Spent: how scammers deceive Russians with GTA VI pre-orders

The number of victims of fraudsters' actions is growing in the wake of the excitement surrounding the release of GTA VI, Izvestia found out. The official operation of stores where you can pre-order a new game has been suspended in Russia, so gamers are looking for workarounds. And the attackers create phishing sites, distribute fake beta keys for early access with malicious files, and steal account information. How not to get caught is in the Izvestia article.

How scammers attack gamers

Pre-order for the game Grand Theft Auto VI (GTA VI) started in the world on June 25, 2026, and the official release is scheduled for November only. It is one of the most successful video game franchises, widely known both among players and outside the industry. The previous part was released almost 13 years ago and has already surpassed the mark of 230 million copies sold. In the wake of the hype around the new game, scammers have become more active, experts from the Solar AURA Monitoring Center for external digital threats told Izvestia.

"Today, scammers deftly adapt to any trends," said Alexander Vurasko, Director of Development at the Center for Monitoring External Digital Threats. — By buying games on unofficial websites, you risk losing not only personal data and money, but also access to your device.

Experts recalled that the official operation of the Microsoft Store and PlayStation Store, where you can pre-order GTA VI, has been suspended in Russia. Gamers buy the game on marketplaces from sellers who sell and activate keys, and on pirate sites. As Izvestia found out, after analyzing social networks and chat rooms of gamers, the number of victims of fraudsters is growing.

— In one of the closed game chats, they posted a link to the pre—order and asked for account details, explaining that the game would allegedly be bought from Europe, since it was not available in Russia, - said Ivan (name changed). — As a result, the person was left without an account and almost lost his money. It's good that I managed to block the card before debiting it.

Phishing sites have already appeared online that mimic the official pre-order pages. Fraudsters collect users' personal data under the pretext of account verification, and distribute fake beta keys for early access. Such files often contain malicious software.

Fake mobile apps are also being created, allegedly with a beta version of the game. After installation, such programs can collect personal data or download additional malware to the device.

"The purchase of keys on marketplaces is particularly dangerous: in some cases, sellers require you to provide your account username and password to activate them," the experts said. — An attacker can change credentials and demand a ransom or steal an account with all the games. In addition, there is a risk of losing money and your card details when paying to the merchant's personal account or using a phishing link."

Among other things, websites have appeared where they allegedly recruit testers for an early version of Grand Theft Auto VI among residents of the CIS countries, Kaspersky Lab reported. The website says that they are looking for "active players who are ready to share feedback and participate in private sessions."

To do this, they suggest subscribing to a closed Telegram channel, where they are more likely to be involved in further deception schemes through a messenger.

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How not to get caught

Cryptocurrency users are also at risk of encountering suspicious websites, experts noted. One of these resources advertised a token with a name consonant with GTA. To make it more convincing, the page was designed in the corporate style of the game and its logo was placed. Such resources should be treated with extreme caution, as their use may lead to the loss of crypto assets.

"The schemes are expertly timed to coincide with significant dates for gamers: attackers understand that periods of intense waiting can weaken users' vigilance," said Olga Altukhova, senior content analyst at Kaspersky Lab. — We strongly recommend that you make purchases exclusively through official platforms and refrain from clicking on links from unverified sources.

Fraudulent schemes around major game releases, such as Grand Theft Auto VI, are usually based on scarcity and hype, said Kirill Levkin, project manager at Softline Group (MD Audit). Scammers often distribute their tools through social networks, Telegram channels, and even advertising.

— They offer to follow the link, log in to the game account or download the file. As a result, data is stolen or malware is installed," the expert confirmed. — Additionally, schemes with fake support are used: allegedly, the "technical service" offers to help with the purchase or access by requesting logins, passwords or confirmation codes.

There are also "profitable offers" from private sellers with a very low price — this is another common trigger, Kirill Levkin said.

Most sites offering circumvention of sanctions restrictions turn out to be a scam, and in the gaming segment there are 8 out of 10, Ashot Oganesyan, founder of DLBI, a data leak intelligence and monitoring service, agreed.

— It is almost impossible to identify fraud, or rather, to find an honest seller in such a situation, so there is only one way to protect yourself from fraudsters with a guarantee: do not try to buy "left" keys, — he pointed out.

Deception can be detected by a number of signs, experts noted. Any offers of early access or beta keys outside the official channels will almost always be a scam.

— It is worth being wary when urgent actions are required.: "there are 10 keys left," "the promotion ends today," Kirill Levkin added. — Sites with similar but not exact domains are suspicious, as well as requests to enter credentials outside the usual platforms. Finally, any pre—release download files are a virtually guaranteed risk of infection.

According to Ashot Oganesyan, checking the age of the site and negative reviews on Google provides some protection — if the domain was registered yesterday or there are complaints of fraud, you definitely should not use it. If the site has been around for a long time, then there is no point in looking at reviews, since they are most likely hyped up. If the site is about a year old and there are no or few complaints about it, you can take a risk.