Counter Strike: Global Offensive (CSGO) players are being warned of a new scam making the rounds on PC called ‘Fivetown’. This scam is largely localised on Steam, and impacts local players on your friends list. Generally, it takes the form of a direct message where a friend may ask you to “vote for [their] csgo team on fivetown” with additional information such as “we only need two more votes” and a link.
To most it will appear as an innocuous message and it’s easy to click through because it may come from a trusted source.
Sadly, if you’re not paying attention you’ll end up on a landing page that looks eerily similar to Steam. This page will then ask you to sign in, and subsequently steal your username and password.
If you’ve encountered this particular scam — whether it uses the ‘Fivetown’ name or otherwise — you should immediately check your Steam and any linked bank accounts for suspicious activity. No matter whether you spot any changes or not, you should still go through the process of changing your account details to ensure your security remains tight. If your account has been stolen, there are options available to you but the process can be difficult and time-consuming, so make sure you avoid the scam where possible.
An additional step you may like to consider is introducing two-factor authentication via your phone. This will help keep out any unwanted guests and ensure that even if you do get scammed, you’ll get an alert or an opportunity to block the scammers first.
To help keep Fivetown scammers at bay, another important step is to verify anyone you add to your Friend List. CSGO has become a popular target for scammers due to the mainstream attention it gets. If you’re playing with someone you don’t know and they ask to add you, make sure to vet any messages they send and consider whether you really need to add them at all.
The best way to avoid scams like this on CSGO and other popular games is to avoid clicking any links sent by people you don’t know or trust in real life. Most of the time, you’ll be able to spot a scam right away but some are extremely convincing.
In the case of Fivetown, make sure you avoid any and all messages that mention the website. It’s dangerous out there on the web, but if you know what you’re looking for your CSGO sessions will stay safe.
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