GARENA FREE FIRE GAME : FRAUD ALERT; SCAM; KIDS TO BE AWARE AND PLAY SAFE.

Glued to mobile gaming during the lockdown, Beware! Cybercriminals are now looking for targets on online gaming platforms and duping them on the pretext of giving gaming points, coins or virtual currency using which a player can customize their gaming avatar. In a recent case, an Azamgarh resident lost Rs 8 lakh in numerous instalments from his account. After a detailed analysis, it was found that the criminals targeted his son who started spending more time on mobile gaming during the lockdown. According to the investigation, games like Garena Free Fire and PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG) are online multiplayer survival games. These games give access to players to talk, chat, and play with random players. These games are usually free but have a feature to build the player’s virtual character by buying virtual points. These points are used to buy clothes, cars, and weapons for gaming avatar by paying money. As the number of gamers and time spent on gaming has shot up drastically during the lockdown, Cybercriminals have found a new breeding ground on these online gaming platforms.