Application security, Threat Management, Network Security

Scammers are swarming around popular Fortnite game, researchers warn

Wherever gamers go, scammers will follow -- and that especially goes for the immensely popular survival and battle royale game Fortnite.

Indeed, researchers at social media and digital protection company ZeroFOX reported yesterday that they generated 53,000 alerts related to Fortnite scams in one month alone, from early September to early October. Many of these scams falsely promise victims free or discounted “V-Bucks,” an in-game currency that players can use to buy various items to enhance gameplay.

Although a whopping 86 percent of these alerts stemmed from malicious social media activity, the ZeroFOX "Alpha Team" also observed scams originating from web domains and YouTube as well. The researchers also warned of various fake Fortnite Android apps, which capitalize on the fact that there actually is no official Android version of Fortnite available in the Google Store.

According to a company blog post, common social media-based Fortnite scams include “V-Buck Generators” websites that ask potential victims for their Fortnite usernames and passwords, as well as personal information including credit card numbers. Through ZeroFOX’s research, we’ve identified over 4,770 live domains related to these kinds of scams – and the number continues to grow," the blog post states.

The researchers also found more than 1,390 YouTube videos that purport to show views how to earn V-Bucks, but actually trick them into giving away their personal information.

 

Bradley Barth

As director of multimedia content strategy at CyberRisk Alliance, Bradley Barth develops content for online conferences, webcasts, podcasts video/multimedia projects — often serving as moderator or host. For nearly six years, he wrote and reported for SC Media as deputy editor and, before that, senior reporter. He was previously a program executive with the tech-focused PR firm Voxus. Past journalistic experience includes stints as business editor at Executive Technology, a staff writer at New York Sportscene and a freelance journalist covering travel and entertainment. In his spare time, Bradley also writes screenplays.

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