Free V-Bucks on Fortnite? It’s a scam: here’s how hackers try to steal players’ data and money, and what to do to avoid it.
Fortnite is currently the most popular game in the world with its 125 million players less than a year after its launch.It is therefore not surprising that the hackers targeted the Epic Games title.
This is the case of the recent scam called Free V-Bucks, the latest attempt to subtract personal data and user accounts that tries to steal information promising V-Bucks, the game currency, free.
Here’s how the Fortnite scam and advice on how to avoid it.
Fortnite: the Free V-Bucks scam
Unfortunately, there have already been cases of people fallen victim to what is called the Free V-Bucks scam.
This is a scam that uses social networks as a basis, Facebook in the first place, but that is also spread on Twitter. The goal is to capture the attention of the players promising free V-Bucks, obtainable through a few simple steps.
By clicking on a link you will be directed to a page that is not the official one of the game: the safest way to be sure is to check the address bar and see if the domain is that of Epic Games.
In some cases this step may be necessary because the graphics used by some malicious sites that propose the scam is very well done and in line with that of the game.
The variant of the most popular scam asks you to enter your username to get the V-Bucks, but after you have entered and clicking on Next will open another page. Here you will have to prove that you are not a bot by filling in some data that will be readily stolen by hackers.
Another version of the scam consists of a series of links that lead from page to page, always in a phishing attempt, with the usual objective of requesting the insertion of information that will then be subtracted.
Whether in case hackers want access to the account or point to the credit card, you will need to pay the utmost attention.
Free V-Bucks scam: how to protect yourself
As with any other game or platform, the presence of hacks similar to that promised by these scams is at the limits of the impossible.
If there are ways to get V-Bucks for free they are those on Epic’s official channels. Observing the addresses of the pages on which you are directed is a great way to understand what is really happening.
It is important that you never enter data online, except for requests that we have actively made as a subscription to a trusted site.
Epic’s latest security bulletin also suggests behaviors not to take too much risk, emphasizing not using the same password for different services and “never sharing the details of your Epic account with anyone. Epic Games will never ask you for your password via email, social or a site that is not in its domain”. It is also recommended that you use the Have I Be Pwned page to check if your information has been compromised.
The use of public or shared computers, such as internet points, should also be avoided, and in case you need to use them, be sure to change the password as soon as you can access it from a secure device.
In order to minimize the risks, the accounts should not be shared, and those offered for sale by the other players should not be bought, which may reappropriate them at any time and accuse you of theft.
The Fortnite support center also says that the sites that promise free V-Bucks are “fake” and that “under no circumstances these sites can really guarantee V-Bucks”.