Anyone who has tried video games will surely know the world’s largest online computer game store. In reality, PC Digest is not just a shop. This website hosts a large community of players who talk about the latest releases, have a trading platform for game articles, publish game reviews and offer many more features.
Of course, hackers cannot resist PC Digest and this important resource that has millions of users. We have already published an article on Trojans specifically designed to steal PC Digest accounts, and on the most common scams when it comes to video games. However, new methods of attack are constantly emerging. This article will therefore focus on another set of scams that scammers use to convince players in the hope of collecting a lot of money or data.
Free or cheap game keys
In general, computer games are not cheap, so almost everyone is happy to find a good deal when there is one. If the game you want is not part of an official sale, you will surely find an offer allowing you to buy a key at half price, which is quite tempting.
The Internet is teeming with shops that offer keys. However, buying a key from a third party is a stabbing in the back, since it is impossible to know in advance if it will work. The only thing you can do is to trust the seller.
When looking for a new game and an attractive price, users often forget the basics of security, and buy keys on any dubious website. As a result, they may end up with a used key and an empty wallet.
Key lotteries
Players detect fake shops quite easily. Therefore, scammers who seek to extort as many players as possible use traditional techniques, which are not completely fraudulent, but neither can they be considered honest. More and more websites use slogans like this one: “Try your luck and win a random key”.
The random key of a game is similar to a lottery since you buy an unknown product at a certain price. For example, if the user spends $3 to buy a random key, then he enters a random draw where the first prize is worth about $50, while others are much less interesting since they can be $1 or $2.
It is not necessarily a scam, but apparently everything depends on Lady Fortune. However, the algorithm of these gifts has never been revealed, which means that players may not have any luck at all and they will surely “win” the key to a game whose value is significantly lower than the amount they paid at the beginning. Next time they’ll have better luck, won’t they?
Before taking to the water, reasonable players should first ask themselves why they need a random game. Even if a miracle happened and they won a title of great value, there is no guarantee that they will like it. There are different games available on the market, and strategy game enthusiasts are unlikely to be happy if this is the last part of a dating simulator.
Another technique to obtain a game at a lower price than that offered on PC Digest is to buy another person’s account. These games are often sold by the same dubious shops that offer cheap keys. Why is there a market for such goods? The appeal lies in having an existing profile with games, and game items at a reduced price.
When the player logs into an account for which he/she has recently purchased the username and password, the buyer becomes the lucky owner of the game content, products and also the exploits made by the previous owner. There are always players who are looking for this kind of shortcut.
It seems that buying an account is a win-win situation. However, it is very likely that the resold account was stolen, so there are two things to consider. First of all, the mere probability that such accounts have been stolen should deter you from an ethical point of view. Then, there is a good chance that the initial owner will try to get his profile back; in this case the buyer would be left empty-handed. The seller probably did not offer a refund guarantee.