



The turnover of the CS:GO skins market is estimated to be millions of dollars. Of course, crooks and deceivers thrive in such a bountiful environment. Meeting them does not bode well, so you need to know how to avoid such scenarios.



In Steam, there is a trading FAQ in which the most popular methods of deception and pressure are listed. There are simple but effective tips:



check all items before confirming the exchange,

take your time,

follow the exchange log

and others.



Still, the arsenal of a scam-trader is not limited to trading involving the Steam trading platform and social engineering. Often, third-party software is used to enable cheating. For example, browser plugins. Remember, do not install any programs or utilities to make the exchange. Steam functionality is enough to carry out all operations.



The best protection is two-factor authentication. Confirming all operations from your smartphone will protect your account from most likely attacks, but, unfortunately, there are no guarantees.



A new method of fraud is quickly gaining popularity among fraudsters. Culprits hunt not for specific skins, but for access to the account and the Steam API, or the API of any other exchange site. This is achieved through the use of phishing sites. The process itself looks like this:



The attacker in some way leads the victim to the fake site, where the latter enters personal data, including username and password. After receiving the data, the fraudster gains control of the account and receives the keys from the Web API. In this way, they can monitor all future exchanges. When making the next exchange from such an account, the fraudster intercepts the offer and replaces it with his own. Inattentive victim accepts the offer of exchange and loses their skins.

Dealing with such fraud is difficult. The simplest way to avoid scam-related problems is as follows: if you detect a suspicious site, be sure to complain about it to a search engine.



In addition, using the following techniques will help:



✔ Log in only to trusted sites. Carefully study the links and do not leave the login and password lying around for everyone to access.

✔ Regularly change your password. When using new sites or if you suspect a possible scam, it is preferable to immediately change the password.



✔ Regularly change keys for the Web API. Steam allows you to change these keys without any problems, so change is a pretty good habit.



✔ Check all sent and received exchange offers. Even using the most sophisticated methods of cheating using the API, each exchange can be tracked on the corresponding Steam page.



Remember, Steam account security depends on your caution and vigilance. By following our tips, you can always protect your account and skins (in both senses of the word).

