‘Build Vice City’: the GTA 6 scam that’s hitting Grand Theft Auto fans

Anticipation over GTA 6 is being exploited, with fraudulent invitations to download or access official ‘beta’ testing versions of the game. Photograph: Rockstar Games View image in fullscreen Anticipation over GTA 6 is being exploited, with fraudulent invitations to download or access official ‘beta’ testing versions of the game. Photograph: Rockstar Games ‘Build Vice City’: the GTA 6 scam that’s hitting Grand Theft Auto fans Bank details at risk as criminals use AI to create fake sites and emails offering pre-release beta test version Like millions of gamers around the world, you have been waiting years for Grand Theft Auto VI to be released. Now you have the opportunity to play the much-anticipated game before everyone else. An email has arrived inviting you to play a pre-release “beta” version of the game so that you can alert the makers to any bugs before its official release later this year. But the invitation is a scam, one of many as criminals prey on the anticipation of gamers eager to experience the next chapter in the GTA series. Falling victim to the fraud can result in your personal data being sold or your bank details being stolen. Gerald Kasulis, the vice-president of global affairs at the cybersecurity company NordVPN, says criminals are seeking to exploit the urgency and curiosity of gamers to play the new game. GTA VI is scheduled to arrive on 19 November after its release was postponed twice. View image in fullscreen Screenshot of fraudulent website that claims to be selling early access to Grand Theft Auto VI. Photograph: Supplied “You’re a gamer, you’re waiting for the game, and you get an email that looks really official and polished; with the help of AI, scammers can actually mimic official websites really, really well,” says Kasulis. “Then without really checking … they just click on those things, believing they are official beta testing [invitations].” NordVPN says there are credible fake websites that appear to offer early access to the game. Clicking links and sharing information can result in your login to GTA’s online platform being stolen or malicious software being downloaded on to your computer. View image in fullscreen ‘We need you to help us build Vice City,’ says one fraud site, referring to the metropolis in which the games are set. Photograph: Supplied What it looks like “We need you to help us build Vice City,” says one fraud site, referring to the metropolis in which the games are set. “Before GTA VI launches to the world, we’re inviting a select group of players to experience the game early.” The emails and fake websites tell players that they are part of an exclusive group who get to play the game early so they can identify any glitches. Some of the sites provide a code to access the game, called a “beta key”, on Xbox and PlayStation 5 consoles. In some cases, gamers may be told to download a piece of software that purported to be the new game, which in one case was called GTA Mobile 6. In order to gain acc