Fortnite scam warning over FAKE Android download links – here’s how to stay safe
FORTNITE players are being warned about a dangerous new scam targeting naive fans of the game.
Fraudsters are tricking players into links offering a download for the game on Android smartphones – but no such version exists.
Prior to March this year, hit video game Fortnite had only been playable on Xbox, PlayStation and PC.
Then creator Epic Games launched a version of the game for iPhone – with promises of an Android launch down the line.
No Android version has launched yet, so scammers are capitalising on the frustrations of users to trick them into downloading malicious apps.
A detailed report from security researchers at reveals how rogue Fortnite for Android download links are appearing in Google searches and in YouTube ads.
James Hadley, who works at cybersecurity firm Immersive Labs, said: "Cyber criminals rely on the draw of a new, exciting or trendy app outweighing the perceived negatives.
"In this case, getting an early release of Fortnite on Android for downloading another app.
"As a society, we need to get better at our general cyber awareness, weighing up the costs of how badly we need to play the latest games vs potentially exposing ourselves to malicious apps," he explained, in a statement sent to The Sun.
What is Fortnite Battle Royale?
If you're new to the game, here's what you need to know
- Fortnite Battle Royale is a free game
- It's available on the Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC, Mac and now iPhone too
- In the game, up to 100 players are dropped onto a fictional island
- Players are then forced to battle it out in a last-person-standing deathmatch
- To help, players can collect a range of weapons hidden all over the island
- You can also collect resources – like wood, bricks and metal – to build defensive structures
- The area you can play in on the island is constantly shrinking thanks to an encroaching storm
- This means players are forced together over time, until just one person survives
- The game has been a huge hit, and is currently being trialled on iPhone
When players click the links, they're prompted to install an app, which purports to be Fortnite.
The scammers have even stolen the Fortnite logo from the iPhone version of the game to make it doubly convincing.
Once the app is opened, players are greeted with a fake version of the Fortnite loading screen.
Even the Fortnite intro music starts playing, which is designed to trick users into thinking they're using the official app.
You're then met with a 'New Updates' screen, which can be clicked. If you click it, it pretends to log you into your account – before asking for "Mobile Verification".
Clicking OK on this redirects you to a site in your web browser, where you're asked to verify yourself.
The pop-up prompts you to download another app, and install it. And then this happens again and again, leading you through endless app installs – with no game in sight.
Unsurprisingly, the game never unlocks, because the Fortnite for Android app is a complete fraud. The real version simply doesn't exist.
The scammers are using their rogue website to get people to download apps, in return for small referral fees, according to security researchers.
Steve Giguere, who works at security firm Synopsys, explained: "Any form of social engineering is successful because it's designed around human nature.
"There's no shame in being caught out by schemes or scams like these, but we need to learn that where we exhibit human weakness, the cyber-criminal will be present looking to take advantage to turn our nature against us.
"As attacks like these become more commonplace, awareness will inevitably follow.
"If it looks too good to be true, don't take the bait. It's called phishing for a reason."
As always, the advice is to not download any Fortnite apps outside of the official App Store or Google Play Store.
And don't trust links for Fortnite on Android that don't come from Epic Games directly.
Have you spotted any rogue Fortnite scams online? If so, let us know in the comments!
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