Application security

Scammers con kids into paying for “free” Fortnite concert

Scammers using a major event to separate fools from their money is nothing new so several took advantage of the first live concert ever streamed through the massively popular video game Fortnite to sell non-existent tickets to gullible game players.

In February Fortnite hosted DJ Marshmello who played a 10-minute set inside the game that was attended by 10 million viewers, reported ESET’s Luis Lubeck. The show was free to all Fortnite players.

However, that aspect did not stop scammers from taking to social media and to Fortnite in-game chat function to “sell” tickets to the concert. Scammers posted tickets for sale on Twitter and even those who bought the tickets retweeted that they were thrilled to have made their purchase.

Lubeck noted the chat aspect of the scam was particularly worrisome because the vast majority of Fortnite players are young people.

“This kind of video game not only allows users to play against each other, but also to interact with other users, as is the case with Fortnite—a player can use their ‘voice chat’ function to talk to anyone they come into contact with. This is where it is important to stop and think about the risks involved in interacting with strangers in the digital realm,” he wrote.

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