A gaming account with accumulated content is worth real money, and a market for them exists. So the schemes aimed at players are better thought through than they look, and they are designed for teenagers and for excitement — that is, for people in a hurry.
The password is changed, the linked email too, the contents moved to another account. After that, getting it back depends entirely on the game's support team.
How accounts are stolen
| Trick | How it looks | What gives it away |
|---|---|---|
| Free currency or skins | A giveaway site, “sign in and collect” | A real game gives nothing away through third-party sites |
| A great trade | An offer to swap items outside the game | Trading outside the official system is protected by nothing |
| “Vote for me” | A link to a poll from someone you know | It opens a login page for the game or the messenger |
| Fake support | “Your account will be banned, confirm your login” | Support does not write first and does not ask for passwords |
| Cheats and mods | A program “for an advantage in the game” | It runs with your privileges and sees everything, passwords included |
| Buying an account | A cheap account with content | The seller recovers it through the linked email and takes it back |
What to set up
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A unique password
Not the same one as your email or other games. A passphrase is convenient here: it can be typed on a gamepad without suffering.
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A second factor
Games usually offer one and often reward it with an in-game bonus — the rare case where no persuasion is needed. How to set up an app.
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A linked email you can actually access
Not a school address and not an abandoned one. Recovery goes through it, and without it support cannot help.
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A review of third-party apps
Twice a year, look at which services have access to your gaming profile and revoke the unfamiliar ones.