Medium riskOnline Shopping

In-Game Currency Scam

Offers of cheap or free in-game currency, coins, skins, points, or items appear on unofficial websites, adverts, and direct messages, often promising a fraction of the normal price. To 'deliver' the items, the site asks you to log in with your game account or pay through an unofficial checkout. This can hand over your account credentials or card details, leading to a hijacked account or a charge for items that never arrive. These offers frequently target younger players who may be less wary.

Quick verdict

Risk level
Medium risk
Scam type
Discounted goods scam
Main red flag
A non-official site or message asks for your game login or payment to deliver discounted or free currency.
What to do first
Do not enter your game login anywhere except the official app or website, and treat 'too cheap' currency offers with suspicion.

How this scam works

Offers of cheap or free in-game currency, coins, skins, points, or items appear on unofficial websites, adverts, and direct messages, often promising a fraction of the normal price. To 'deliver' the items, the site asks you to log in with your game account or pay through an unofficial checkout. This can hand over your account credentials or card details, leading to a hijacked account or a charge for items that never arrive. These offers frequently target younger players who may be less wary.

Online shopping scams use fake stores, unbelievable deals, and counterfeit or never-delivered goods to take your money and card details. Fake sites often surface through ads and social media and pressure you with limited-time offers.

In short, the giveaway is usually simple: A non-official site or message asks for your game login or payment to deliver discounted or free currency. Do not enter your game login anywhere except the official app or website, and treat 'too cheap' currency offers with suspicion.

Scammers rotate tactics constantly, the same operation may also run the Cheap Software Key Scam and the Fake Giveaway Scam. See the full Online Shopping Scams guides hub, or test a suspicious message with the scam checker.

How to spot this scam

  • Currency or items are offered far below the normal price, or free in exchange for 'just logging in'.
  • You are asked to enter your game username and password on a site that is not the official platform.
  • Payment goes through an unfamiliar checkout, gift cards, or a personal transfer rather than the official store.
  • The offer uses heavy urgency, such as a countdown or 'first 100 players', to rush you.
  • The link arrives by direct message, advert, or video description rather than from the game itself.

What the message looks like

Example pattern, not a real report
Example pattern: 'FREE 10,000 coins for the first 100 players today only! Just log in with your game account to claim instantly. Hurry, slots are almost gone: [suspicious link]'

This is a fictional, anonymised example used to illustrate the pattern. It is not a verified real message, and any names are used only to show how the scam typically reads.

What gives it away: A non-official site or message asks for your game login or payment to deliver discounted or free currency.

The scale of it

Top category
online shopping is one of the most-reported fraud categories to the FTC
Source: US Federal Trade Commission
$1.4B
reported lost to fraud that started on social media in 2023, where many fake shops advertise
Source: US Federal Trade Commission

How to protect yourself

  • Buy currency or items only through the game's official in-app store or verified platform.
  • Turn on two-step or multi-factor authentication on the game account where it is available.
  • Check the exact web address carefully, as scam sites often mimic the real name with small changes.
  • If a younger player uses the account, talk through why official stores are the safer route.

Already responded? Do this now

  • Do not enter your login or card details, and close the page if you have not already submitted anything.
  • If you entered your password, change it immediately and on any other account that shares it.
  • Turn on two-step verification and review the account for unfamiliar logins or purchases.
  • If you paid, contact your card provider to ask about disputing the charge, and report the page.

Mistakes to avoid

  • Do not log into your game account on any site that is not the official platform.
  • Do not pay for currency through gift cards or transfers to a stranger.
  • Do not assume a slick design or familiar logo means the site is the official one.

Related scams to know

Low risk Online Shopping

Cheap Software Key Scam

Some sites and listings sell software licence keys or activation codes at prices far below the official rate. The codes may be fake, stolen, generated in bulk, region-locked, or genuine keys that get deactivated soon after activation. Buyers can end up with software that stops working, fails to activate, or breaches the licence terms, and some checkout pages also exist mainly to harvest card details. The financial loss per key is often small, but the disruption and data risk can be larger.

Created by Scam or Safe Editorial Team
Medium risk Social Media

Fake Giveaway Scam

This scam tells you that you won a prize or giveaway, then asks for a fee, your login, or personal details to 'claim' it.

Created by Scam or Safe Editorial Team
Medium risk Online Shopping

Gift Card Balance Scam

In this scam, a fake 'check your gift card balance' website or message asks you to enter your gift card number and PIN, which the scammer then uses to drain the card's value before you get the chance to spend it.

Created by Scam or Safe Editorial Team

Common questions

Why is cheap in-game currency risky?
Unusually cheap or free currency is commonly used as bait. The real aim is often your login or card details. Even if some currency arrives, accounts paid for this way can be reclaimed or banned, leaving you worse off.
Is it safe to log in to claim a bonus?
Be very cautious. Official games rarely ask you to log in through a separate site to claim currency. Entering your password on an unofficial page can hand your account straight to a scammer.
My child wants to buy skins from a cheap site. What should I say?
Explain that official in-app stores are the safer way to buy, and that 'cheap' or 'free' offers asking for a login are a known trick. Setting up two-step verification adds an extra layer of protection.
What if my account has already been taken over?
Try the game's official account recovery process straight away, change any shared passwords, and enable two-step verification. Report the incident through the game's official support channels.

Last reviewed June 2026 · Written & reviewed by the

Disclaimer: This page provides educational information only to help you recognise common scam patterns. It is not legal, financial, cybersecurity, or law enforcement advice, and it does not confirm whether any specific message, company, or person is genuine or fraudulent. When in doubt, contact the official organisation directly and report concerns to your local authorities.