CS2 skins are some of the most expensive online commodities. Players who trade CS2 skins can easily make a lot of money by making smart trades with other players. With a large selection of different skins added to the game over the years, CS2 skins trading grew into a large market, with the best traders turning it into their full-time jobs.
However, just like with any other expensive sales online, there are many CS2 trade scams, and malicious actors regularly try to steal skins from other users. If you want to trade or sell CS2 skins on various websites and platforms other than the official Steam market, you’re risking losing your skins to a scammer. That’s why before you accept any trade offers, make sure you first learn about the most common CS2 (CS:GO) trade scams.
What are CS2 trade scams?
When you trade CS2 skins, chances are you are dealing with serious amounts of money. The most expensive CS2 skins are worth thousands of dollars, meaning that CS2 scammers can make quite a lot of money by stealing skins for CS2, as well as other games, from your Steam account. Scammers may promise a valuable item from a different game in exchange for CS2 skins, but in reality, the item turns out to be unpopular and worthless, leaving the victim at a disadvantage.
Most CS2 scam methods involve scammers impersonating a real trade offer, or a scam site made to look like a legitimate CS2 trading site. Players who are caught unaware most often end up handing their rare and expensive CS2 skins to scammers, and even giving away their login information, including their Steam account login and password. In addition, many of these CS2 scams are impossible to reverse by Steam support, as they often require players to trade the items themselves, making it impossible for Steam support to help them.
CS2 trade scams are becoming more and more intricate over time, with new methods and security exploits popping up all the time. Because of this, if you plan to trade CS2 skins, you should always stay up to date on the most common CS2 trade scams. In this article we’ll go over the most common Steam scams and how to protect yourself.
What are the most common CS2 trading scams?
As we already mentioned, scammers use all kinds of different methods to steal CS2 skins from users who want to trade. If you don’t want to fall victim to these methods, it’s important to be aware of the different dangers that await you when trading CS2 skins.
Phishing scams
Phishing is a common scam method, not only in CS 2, but also in many other fields and industries. A phishing attack is a method of carrying out fraud, where scammers either create a fake website, very similar to an official one or impersonate one of the official Valve accounts in order to gain access to the login information of their victims. Attacks like these can be difficult to recover from, as they involve handing over your credentials to scammers, effectively giving them free access to all of your Steam data.
Phishing scams can be particularly devastating, as the scammers can not only completely clear your CS2 inventory, but even completely steal your account, including all of the data and information on it. Any person who also gains access to your Steam account could further make purchases with the card tied to your account, meaning that phishing scams can lead to some serious losses of money.
In the video below you can clearly see the whole phishing scam process, from the scammer contacting a Steam user, to the fake Steam login website:
How to avoid phishing scams: Most importantly, remember that Valve employees will never try to reach you outside the Steam platform. Many phishing scammers try to impersonate Vavlve support through e-mail, and in many cases, it can look very convincing. If you see any e-mails from users who claim to be Valve employees or Steam admins, these are almost certainly scammers. Also, make sure you pay close attention to any website where you log in, potentially giving away your Steam account details. Legitimate trading websites, like SkinsMonkey, require you to do an integrated Steam login, so make sure you always check if the website is legit. In most cases, phishing websites will have something wrong with the URL address, as well as other details that can give away the scamming nature.
API scams
Another method that’s connected to phishing attacks is the Steam API scam, possibly one of the most popular and efficient scamming methods out there. It takes advantage of the Steam API feature in order to manipulate trade offers and Steal skins that would be otherwise traded to other users or legitimate trading bots.
Before scammers can attack you with an API scam, they first need to get a hold of your Steam API key. This is mostly done through phishing attempts, either with a fake website, or scammers posing as traders claiming that they need your API key to trade skins. Remember, a legitimate website will never ask you to send your Steam API key through an e-mail or personal message.
Once the scammers get a hold of your API key, they can use it to manipulate trade offers and requests. With an API key, the scammers can see all of your past and incoming trade offers. Once you receive a legitimate trade offer, the scammers cancel the trade using your Steam API key and use one of their dummy accounts with the same name as a real trader to send you an offer. This way a victim of an API scam unknowingly sends their CS2 skins to scammers.
Here’s a video that goes in-depth on what exactly API scams are and how do they work:
How to avoid API scams: Although API scams are very dangerous and intricate, they are also relatively easy to avoid, and you can save yourself a lot of trouble by simply securing your Steam account. The scammers must first obtain your API key through a phishing attempt, meaning that an API scam can be avoided the same way as most phishing scams. Make sure you never log in with your Steam credentials outside of legit and trusted websites and always pay close attention to the Steam profile that you exchange your skins with. Also, remember not to accept any suspicious friend requests on Steam!
Discord scam
Discord is one of the most popular chat services, and most gamers have the Discord app installed on their computer. Created specifically for gamers to make voice communication easy and convenient, Discord has quickly risen in popularity to one of the world’s most used chatting apps. Thanks to its popularity, Discord has attracted a lot of traders who set up and manage trades via special Discord channels, which brought its fair share of scammers to the table as well.
Discord scams are very popular, and quite dangerous as well, considering that the scammers will be contacting you personally and it can seem very genuine and realistic. In most cases, it features scammers working in tandems or larger groups, just like many banking scams, with one of the scammers impersonating Steam support members.
The details of each Discord scam greatly vary depending on each case. Sometimes the scammers will send you a link to a fake site that can phish your Steam data and even infect your computer with malware. Another common method is to have one scammer contact you, claiming that they have accidentally reported your account, who will later re-direct you to another scammer, posing as Steam support. Scammers will also often message you about fake giveaways in trading Discords, claiming that you have a chance to score free CS2 skins.
Here’s a video explaining in detail what a Discord scam is, as well as the most common Discord scams:
How to avoid Discord scams: Like phishing scams, Discord scams can be relatively easy to avoid, provided you’re careful about what links and messages you open. Still, Discord scams shouldn’t be underestimated, as even experienced CS2 traders and players regularly fall victim to these methods. First of all, never answer any suspicious Discord messages. Most of the messages used in Discord scams are generally too good to be true, claiming that trading sites are giving away free expensive skins, or that you were awarded free Discord nitro. Always pay close attention to the name and profile of anyone who contacts you on Discord. If what they are offering sounds too good to be true, chances are it probably is.
Item switch scam
The item switch scam is possibly the simplest scamming technique carried out, and many players don’t believe they could fall for such a simple method. Sadly, this is the very reason why so many players still fall victim to it. It even happens on popular live streams, where the streamer is too focused on chat to pay attention to what’s happening on the screen.
This simple method involves the scammer switching items right before the trade is complete. For example, you agree to trade your AWP dragon lore for an expensive CS2 knife, but right before you accept and finalize the transaction, the other trader removes their item from the trading window and replaces it with one of the cheapest CS2 skins in the game. If you don’t pay attention to what’s happening on the screen, you might accidentally accept the trade, losing your item in the process.
How to avoid item switch scams: As simple as this scam is, it can still lead you to lose your skins. Thankfully, this one is the easiest to avoid. Whenever you trade CS2 skins, particularly when trading rare and expensive CS2 skins, make sure you carry out the trades slowly and meticulously. Scammers who use this method rely on your not paying close attention to what’s happening on the screen, so make sure you’re always focused on what items are traded and who you’re trading with.
SSFN File Scam
The final scam on the list is possibly one of the most dangerous CS2 trading scams, as it’s the only method, which can overturn most of Steam’s security measures. This method uses an exploit with the SSFN file system on Steam, responsible for the two-factor authentication. Although not a very popular method nowadays, it’s still important to know the dangers that come with sharing your SSFN file data with others.
Like other scams on this list, SSFN file scam first requires a successful phishing attempt, where the scammers get a hold of your SSFN file data. In short, the SSFN file is used by Steam to record the information from your two-factor authentication process. This way the SSFN file works as a confirmation that it’s really you logging in so that you won’t have to repeat this process every time you log in to Steam on your computer. However, once the scammers get a hold of your SSFN file, they can use it to bypass the two-factor authentication on your Steam account, effectively getting through Steam security measures.
Here you can see one Youtuber going in-depth on one case of an SSFN file scam, and how dangerous it can be:
How to avoid item switch scams: The real danger of SSFN scams is that they are relatively difficult to prevent and counter. When the scammers attack your account, the whole idea behind the SSFN scam is that they bypass all of the Steam security measures, sending no notifications, until it’s too late. However, before the attackers can carry out the SSFN scam, they need to first get access to your account, as well as the SSFN file contents. To do this, they either need a malware on your PC, or a successful phishing attack. To avoid falling victim to SSFN scams, make sure you never send your SSFN file contents to anyone and avoid clicking any of the suspicious links you find online.
How to avoid CS2 (CSGO) scams?
As you can see, there are many different CS2 trade scams out there, and it’s quintessential to prepare yourself against anyone looking to steal your CS2 skins. Here are some generic steps you can take to further secure your account from any potential CS2 trading scams:
Never share your Steam login and password with anyone
Scammers often phish for Steam credentials by posing as Valve support but keep in mind that Steam and Valve support will never ask you to share your login information or any other data that might help them log into your account. If you receive a message from someone asking for your Steam password, it’s definitely a scam.
Don’t click any suspicious links
Most phishing attacks are carried out by fake websites, which are created to look like real official trading or Steam sites. Make sure you only use and log in to real, legitimate, and confirmed CS2 trading sites.
Don’t trade outside Steam with other users
The only legitimate ways to trade CS2 skins, outside of Steam market, are secure trading sites like SkinsMonkey, or third-party Steam markets, where you trade with bot, which will put your skins on the site’s market. Never accept a trade from someone claiming that they will pay you money outside Steam, or give you a gift card for your skins. These offers are nearly always a scam and should be avoided at all costs.
A true gaming enthusiast, especially Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and Rust. At SkinsMonkey, he is involved in creating game guides based on his own experience.
