FBI warns gamers about fake games that promise to make money but actually steal cryptocurrency

By: Vladyslav Nuzhnov | 16.03.2023, 13:50

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has warned gamers about fake gaming apps that steal cryptocurrency. Fraudsters advertise games where you can make money.

Here's What We Know

Attackers establish relationships with victims, introduce them to games in which players allegedly earn cryptocurrency in exchange for certain actions, such as growing crops on a digital farm. Then, they offer to create a crypto wallet, link it to the game, buy crypto, and join the project. And of course, the more money the victims keep in their wallet, the more rewards they will "receive".

But as soon as the crypto wallet stops being replenished, the money is withdrawn from it. After all, when the game is launched, a programme is activated that accesses the linked wallet. Eventually, you receive a notification that you can get your money back by paying additional fees, but even then, no one will return the money.

The FBI has also provided tips on how to protect yourself from such actions:

  • Create a unique wallet. This will protect your main cryptocurrency assets in case you unknowingly provide access to your gaming wallet to intruders.
  • Use a third-party blockchain explorer to independently check the balances of the addresses in your game wallet.
  • Periodically use a third-party token checker to see which sites or apps you have inadvertently allowed access to your wallet and revoke those permissions.

Source: ic3