Mobile games are a popular way for many to escape reality and relax. These games should be designed with the aim of entertaining and relaxing the player. Unfortunately, there are some games that target their audience through trickery. The FBI has therefore issued a warning regarding the ongoing mobile game scams involving cryptocurrency.
Mobile game scams are becoming more and more common
Although mobile game scams are not new in themselves, they are unfortunately becoming more and more common. To inform the (potential) players of this, a recent public announcement of the Federal Bureau of Investigation makes it clear to players to stay away from such activities. Among other things, the announcement said the following:
The FBI warns against criminals creating fake gaming applications (apps) to steal millions of dollars worth of cryptocurrency. Criminals contact victims online and build relationships with victims over time. Criminals then introduce victims to an online or mobile game, in which players allegedly earn cryptocurrency rewards in exchange for certain activities, such as growing crops on an animated farm.
Malicious code implemented in game
It is alleged that criminals instruct victims to create a cryptocurrency wallet, buy cryptocurrency and join a specific gaming app to participate in the game. They then entice them with the prospect of “more money, more rewards”.
Once victims stop depositing money into their crypto wallet, criminals use a malicious program that was unknowingly activated when they played the game to drain their wallet. Everything that was on this wallet is then sent to an address of the scammer(s).
It is not the first time that the FBI has issued such a warning to announce such fraud. When North Korean hackers stole $625 from Axie Infinity last year, she issued a similar warning. Due to the continuing trend of a growing number of crypto-related hacks, it is expected that this will not be the last warning from the FBI.