When I was a kid, I loved playing Minecraft. I was by no means what you might call a “gamer”, but I remember the good old days of joining multiplayer servers, chatting with strangers, downloading mods from somewhat suspicious looking websites, and even getting banned from a server for using a cheat that let me see through the ground to find all the diamonds my heart desired. At the time, twelve year old me was definitely not thinking about any of the consequences of my actions. I was certainly not thinking about the potential malware I could be downloading, or that the “friends” I was talking to in the game chat might not actually be other kids. Luckily for me, the mods I downloaded were trustworthy, and the people I chatted with seemingly had no ulterior motives, but this is not the case for everyone.
Games with large player bases and lots of young players are hotspots for scammers. I’m guessing you’ve heard of Minecraft, Roblox, and Fortnite before? These games are especially popular with kids and teens, and their massive player bases only make them more attractive for scammers and cybercriminals. To put this in perspective, over the course of one day more than 16 million people play Minecraft, 111.8 million play Roblox, and 30 million play Fortnite. With a significant percentage of those players being kids and teens, who are seen as easy targets due to their lack of experience identifying online scams and their trusting nature, it makes sense that they would be a prime target.
When it comes to the risk of scams in Minecraft, Roblox, and Fortnite, the numbers speak for themselves. According to the global Kaspersky Security Network, between July 2023 and July 2024, there were a reported 3,094,057 cyber-attacks in Minecraft, 1,649,745 in Roblox, and 165,859 in Fortnite. Unfortunately, these numbers have only been increasing over the years and scammers develop new ways to target young gamers.
Even more concerning, sometimes kids prefer communicating with strangers on gaming platforms as opposed to social media. With unmoderated voice and text chats forming a significant part of the social gaming experience, kids are even more likely to run into cybercriminals aiming to build trust virtually through promises of friendship and gifts. Once they establish this trust, these criminals can gain access to personal information through encouraging young players to click on harmful links, download malicious files disguised as a game mod, or even groom them for more criminal purposes.
Many games such Roblox and Fortnite encourage players to purchase character skins, which allow players to customize the appearance of their characters. These skins tend to come with a price tag attached. Since kids generally don’t have access to money to spend on games, they’re much more likely to look for ways to get their hands on skins for free. Scammers will create fake giveaway sites to trick players into entering their gaming account information in order to hijack their accounts.
Generally, video games have two types of in-game currency: soft and hard. Soft currency is earned within the game, whereas hard currency is purchased with real-world money. As you can imagine, hard currency is what cybercriminals are after. The saying “If it’s too good to be true, it probably is” applies here. Any website offering free in-game currency in exchange for your login information or asking you to complete a survey that collects personal data is not to be trusted. This also applies to any social media posts with suspicious links claiming to offer free or heavily discounted in-game currency, too. At the heart of this scam, cybercriminals are not just after your gaming account, they are after your banking details. Unfortunately, if kids aren’t aware of these scams, they are susceptible to these tricks, and may even share their parents’ credit card information to make unauthorized purchases without realizing what is happening.
I still remember the days I would download Minecraft mods on my parent’s home computer so I could have an in-game pet hamster (worth it!). Mods and cheats are a fun way to enhance the gaming experience, but only if they are downloaded for a trusted source. Cheats that improve shooting accuracy, let you see through walls, or speed up your character are all tempting offerings, especially for young players. There are numerous sites run by cybercriminals that bundle malware into fake mods and cheats. This malware allows them to steal your data, hijack your system, or spy on your activity. One thing to look out for are mods or cheats that come in the form of .exe files, which are executable files designed to run programs directly after the file is opened, and are commonly used by cybercriminals. As a good rule of thumb, unless you 100% trust a source, never open an .exe file!
Have you ever gotten an email from a game saying your account is in danger, or an in-game message asking you to verify your account now to secure it? There is a chance that they were phishing scams. When these situations arise, look out for any sense of urgency, suspicious URLs, or requests for logins, passwords, or codes. Kids are even more susceptible to phishing scams in games through fake links offering free in-game rewards, cheats, or rare items. Once these links are clicked, it opens a gateway for cybercriminals to steal your account credentials or install malware onto your device.
It is the dream of many serious gamers to one day turn their fun hobby into an actual career. After all, who wouldn’t want the opportunity to make money doing something they love? I can only imagine how excited a kid would feel if they received an offer to make their dreams come true. Real opportunities like this do exist through sponsorships from esports teams, popular gaming brands, and game studios. Unfortunately, scammers are taking advantage of people’s dreams by offering fake sponsorships under the guise of a credible organization. They may ask for application fees or banking information with the promise of big returns. But what if it was a real sponsorship? Look out for poor grammar, unverified email addresses, any upfront “processing” fees, or requests for banking information. If you are unsure, you can always reach out to the organization directly through a verified communication channel to double check.
What might appear to be a new friend your kid made online may turn out to be something much more dangerous. Some of the most dangerous scams go beyond simply stealing accounts or banking information, they rely on emotional manipulation to gain trust. Unfortunately, kids are easier targets for grooming due to their innately trusting nature. Cybercriminals will make contact through a game’s voice or text chat where they will find a target and slowly work to gain their trust. Once trust has been established, they may ask the kid to share personal information like their age, school, location, passwords or even family details. When it comes to your kids’ relationships online, look out for fast friendships that require secrecy, personal questions, and requests to move conversations to private direct messages. While some cybercriminals may have the objective of manipulating kids into downloading malware or giving up banking information, others may have much more dangerous intentions.
The good news here is that your kids can stay safe from these scams through cyber education. It may be tempting to outright ban them from playing these games altogether, but it is important to remember that video games can provide kids with a creative, engaging, and social experience. If they are taught how to stay safe in these environments, they can continue to have fun gaming while you get some peace of mind knowing they are well equipped to handle whatever is thrown their way.
Here are a few ways you can help your kids stay safe in online video game environments:
At the end of the day, the number one thing you can do to keep your kids and family safe is investing in cyber education. If kids can learn about all the tricks being used by scammers, they will be much better prepared to handle these situations safely.
Our second level Defender Shield course goes into depth about the game safety, equipping kids with the skills and knowledge they need to defend against scammers! To register for our courses, check out our course page here: https://kidsshield.ca/services/shields
Also check out our CyberGuardian games! Our Scanners game is designed to be a fun and engaging way for kids to test their knowledge of phishing scams. You play as a security bot in charge of filtering emails, texts, social media posts, and QR codes in order to keep their recipients safe from phishing scams.
In our PassX game, you must make a strong password to be able to pass through the gates and get back to the base if you remember it. The stronger password you make, the higher levels you reach until you receive a Cyber Guardians Badge! Check out our games on the app store or on our website here: https://kidsshield.ca/services/games
Be Educated. Be Connected. Be Safe.
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