear your name.
In-game items: These are the types of items that exist within games. This includes characters, skins, weapons and other items that can be purchased or earned in-game. Frequently, these have no real world value attached to them. However, players invest in these items when playing games they love. Many of these players actually invest real-world money into this, so it’s all the more frustrating when their accounts are lost to cyber criminals. Later on, these scammers may even feel obliged to sell the stolen accounts for a fee.
How to protect yourself as a gamer
Now that you’ve got an idea of what goes on in the online world, we have some very essential tips that will guarantee your safety as you navigate the internet as a gamer.
Use complex passwords
There’s no way to avoid this. If you’re looking to avoid getting scammed, it’s not enough to have an unpredictable word anymore. There needs to be actual randomness with the letters, numbers and characters used to protect your accounts. Even though it’s a video game account, you still need to be thorough to be protected. Ideally, all your video game accounts should possess different passwords. If there’s anything to take away from this tip, never, ever use the same password across multiple accounts. That’s a hacker’s dream as it makes their job easier.
Avoid phishing attempts
With video game accounts, there are bound to be moments where you come across other players looking to learn stuff about you. Most times, they have a friendly approach to things, and they mention these information requests in passing. If you know what’s best for you, never send personal information online. Even when IRL friends message you for personal information through a video game, never reveal it as they are susceptible to compromise too.
Use Multi-Factor Authentication on your Account
On video game accounts, there are usually options for multi-factor authentication attached to your accounts. Here, you must ensure that you take advantage of this feature. It might seem tedious, but it is a true lifesaver. Essentially, Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) or two-factor authentication (2FA) is a way to protect your video game account with an extra layer of security. Therefore, you can use it to block suspicious sign-in attempts into your accounts.
If a sign-in attempt is made outside of your devices, you’ll get a notification asking if you’re the one making an attempt to sign-in. It could text your mobile phone, or send an email code that will be verifiable. This is one of the best possible ways to protect your video game account.
One of the best possible ways to stay secured on the internet as a gamer is to have a trusted website to make purchases from. With a service like Eldorado.gg, you’ll get a one stop shop to the cheap cd keys for new and legacy titles all in one place.
Online Threat Alerts Security Tips
Pay the safest way
Credit cards are the safest way to pay for online purchases because you can dispute the charges if you never get the goods or services or if the offer was misrepresented. Federal law limits your liability to $50 if someone makes unauthorized charges to your account, and most credit card issuers will remove them completely if you report the problem promptly.
Guard your personal information
In any transaction you conduct, make sure to check with your state or local consumer protection agency and the Better Business Bureau (BBB) to see if the seller, charity, company, or organization is credible. Be especially wary if the entity is unfamiliar to you. Always call the number found on a website’s contact information to make sure the number legitimately belongs to the entity you are dealing with.
Be careful of the information you share
Never give out your codes, passwords or personal information, unless you are sure of who you're dealing with
Know who you’re dealing with
Crooks pretending to be from companies you do business with may call or send an email, claiming they need to verify your personal information. Don’t provide your credit card or bank account number unless you are actually paying for something and know who you are sending payment to. Your social security number should not be necessary unless you are applying for credit. Be especially suspicious if someone claiming to be from a company with whom you have an account asks for information that the business already has.
Check your accounts
Regularly check your account transactions and report any suspicious or unauthorised transactions.
Don’t believe promises of easy money
If someone claims that you can earn money with little or no work, get a loan or credit card even if you have bad credit, or make money on an investment with little or no risk, it’s probably a scam. Oftentimes, offers that seem too good to be true, actually are too good to be true.
Do not open email from people you don’t know
If you are unsure whether an email you received is legitimate, try contacting the sender directly via other means. Do not click on any links in an email unless you are sure it is safe.
Think before you click
If an email or text message looks suspicious, don’t open any attachments or click on the links.
Verify urgent requests or unsolicited emails, messages or phone calls before you respond
If you receive a message or a phone call asking for immediate action and don't know the sender, it could be a phishing message.
Be careful with links and new website addresses
Malicious website addresses may appear almost identical to legitimate sites. Scammers often use a slight variation in spelling or logo to lure you. Malicious links can also come from friends whose email has unknowingly been compromised, so be careful.
Secure your personal information
Before providing any personal information, such as your date of birth, Social Security number, account numbers, and passwords, be sure the website is secure.
Stay informed on the latest cyber threats
Keep yourself up to date on current scams by visiting this website daily.
Use Strong Passwords
Strong passwords are critical to online security.
Keep your software up to date and maintain preventative software programs
Keep all of your software applications up to date on your computers and mobile devices. Install software that provides antivirus, firewall, and email filter services.
Update the operating systems on your electronic devices
Make sure your operating systems (OSs) and applications are up to date on all of your electronic devices. Older and unpatched versions of OSs and software are the target of many hacks. Read the CISA security tip on Understanding Patches and Software Updates for more information.
What if You Got Scammed?
Stop Contact With The Scammer
Hang up the phone. Do not reply to emails, messages, or letters that the scammer sends. Do not make any more payments to the scammer. Beware of additional scammers who may contact you claiming they can help you get your lost money back.
Secure Your Finances
- Report potentially compromised bank account, credit or debit card information to your financial institution(s) immediately. They may be able to cancel or reverse fraudulent transactions.
- Notify the three major credit bureaus. They can add a fraud alert to warn potential credit grantors that you may be a victim of identity theft. You may also want to consider placing a free security freeze on your credit report. Doing so prevents lenders and others from accessing your credit report entirely, which will prevent them from extending credit:
- Equifax
- Experian
- TransUnion
Check Your Computer
If your computer was accessed or otherwise affected by a scam, check to make sure that your anti-virus is up-to-date and running and that your system is free of malware and keylogging software. You may also need to seek the help of a computer repair company. Consider utilizing the Better Business Bureau’s website to find a reputable company.
Change Your Account Passwords
Update your bank, credit card, social media, and email account passwords to try to limit further unauthorized access. Make sure to choose strong passwords when changing account passwords.
Report The Scam
Reporting helps protect others. While agencies can’t always track down perpetrators of crimes against scammers, they can utilize the information gathered to record patterns of abuse which may lead to action being taken against a company or industry.
Report your issue to the following agencies based on the nature of the scam:
- Local Law Enforcement: Consumers are encouraged to report scams to their local police department or sheriff’s office, especially if you lost money or property or had your identity compromised.
- Federal Trade Commission: Contact the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357) or use the Online Complaint Assistant to report various types of fraud, including counterfeit checks, lottery or sweepstakes scams, and more.
- Identitytheft.gov: If someone is using your personal information, like your Social Security, credit card, or bank account number, to open new accounts, make purchases, or get a tax refund, report it at www.identitytheft.gov. This federal government site will also help you create your Identity Theft Report and a personal recovery plan based on your situation. Questions can be directed to 877-ID THEFT.
How To Recognize a Phishing Scam
Scammers use email or text messages to try to steal your passwords, account numbers, or Social Security numbers. If they get that information, they could get access to your email, bank, or other accounts. Or they could sell your information to other scammers. Scammers launch thousands of phishing attacks like these every day — and they’re often successful.
Scammers often update their tactics to keep up with the latest news or trends, but here are some common tactics used in phishing emails or text messages:
Phishing emails and text messages often tell a story to trick you into clicking on a link or opening an attachment. You might get an unexpected email or text message that looks like it’s from a company you know or trust, like a bank or a credit card or utility company. Or maybe it’s from an online payment website or app. The message could be from a scammer, who might
- say they’ve noticed some suspicious activity or log-in attempts — they haven’t
- claim there’s a problem with your account or your payment information — there isn’t
- say you need to confirm some personal or financial information — you don’t
- include an invoice you don’t recognize — it’s fake
- want you to click on a link to make a payment — but the link has malware
- say you’re eligible to register for a government refund — it’s a scam
- offer a coupon for free stuff — it’s not real
About Online Threat Alerts (OTA)
Online Threat Alerts or OTA is an anti-cybercrime community that started in 2012. OTA alerts the public to cyber crimes and other web threats.
By alerting the public, we have prevented a lot of online users from getting scammed or becoming victims of cybercrimes.
With the ever-increasing number of people going online, it important to have a community like OTA that continuously alerts or protects those same people from cyber-criminals, scammers and hackers, who are every day finding new ways of carrying out their malicious activities.
Online users can help by reporting suspicious or malicious messages or websites to OTA. And, if they want to determine if a message or website is a threat or scam, they can use OTA's search engine to search for the website or parts of the message for information.
Help maintain Online Threat Alerts (OTA).