{"id":93560,"date":"2019-01-05T07:00:35","date_gmt":"2019-01-05T15:00:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/securingtomorrow.mcafee.com\/?p=93560"},"modified":"2025-08-25T08:45:15","modified_gmt":"2025-08-25T15:45:15","slug":"do-your-kids-love-gaming-know-how-to-protect-them-from-a-cyberattack","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/family-safety\/do-your-kids-love-gaming-know-how-to-protect-them-from-a-cyberattack\/","title":{"rendered":"Do Your Kids Love Gaming? Know How to Protect Them from A Cyberattack"},"content":{"rendered":"

Fortnite, Call of Duty Black Ops 4, Red Redemption 2, Spiderman, and Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey. If you are the parent of a teenager, you know all about some of these popular online games, and you may even play some yourself. What you may not know is that while your child is fully engaged in his or her favorite online game, he or she may be in the digital crosshairs of a cyber thief.<\/p>\n

According to reports, more than 2.2 billion video gamers helped bring that industry more than\u00a0$108 billion<\/a> in revenue in 2017, so it’s not surprising that scammers are following the money.<\/p>\n

McAfee Gaming Survey<\/strong><\/h2>\n

A recent gaming survey from McAfee uncovered some valuable insights into the gaming world and security. The good news is that most gamers have cybersecurity on their radar (75% of PC gamers chose online security<\/em> as the issue that most concerned them about the future of gaming). The\u00a0not-so-good news is that of the gamers surveyed; most still aren’t practicing the best online habits such as reusing passwords across multiple accounts (55%). In addition, the average gamer has experienced almost five cyberattacks due to poor security habits (see graphic, right).<\/p>\n

Common Scams<\/strong><\/p>\n

Online cheats or downloads.<\/strong> Gamers love to get and edge on their favorite game, so when they go search online for cheats<\/a> or someone sends them a link for a cheat or download, they will likely click. That fake cheat can lead to malware, bitcoin theft, or identity theft.<\/p>\n

Fake apps. <\/strong>Scammers\u00a0are\u00a0capitalizing on favorite games such as\u00a0Red Dead Redemption 2<\/a>\u00a0by luring users to download the game for free only to trick them into divulging their personal information. Remember, if you come across a download offer that seems too good to be true, it probably is.<\/p>\n

Fraudulent trades.<\/strong> Many games often include extras that a gamer can buy for their characters such as weapons, armor, skins, or clothing. Some scammers will offer to purchase or trade items outside of the platform and then dupe the buyer through a phishing link that gains access to his or her credit card information.<\/p>\n

Impersonation\/Catfishing.<\/strong> Some scammers go to great lengths to access a gamer’s personal information. They will befriend a gamer over time, gain trust, and take advantage of the gamer emotionally or financially in some way.<\/p>\n

Account takeovers.<\/strong> This scam is when a hacker gains access to a legitimate player’s account (usually a popular player), blocks that user from accessing his or her account, and uses that account to send out spammy emails, fake offers, and malicious links.<\/p>\n

Gaming Safety Tips<\/strong><\/h2>\n