Protecting Your CS2 Skins: Common Scams To Be Aware Of

In Counter-Strike (CS:GO/CS2), some weapon skins, stickers, and other cosmetic items can be worth hundreds or even thousands of dollars, and their high value makes them a tempting target for scammers and hackers.

With more and more players falling victim to fraudulent schemes, it’s become increasingly vital to educate yourself on how to protect your Counter-Strike (CS:GO/CS2) skins and the methods of keeping them safe from prying hands. In this article, we’ll explore some of the most frequent Counter-Strike (CS:GO/CS2) scams and provide valuable tips to help you protect your digital possessions.

Counter-Strike (CS:GO/CS2) Scams

Over the years, scammers and hackers made up a lot of schemes letting them steal players’ data, accounts, and skins. Although most scammers are after high-worth cosmetics, your account can still be hijacked to access your Steam Library, even if your Counter-Strike (CS:GO/CS2) inventory is not that rich.

Counter-Strike (CS:GO/CS2) scams first appeared when Valve introduced skins to the game in 2013 and added an opportunity for users to trade their cosmetic items with each other via Steam. The most common scamming methods you may encounter include Steam API scams, phishing scams, middlemen scams, etc.

Let’s learn more about the Steam API scams and how to protect yourself from malevolent scammers who may try using it against you.

What is a Steam Web API Scam?

Steam API Scam poses one of the greatest threats you may fall victim to, and it is one of the most spread scamming methods used by detractors.

This scamming method is based on luring users into phishing websites with a fake “Log in with Steam” button. These websites are usually dragged to the top of search engine results to fool users. Scamming websites copy designs and domains of popular websites, so it might not be easy to spot the difference at first glance.

When you click the fake “Log in with Steam” button on the third-party phishing website and enter your login credentials, scammers will easily access them, including the 2FA code you entered. The hacker’s script will run automatically, using your credentials to log in to your Steam account and set a Steam Web API key.

At first, you might not even notice your account has been hijacked. However, when you receive any trade offer, a scammer will decline it using the generated or stolen Steam Web API. Then, they will impersonate the account that sent you that trade offer to duplicate it and send a new one that will look the same but is actually not real.

If you accept the trade and then confirm it via the Steam mobile authenticator, consider your items long gone. Unfortunately, Steam API Scam is very popular among scammers, and it is efficient against unsuspecting users. Hence, knowing what you are dealing with and how to protect yourself from becoming a Steam scam victim is essential.

How Does API Work in Steam?

The Steam Web API is a web service set that allows developers to obtain various data and features from the Steam platform. It includes profiles, game stats, achievements, player inventory data, etc.

Developers can utilize the Steam Web API to build third-party software that interacts with the Steam database and improves the user experience, including websites, mobile apps, and game modifications. Also, it is used to integrate Steam functionality into other games, websites, and platforms.

The Steam Web API uses HTTP requests and responses, and data is usually returned in JSON or XML format. To use the API, developers must sign up for a Steam Web API key, a unique identifier that helps guarantee that the API is utilized responsibly and securely. We will break down the process of generating a Steam Web API key a bit later.

Secure Your Counter-Strike Skins & Prevent API Scams

There is a number of steps you can take to prevent getting scammed with the Steam API scam method. Make sure to follow them to keep your Steam account, inventory, and trades secured.

Access the Trusted Websites URL

Try not to follow links listed in the “advertised” section at the top of the search engine results page. Advertising phishing websites is common for scammers to lure more users into the trap.

Always check the spelling in the domains. Oftentimes, phishing websites have misspelled words in domain names. For example, you can spot “n” instead of “m” in https://steamcommunity.com, so it looks like “steancommunity” or “steamcomnunity”.

Keep your Steam Trade URL Up to Date

Update your Steam Trade URL on a regular basis, especially if you trade skins often and use any third-party websites to do so. Even if you don’t trade, buy or sell Counter-Strike (CS:GO/CS2) cosmetics via third-party platforms, keeping your arsenal safe from scammers is still a must, so change your trade link at least once a month.

Go to Steam Inventory and click “Trade Offers” to do that.

You can change your inventory privacy settings and Steam Trade URL on this page. If you do that in the browser, the link should look like this: https://steamcommunity.com/id/”X”/tradeoffers/privacy, where “X” is your Steam username.

Click “Create new URL” and confirm your action in the popped-up window.

Once you create a new trade link, the previous one will become inactive, and any links you have posted anywhere will not work.

Change your Steam Web API Keys Frequently

Steam Web API Keys are unique identifiers needed to authenticate web service requests to the Steam API. Each key tracks its usage and ensures that authorized applications only are allowed to access the API.

It is extremely important to change your Steam Web API Key once in a while to prevent scammers from exploiting it.

You can easily change them here: https://steamcommunity.com/dev/registerkey. On this Steam webpage, you can see your current Steam Web API key and what it is called.

Click on “button”. Right after, you will get a notification warning that if you proceed, third-party applications, services, and platforms will lose access to your Steam account.

Click the “OK” button to proceed. Your new Steam Web API key will be generated automatically, but you must give the domain a name to register it. Enter a new name, tick the check box to agree to the Steam Web API Terms of Use, and click “Register”.

Congratulations, now you have an updated Steam Web API key! However, it is only one of the steps you have to take to keep your inventory gems secured.

Verify & Check Your Sent Trade Offers

When you are buying, selling, or trading Counter-Strike (CS:GO/CS2) cosmetics both via Steam and third-party platforms, you have to keep an eye on trades you are getting and sending out. Be more watchful and pay attention to details to ensure you know what you are doing and what you will end up with when you accept the trade.

If you are using Steam only to trade your cosmetics, ensuring you know what you are doing is still very important. Let’s find out what are other types of scams besides the Steam Web API scam and how to protect yourself from them.

Other Types of Steam Scams

According to Steam Trading Policy, all trades are irreversible. Once you accept the trade, you will not be able to return the items you traded in any kind of manner.

“Steam will not return any items or gifts that you feel have been traded unfairly. There are no exceptions to this policy.” – Steam Support F.A.Q. section.

Therefore, it is vital to know all types of Steam scam methods are there, learn to distinguish scammers, and how to avoid falling victim to one. We found a list of Steam scam types you might encounter on Steam Support F.A.Q. section, here are some of the most common ones.

Therefore, it is vital to know all types of Steam scam methods are there, learn to distinguish scammers, and how to avoid falling victim to one. We found a list of Steam scam types you might encounter on Steam Support F.A.Q. section, here are some of the most common ones.

Item Switching

It is a simple trick, but it is, unfortunately, effective against inattentive players. After you discuss a trade offer with another user and come to an agreement with them about what items you give and which you receive, they will send you an offer with an item that looks the same but is not as valuable as an original offer. For example, you might have talked about trading a Factory New item, but you will receive a Field-Tested one instead.

Hidden Item

Here is another Steam scam method you might suffer from if you do not pay enough attention to the contents of the trade offers you receive. A scammer might offer a trade that includes many of your very low-value items and hide an expensive item somewhere in the middle that you might not notice.

Forward Confirmation Email

A scammer might try to convince you to forward your confirmation email letter to their email address, then they will confirm it themselves. Never share trade confirmation emails or provide additional information about your personal and account details under any circumstances.

Money For Items

Offering real money for cosmetic items is a common scam method. A scammer can offer to send you money in the form of PayPal, PaySafeCard, Steam Wallet codes, Steam Digital Gift Cards, etc. Do not trust these trade offers, as 99% of the time, you will end up with no items and an invalid payment code.

CD Keys For Items

Similar to the scam method mentioned above, in this situation, a scammer will offer to exchange your items for a game’s CD key. First of all, putting any CD key into a Steam trade offer is impossible, and second of all, even if they send you a CD key, it will be fake.

Users Acting As Trade Bots

If you are using any third-party platforms to trade, buy and sell your Counter-Strike (CS:GO/CS2) skins, beware of malicious users acting as trade bots. Always double-check the profile and the contents of the trade offers you receive, and pay attention to details.

Middlemen Trades

Scammers often pose as middlemen and ask you to send your skins to them before completing the trade. There is no need to use middlemen if you are trading according to Steam’s trading guidelines. Middlemen might scam you by impersonating other people or keeping your items to themselves.

Item Verification

Scammers might ask you to send an item for “verification” purposes using made-up excuses, such as ensuring it is not a duplicate or not bugged. Once you send them the item, they will keep it and block you.

Voice Communication or Anti-Cheat Software (Malware)

A scammer can offer you to install voice communication or anti-cheat software to be allowed to participate in a tournament you entered. Most likely, there is malware hidden in that software, and it will allow scammers to hijack your account and steal your items.

These are only a few examples of scams you might encounter while trading Counter-Strike (CS:GO/CS2) items. Beware of scammers trying to steal your items and learn how to protect your account from getting broken into. Further, we will share tips on how to secure your items and account from people who know how to scam on Counter-Strike (CS:GO/CS2).

How To Avoid Being Scammed On The Steam Market?

If you want to protect yourself from getting scammed, learn these rules and follow them whenever you are planning to trade your cosmetic items on Steam.

• Never rush to complete a trade, always take all the time you need to double-check the contents thoroughly. Mouse over every item listed in the trade to ensure the item has the right name, quality, description, and effects.
• Do not trade any items in multiple or several trades. Insist on completing the trade in one single offer.
• Ensure you are about to trade with the right user. Sometimes, a scammer might impersonate a friend of yours or a famous trusted trader. Keep an eye out for it.
• Enable two-factor authentication to help protect your Counter-Strike (CS:GO/CS2) skins from scammers who may try to access your account.
• Do not click on any suspicious links, especially the ones to lead to doppelganger websites. Oftentimes, the names in these links will be misspelled.
• Keep your information secure, do not share your login credentials and personal data. Otherwise, scammers will use it to hijack your account and steal your Counter-Strike (CS:GO/CS2) items.
• Do not trust unsolicited offers, as scammers might lure you into their trap by offering to buy low-value items from you for high prices.
• Do not engage in trade with middlemen. This is a tactic widely used by scammers, and you might be left with nothing.

Many hackers know how to scam on Counter-Strike (CS:GO/CS2) , and many players suffer from their doings daily. However, now you know how to prevent them from harming your account.

Got Scammed on Steam? Here’s What To Do

That’s unfortunate! We are sorry for users who got scammed and lost precious items. If that happened to you, file a report regarding your situation.

To do that, go to the profile of the user who scammed you. Click the ‘…’ drop-down menu located at the top right of the page and then click “Report player”. Select the violation and follow the instructions to finish submitting the report.

Unfortunately, if you got scammed, Valve will not return the item or items you lost.

“Our community assigns an item a value that is at least partially determined by that item’s scarcity. If more copies of the item are added to the economy through inventory rollbacks, the value of every other instance of that item would be reduced.

We sympathize with people who fall victim to scams, but we provide enough information on our website and within our trading system to help users make good trading decisions. All trade scams can be avoided.” – Steam Support.

Please, be careful next time you are trading because it is your responsibility to keep your items secure.

To Wrap Up!

In conclusion, protecting your Counter-Strike (CS:GO/CS2) skins from scammers requires vigilance and caution. Following all the tips we shared about keeping your cosmetic items secure, you can enjoy using, collecting, and trading Counter-Strike (CS:GO/CS2) skins without falling victim to scammers.

Watch out for scammers and check out our blog for more articles about Counter-Strike (CS:GO/CS2) skins and other cosmetics, in-depth game guides, and esports news. Stay tuned!