Players of online video games such as Roblox, Fortnite and Fifa are being warned to watch out for scammers, amid concerns that gangs are targeting the platforms.
Multiplayer games boomed during the pandemic lockdowns as people turned to socialising in virtual spaces.
One of the UK’s biggest banks, Lloyds, is so concerned about how games are being used that it will this week launch a warning code for players, and a character to go with it.
Its research found that a fifth of gamers had either been a victim of a gaming-related scam, or knew someone who had, but less than a third said they knew how to spot one.
“Scammers are always looking for new ways to trick people out of their money, and the world of video games is no exception,” said Philip Robinson, fraud prevention director at Lloyds.
“These are often organised criminal gangs who don’t care about who they are defrauding and…
