Players of online video games such as Roblox, Fortnite and FIFA are being told to watch out for scammers, amid concerns that gangs are targeting the platforms.
Multiplayer games have boomed during the lockdowns of the COVID-19 pandemic as people turn to socializing in virtual spaces.
This week, Lloyds, one of the UK’s biggest banks, is to launch a warning code for players and a character to accompany it, because of its concern over how games are being used.
Its research found that one-fifth of gamers had either been a victim of a gaming-related scam, or knew someone who had, but less than one-third said they could spot one.
“Scammers are always looking for new ways to trick people out of their money, and the world of video games is no exception,” Lloyds fraud prevention director Philip Robinson said.
“These are often organized criminal gangs who don’t care about who they are defrauding and will happily groom young players to gain their trust and access their personal information,” Robinson added.
The research found that the average player spent 14 hours per week online, and that gamers were spending more time and money in the games than previously.
“Add to this an environment where interacting with and trusting strangers has been somewhat normalized, and you have a rich environment that is ripe for a fraudster’s picking,” Robinson said.
The scams vary in complexity.
Lloyds said that gaming console fraud, where scammers trick victims into buying machines that they never receive, were among the most common types of purchasing scams reported by its customers.
Phishing exercises, where players are persuaded to give away valuable personal details, are also common, using e-mails and in-game chats, while some gangs are reportedly using the platforms to recruit money mules — bank customers who agree to have money paid into their accounts.
One 20-year-old gamer interviewed reported getting a notification that there had been an unusual login to their gaming console account from Saudi Arabia.
“I then tried to load up my account, and I realized that my e-mail address had been changed and I had been locked out. It turned out that the fraudster had managed to change the name, e-mail, password and other account details, while also having the capacity to spend money on the debit card linked to my account.”
The code — a set of guidelines to help gamers protect themselves — would urge people to “SHIELD”: an acronym for actions including screening chats with strangers and hiding personal details.
UKIE, the gaming industry’s UK trade association, said that the code would help players to be on their guard.
UKIE chief executive Jo Twist said: “Games are a hugely popular form of entertainment for all ages, and games businesses work incredibly hard to ensure players have a secure and enjoyable time within games themselves. Malicious fraudsters, however, are always looking for opportunities to scam consumers in an online world.”
The full code is at askaboutgames.com/shield-against-scams.
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