Overview
The victim expects to buy a gaming account, sometimes pre-loaded with a variety of high-value games.
How It Works
The victim sees an advertisement offering gaming accounts and their assets (games, goods), such as on Steam, for a low price.
The scam is that the account is never delivered to the user or the account is taken back after payment.
Related Articles
Related Crime Schemes
A particular instance of this scam may embed one or more of these related schemes.
Bait and Switch: A bait and switch is a scheme that makes a promise of one item but delivers a different, lesser-valued item.
Victim Targeting Context
The scammer may use one or more of the following techniques to reach the victim.
Advertising: The scammer uses advertising to passively reach the victim.
Social Engineering: Psychological Manipulations
The scammer may use one or more of these psychological techniques to accomplish the scam.
Easy Money: The scammer promises easy money or makes appeals designed to leverage victim's greed.
Not A Scam: The scammer goes to great lengths to convince the victim the scheme is not a scam.
Urgency: The scammer employs urgency to increase the likelihood that the victim will take action.
Social Engineering: Impersonation Techniques
The scammer may impersonate one or more of the following groups as part of the scam.
Business or NonProfit: The scammer impersonates a business or nonprofit.
Catfish: The scammer creates a fictitious online profile or persona.