Scammers have decided to capitalize on the hype surrounding the pre-order of Grand Theft Auto VI. As Kaspersky Lab told TASS, the number of fraudulent schemes sharply increased immediately after applications for the game began. Attackers target the most vulnerable — the desire to get access before everyone else.
Analysts identified a Russian-language website offering to become a tester for an early version of GTA VI. The user is led to a private Telegram channel, where they are highly likely to be drawn into further scam schemes via the messenger. Another website copies the visual style and branding of Rockstar Games, mimicking an official pre-order for consoles, and collects payment data. A third resource advertises a supposedly safe "beta version" through video platforms and social networks, the file of which compromises the device, steals accounts, and installs malware.
The scheme preys on record-breaking hype: according to analysts, GTA VI could raise $1 billion just from pre-orders, and the start of sales has been pushed back to the end of the year. Scammers know perfectly well that gamers cling to any opportunity to get access before the official release, and they transfer the victim to a messenger, where asynchronous correspondence gives the scammer time to build a convincing attack — unlike a phone call.