Team Fortress 2’s #SaveTF2 campaign hijacked by scammers

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As a long-time fan of Team Fortress 2 (TF2), I’ve witnessed the community’s resilience and determination over the years, particularly during the annual #SaveTF2 campaign. However, this year, the movement has unfortunately become a target for scammers looking to exploit unsuspecting players.

3 years in a row, starting from June, the community of Team Fortress 2 joined forces for the #SaveTF2 campaign, an initiative to highlight botting issues that have been prevalent in the game for about five years. While it sparked much discussion, the growing number of participants caught the attention of some unsavory individuals.

TF2 users have been warning each other about suspicious direct messages they’ve received. These messages claim that a fresh new platform is available for gathering signatures for another campaign initiative. This relates back to the initial save.tf site where over 343 thousand individuals signed a petition urging Valve to take stronger measures.

On X, @katamiphi shared a post displaying images of an interaction with a potential scammer. This person attempted to deceive by providing links to a fake site, disguised as save.tf, supposedly for a reopened petition requiring additional signatures.

According to reports, visiting the site may require players to sign a petition after pressing the “sign” button. Subsequently, they are asked to enter their Steam login credentials. This is a deceptive tactic aimed at gaining access to players’ Steam accounts, which could contain valuable items in games like TF2, CS:GO, and Dota 2, potentially worth hundreds or even thousands of pounds.

1. The sites often imitate the original one, with URLs that are nearly identical, either by switching the top-level domain or tweaking the phrasing or spelling. Additionally, they’ve copied much of the site’s design, but have omitted a crucial disclaimer: the petition is closed. This is done to deceive unaware users into providing their personal information.

Based on my own experiences with online scams, I strongly advise against engaging with any unsolicited Direct Messages (DMs) on Steam that claim a new petition has been started up. From my past encounters with such messages, they are often part of a scam designed to trick you into clicking malicious links or sharing sensitive information.

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2024-07-30 19:11