There is new Fortnite scam news coming from a security research report
The scams are so prolific, the French government even included Fortnite scams in a national cybersecurity awareness campaign that has now spread across Europe.
Do you see translation at the bottom? "Dad, could you give me your credit card number? It's for a friend on Fortnite."
This is one of the popular Fortnite scams. Young kids (who are crazy about the game) are being messaged by those who befriend them in the online game asking for parent's credit card information or their account username and password.
And this is just one of many Fortnite scams hitting right now.
Cybersecurity company ZeroFOX issued a new report on cybercriminals trying to take advantage of the game's worldwide following.
"Over a one month period from early September to early October, the ZeroFOX team has generated over 53,000 alerts related to Fortnite scams. Of those alerts, an overwhelming majority, 86%,
The most popular Fortnite scams promise something every player wants: more V-bucks. V-bucks are the game's digital currency, and you cannot buy this currency anywhere except within the game.
However, ZeroFOX documented a number of websites that promise they are "V-bucks generators," where you can get
Most of these sites then promise additional V-bucks or points to share the great news about free V-bucks with friends. That way, they can get scammed too. Because there really
One thing that also sticks out is the "Hurry Up" message, which is so typical of phishing emails that try to get you to take action right away before you have a chance to think about it.
These Fortnite V-bucks scams appear on social media and on YouTube, and are increasing along with the number of players addicted to the game, according to security researchers.
"Through ZeroFOX's research, we’ve identified over 4,770 live domains related to these kinds of scams—and the number continues to grow."
Other Fortnite scam news
The latest report follows several stories SecureWorld has published on Fortnite scams. This includes "aimbot scams" that promise to help players get ahead in the game, which then lead to Fortnite players catching a virus while they try to cheat.
There is also the Fake Fortnite app for Android which has been scamming people. Looking to download the authentic Fortnite app for Android? It is only found here: fortnite.com/android
It's not all bad news, though. These scams are teaching a new generation of kids about the importance of cybersecurity, including the use of two-factor authentication in Fortnite, as we have reported.
Fortnite now more popular than TV shows
Fortnite now has higher ratings, apparently, than many popular television shows. CNBC puts it like this:
In June, a Fortnite event called Friday Fortnite pulled in 8.8 million unique viewers. To put that in perspective, the season finale of AMC's "The Walking Dead" brought in 7.9 million viewers, the first round of the NFL draft raked in 5.3 million and the season
What's next for a game this popular? The 2019 Fortnite World Cup, with $100 million in prizes.
