Gamer’s Guide: How to Avoid CS2 (CS:GO) Scams

Counter Strike 2 is one of the most popular online games currently on the market. Even after over a decade, the online shooter continues to draw a large community of players from all over the world. The market for trading items has been a major driver of Steam’s economy for years, and as a result, many transactions are conducted on Steam every day. Players sell CS2 (CS:GO) skins every day, with some transactions worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.

With so many purchases, sales, and trades taking place daily, the risk of being scammed through various fraudulent activities is very high. Unfortunately, there are many people in the world who are willing to take advantage of other users. In order to avoid losing your skins, it’s crucial to learn about all the CS2 (CSGO) scams and how to avoid them.

In this article you’ll learn everything you need to know in order to protect yourself against scammers, so that you won’t lose your items or money when you sell CS2 skins. With our comprehensive CS trade scams list you can be ready for whatever may come your way.

What are CS2 (CS:GO) trade scams?

CS2 and CSGO skins are very valuable commodities. The most expensive CS2 skins are worth thousands of dollars, and hackers are constantly looking for more intricate methods of CS2 trade scams. Most of them involve stealing user’s login information through a scam site. With information stolen this way, hackers can gain unauthorized access to your Steam inventory and steal your rare CS2 skins, as well as items for a different game. Some of the most expensive Rust skins can be worth quite a lot as well, and in most cases, the hackers will simply try and clear your inventory completely.

What Are the Most Common Scam Methods in CS:GO?

The Internet is full of scammers who come up with new eloquent methods of extorting money and items every day. Some of these scams are simple, while others use malicious software to exploit security vulnerabilities in the Steam service code. Here is a list of the basic CS2 (CS:GO) scam methods that players are most likely to encounter during their trading adventures.

Steam Gift Card Scam

Gift card scams are a common method of stealing money from users online, not only on Steam. In this particular case, scammers will contact the player, either posing as a Steam support employee or a trader interested in one of the skins owned by the victim.

When scammers pose as Steam support, they most often claim that some illicit activity has been detected on the user’s account, and in order to prove that they’re really the account owners, the users have to purchase a Steam gift card and send the code to Steam support. The scammer promises that after all is said and done Steam employees will re-imburse the user with Steam wallet funds. As you can imagine, this is absolutely not the case, and the scammers will instead disappear with the free funds from the fake transaction.

Another variant of this scam features hackers posing as a Steam user looking to trade outside the Steam community market. In most cases, they will offer an expensive CS2 skin at a surprisingly low price, requesting payment in Steam gift card codes. Most players who spot a deal like this will immediately accept, but the scammers will need to receive a Steam gift card code as a form of payment. As you can imagine, they never hand over the skin, and instead disappear with the free Steam card.

Phishing Scam

This is one of the most common methods that scammers use to steal information for users worldwide. Phishing scams can lead to identity theft, where scammers use your personal information for fraudulent activities. Not only on Steam, scammers utilize phishing attacks to steal important data, most importantly log-in information, from users unaware of the attack taking place.

Phishing scams are one of the most common methods used by Steam scammers, and a successful phishing attack is often a starting point for a more complex data theft operation. In the case of Steam trade scams, the scammers either try to get a hold of a user’s login and password, or more importantly, their API key, which can be later used to steal items from a user’s account.

In the following video you can see a clear example of a phishing scam, from the scammer contacting the user on Steam, to a fake Steam log in website:

Many phishing scams are highly intricate and often take place on multiple levels. It’s difficult to pin-point all of the typical phishing scams, however, in most cases they either involve a fake scam site with a log in feature, or a scammer impersonating a Valve employee or an employee of a reliable CS2 (CS:GO) trading site. The scam website can look very convincing, and even experienced traders and CS2 players still regularly fall victim to this scam. Instead of logging in to a real trading site where you can sell CS2 skins for cash, a tricked user will be logging in to a fake trading site, meant to steal their log in data or an API key. In most cases, you might even be unaware that your data has been phished until the scammers have stolen your skins.

In the second case, a scammer will impersonate a Valve employee, claiming that they need your log in data to confirm that it’s really you using this account. Once you hand the data over, the scammers can use this information to clear out your account in the future.

API Scam

The Steam API scam is one of the most popular CS2 (CS:GO) trading scams, and possibly one of the most dangerous security breaches. The scammers use a Steam security exploit to control your trade offers and send the skins to themselves, instead of the legitimate buyer.

The scam uses the API key feature to give scammers access to your CS2 trading. An API key is a unique code for every account, which is used to facilitate trades outside of Steam market. However, if scammers get a hold of your API key, they can use it to cancel any trade offer incoming to your account, and instead redirect the trade to their fake account. API scams are mostly carried out after a successful phishing attempt, and in many cases you might be completely unaware that you’ve been scammed until it’s far too late.

Once the scammers get a hold of your API key, they will wait until you receive a legitimate trade offer from another player. When this happens, they instantly cancel the trade and start a new one with their fake account. The scammer’s account will look virtually identical to a legitimate one, and you might simply think that the other user has misclicked and is trying to reach you again. Instead, you will be connected to a scammer, who will steal your CS2 skins.

Here you can see one youtube going in-depth on what API scams are and how do they work:

SSFN File Scam

The SSFN file scam is not a commonly used CS2 (CS:GO) trade scam method, but if the scammers know what they’re doing, it can be an especially devastating data breach. Another method that uses security exploits within the Steam app, this one is particularly destructive, as it can bypass the two-factor authentication of your Steam guard.

The SSFN file is a special piece of data created within your Steam folder, which signals to your PC that you have logged in previously on this device, meaning that with an SSFN file in place, Steam won’t prompt another two-factor authentication before you log in.

Although this makes using Steam more convenient, scammers who have access to your SSFN file data can use it to log-in to your Steam account without triggering any notification on your side. SSFN scams are relatively difficult to carry out and require a successful phishing attempt first. In most cases, the scammers will pretend to be a Valve employee, claiming that they need to know the contents of your SSFN file to fix an issue with your account. Many players don’t know this method and don’t expect to be scammed this way, so they send the data to the scammers, who can copy it to their PCs, log in to your Steam account, and promptly clean out your Steam inventory.

To understand SSFN scams better. here’s a video explaining the danger that they carry:

Item Swap Scam

The last scam on this list is almost laughably simple, yet many players don’t expect these deceptive tactics and are often caught completely unaware. The item swap scam is rarely very effective which is why many scammers prefer other methods on this list. However, some popular streamers were scammed this way live, and to this day many scam accounts try to pull it off.

In short, this method is often used when you sell CS2 (CS:GO) skins of a high value to other players. A scammer might put an expensive CS2 knife or a rare AWP skin in the window, and just before you accept the trade they will switch it to a much cheaper skin. Players who don’t pay attention to what’s happening on the screen often click ‘accept trade’, unaware that they have basically just handed over their rare CS2 skin to a scammer.

How to Avoid Scams When Trading Items?

As you can see, there are many CS2 (CSGO) scamming methods that can be used as a tool to strip a player of their items, or their money. You have to be especially careful when you sell CS2 (CS:GO) skins of high value, and always follow secure trading practices to protect your assets. The key when conducting online transactions is to remain alert and to follow basic safety rules. The following are some key tips that you should apply when trading:

1. Use ONLY legit trading sites if you’re not trading on the Steam market.
2. NEVER press any suspicious links sent to You by other players. Remember, Valve employees will never send you any links or require you to log in to any external sites.
3. Don’t give out any personal information to ANYONE. A Valve employee will never ask for your password, login, API key or the SSFN data. Also, Valve employees will never contact you personally about potential account issues, and instead will send you a Steam notification.
4. ALWAYS double check the Steam profile of the other party. Remember, never rush your CS2 (CS:GO) trade offers and often pay close attention to what’s happening on the screen. If the other party is rushing you during a trade, chances are they’re simply trying to scam you.
5. Make sure that the Two Factor Authentication (2FA) is activated Your Steam Profile.
6. Don’t accept cash trade offers from random users. Always double (and even triple) check the profile of the person you’re trading with.

If you follow these few rules, the chances of being scammed will decrease. However, it is important that you remain alert at all times. Remember, free items are too good to be true, and if someone is offering free CS2 (CS:GO) skins, chances are they are trying to scam you.

What to Do If Someone Scammed You?

Unfortunately, sometimes following all possible security measures is not enough, and eventually one becomes a victim of Internet fraud anyway. In such cases, it is important not to panic, but to take some basic countermeasures to reverse the effects of the scam, or at least significantly reduce them. In the worst-case scenario, they will at least lead to the user who scammed you being reported and blocked to prevent a similar situation for other members of the community, and you should always report fraudulent activity.

1. Contact Steam Support and/or the Customer Support Team of the website You used for trading
2. Change the password of Your Steam Account and create a new Trade URL
3. Scan your computer for a virus or any other signs of tampering

Hopefully, you will never have to do any of these things, but if you happen to be a victim of an online scam, it is always better to know what to do.

Conclusions

The world of CS2 (CS:GO) trading would be a beautiful place if it were free of shady people who try to cheat you at every turn. Maintaining online security is crucial. Unfortunately, this is not the case and players have to be careful at all times. However, this doesn’t mean that it takes away all the fun of the game. The key is to outsmart all the scammers. This is why you should read our article and follow our tips to make sure you are always one step ahead of them.