harrisonmary
ArchivesOnline Game Identity: Associated Threats and Ways to Avoid Themuring the CoronaVirus pandemic, a lot of users across the globe are turning to online games. It has provided cybercriminals with the opportunity to saturate the online gaming industry with their fraudulent claws. Thus, the rate of identity theft emanating from online games and online gambling has increased. Online gaming platforms have to deal with anonymous scammers every day and it seriously disrupts their business operations. Even if the consumers of a gaming platform are scammed, it reflects poorly on them Why are Fraudsters Resorting to Online Gaming?Gaming platforms were experiencing increasing instances of online game identity fraud even before the COVID-19 pandemic began. The nature of these scams ranges from identity theft and account take over to stealing credit/debit cards. But, with the advent of the pandemic, physical activities across the world were drastically reduced, and understandably so. Thus, this vacuum resulted in consumers storming into the online gaming space. Now, fraudsters have followed the trail where the business activities are taking place. Free or Discounted Game Add-onsThere is a general rule of thumb that can be applied to almost any field that is if it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is and you should take precautions. In the online gaming space, scammers integrate fraudulent third-party ads in legitimate games. These advertisements look legitimate because they are advertised on a legitimate game, but in fact, it takes the user to the fraudulent website on the pretense of buying add-ons and game credits at a discounted price. Well, most people sense something is shady and follow the afore-mention rule, while others fall for this trap. Consumers, especially young ones, end up making transactions with the website and subsequently losing money. Account TakeoverThis is the most advanced gaming scam when it comes to online game identity theft. Here, the cybercriminal steals the user’s online game identity and password with the help of a malware program. Even some state-of-the-art anti-malware software cannot detect all of these malicious attempts. As soon as the user’s account is breached, fraudsters take total control of it. As the virtual goods in a game account are worth a lot of bucks, scammers waste no time cashing on that opportunity. When the unfortunate happens, consumers blame the game developer or the gaming platform they are playing on. This can potentially harm the game developer and the platform, financially and reputation-wise. Fake Games and WebsitesFake apps and websites are nothing new, but the efficiency of this scam has certainly increased. Some PC or console exclusive games are being sold on mobile app stores as legitimate games. To begin with its repercussions, it results in the transaction money going to waste. And to be very honest, it is the least of the consumer’s problems as the users while buying a fake app provide their sensitive information. Even if the app looks legitimate, then while playing, customers risk being victims of further scams relating to their online game identity. The intensity of the crime does not just stop there as the most sinister schemes involve malware that is used to mine data from customers. Furthermore, fake websites like a website relating to winning a lottery, etc. are so efficiently cloned that consumers fall for them at first sight and provide their personal information instantly. Anonymity - A Major hurdleAnonymity in the online gaming world is a fact that benefits fraudsters the most. Moreover, the gaming platforms that do identify their users lack advanced screening measures. This opens up a relatively convenient passage for cybercriminals. Therefore, online gaming and online gambling scams cannot be overlooked anymore. The Fight Against Online Gaming FraudsBiometric verification is one type of authentication that can impede cybercriminals’ attempts. Based on artificial intelligence, biometrics technology especially face, and fingerprint recognition does let anyone steal the online game identity of others. Moreover, while making digital transactions through credit cards, the AI-based technology will require the authorisation of the legitimate user. Thus, gaming platforms can employ these services and ensure the elimination of any criminal advances. by harrisonmary on 2021-03-24 05:51:21 |
