Scammers target young Fortnite players with fake offers for free v-bucks

“Fortnite” players spend more than $200 million a month
on v-bucks, the in-game currency.
Epic
Games

• Online scammers are targeting “Fortnite: Battle Royale” players
  with fake offers for free v-bucks, the game’s digital
  currency.
• Players use v-bucks to purchase cosmetic items and
  skins; the currency can be earned through playing or purchased
  outright in the game’s store.
• More than 4,700 websites are fraudulently offering free
  v-bucks as a front for phishing and information
  collection.
• Though “Fortnite” is a free game, players spend more
  than $200 million each month on v-bucks. The best way to avoid
  being scammed is to buy them from in the game
  directly.

The popularity of “Fortnite: Battle Royale” continues to surge
and the free game is raking in more than $200 a month in revenue
for its creator, Epic Games. While “Fortnite” is
free-to-play, players can purchase a digital currency, v-bucks,
to unlock cosmetic items and other content within the game.
Players can also earn v-bucks over time by playing the game,
though the rate of return is rather slow.

Items purchased with v-bucks don’t impact the game directly, but
the coolest looking cosmetics come with a high price tag. There
are those willing to pay $50 or more to buy a certain outfit,
while others need to play for hours to unlock the same skin. As a
result, some “Fortnite” players resort to seeking out free
v-bucks offers online, in an effort to avoid investing their
own time and money.

This website asked me to verify my nonexistent account
by completing a survey.
Claimfreevbucks.com

Unfortunately, offers for free v-bucks are largely predatory,
providing a front for phishing websites and other scams. These
free v-bucks offers are primarily shared through social media and
redirect the user to a separate website. These websites often ask
users to provide their “Fortnite” account login, email, or other
personal information. In some cases, they request the user to
prove they are human by completing other “free offers” or surveys
for things like iPhones and gift cards. Other sites require users
to share specific links or invite friends to earn points towards
v-bucks.

Read more:
How many people are playing
“Fortnite” a month?

While most adults should be familiar with these sorts of phishing
scams, “Fortnite” has a large audience of young children. Based
on its terms of service, “Fortnite” requires players to be
12-years-old or older to make an account, but younger players
have no problem accessing the free game on their own. But when
parents aren’t willing to fund their child’s gaming, offers for
free v-bucks immediately become appealing.

ZeroFOX Research confirmed more than 53,000 alerts
for “Fortnite”-related scams in a one-month period between
September and October. The vast majority, 86 percent, came from
social media posts while specific web domains and YouTube videos
made up the rest. ZeroFox reports that more than 4,770 domains
are currently offering v-bucks scams, and roughly 1,400 different
YouTube videos have combined for more than a million views.
Scammers have also targeted “Fortnite” players on mobile phones
by offering fake “Fortnite” apps and downloads for Android
devices.

Read more:
The creators of ‘Fortnite’ just
landed $1.25 billion in new investments

Demand for v-bucks will persist so long as “Fortnite” remains
popular, but players and parents should be careful about trying
to cut corners with third-party offers. The best way to avoid
scams is to only purchase v-bucks directly from the “Fortnite”
store — and never share your account information online.