12th May 2022

Gaming Scams

Scams

Have you got two-step authentication switched on? 

Many children and adults play online games using the Steam* platform, often messaging each other via the Discord** service.  

As with any online platform, these are at risk of fraud and we’ve recently been made aware of a 14 year old gamer becoming the victim of a scam. 

A scammer pretending to be an official administrator of Steam contacted the gamer saying the user’s account had been reported for fraudulent transactions and they were going to block it. 

In order to ‘protect’ and ‘validate’ the account, the victim was instructed to by a £100 gift card. Being unfamiliar and naïve of scammers, the young gamer was worried that all gaming history and contacts would be lost, if they did not act quickly and pay the money. Using a GoHenry account, the victim paid the amount. 

The scammers then took their request to the next level and asked for the gamer’s passport details. Thankfully, the young victim asked his parent where his passport was and explained why he needed it.  

The parent read the threatening Discord messages and realised it was a scam, which the victim refused to believe and was more concerned that the account would be blocked. They contacted a known local gaming contact who was very helpful and explained to the victim that it was a scam and to immediately stop all communication with the scammer. 

The Steam account had been compromised, as the scammer had changed the user’s password. The parent contacted Steam who were able to retrieve the account. 

Due to a limit on the GoHenry account, this victim’s financial losses were limited to £100 but it has scared them and they no longer feel safe online. 

Activating the two-step verification process will reduce the risk of accounts being hacked. 

 

* Steam is an online platform where gamers can buy, play, create, and discuss PC games. The platform hosts thousands of games from both major developers and indie game designers. 

** Discord is a free voice, video, and text chat app that's used by millions of people ages 13+ to contact their gaming communities and friends.