Singapore police warn of scam targeting gaming service Steam users

SINGAPORE: A scam is targeting users of gaming service Steam, with victims making payment to unlock their accounts, the Singapore Police Force said on Sunday (May 9). 

Steam is a digital distribution platform where players and developers can buy and sell video games.

The scammers use compromised Steam accounts to approach potential victims. They would claim that they had accidentally reported the victim's account for fraud while trying to report another Steam user. 

Under the pretext of rectifying the wrongful reporting, the scammers would request that the victims contact a specific user who was purportedly a Steam administrator, to verify and unblock their accounts. 

The fake administrator would then instruct the victims to log out of their Steam accounts and provide their login details, including their one-time password (OTP), to verify their account, said the police. 

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Victims would then be required to make game-related transactions or purchases on third-party websites as part of the verification review. 

In some cases, the victims were asked to purchase Steam cards and hand over the redemption code to the fake administrator to unblock their accounts. The administrator claimed that the victims would receive a refund after their accounts were verified. 

"Victims would later realise that they had been scammed when they discovered that they were subsequently unable to log in to their Steam accounts and no refund was received," said the police. 

Members of the public are advised to never give out their account login details and OTP to anyone, including family and friends, said the police. 

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They are advised to always verify the authenticity of the information received with official sources. People should also report any fraudulent credit or debit card charges to their banks and cancel their card immediately. 

Anyone who is in doubt or has information related to such crimes can call the police hotline at 1800 255 0000 or submit it online at www.police.gov.sg/itwitness.