Bitdefender Labs has uncovered a series of scams targeting the Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) community, exploiting major esports events like IEM Katowice 2025 and PGL Cluj-Napoca 2025.
According to Bitdefender’s investigation, shared with Hackread.com, cybercriminals are hijacking YouTube channels and impersonating popular professional players such as s1mple, NiKo, and donk to trick fans into fraudulent giveaways. These scams have several stages and aim to steal Steam accounts, cryptocurrency, and valuable in-game items.
First, scammers hack YouTube accounts, often those with established subscriber bases. They then rebrand these channels to mimic well-known CS2 pros, removing original content.
Next, they broadcast fake livestreams, using looped gameplay footage to create the illusion of a live event. These fake streams promote fake giveaways of CS2 skins, cases, or cryptocurrency, often using QR codes or malicious links to direct viewers to malicious websites.
These websites prompt victims to either log in with their Steam accounts, leading to inventory theft, or send cryptocurrency with promises of doubled returns, resulting in direct theft of digital assets. To appear more legitimate, scammers often post about the fake giveaways in the community section of the hijacked channel, disabling comments except for their own deceptive messages.
Bitdefender’s report found that scammers are also running cryptocurrency-doubling schemes. In these scams, they entice victims to send Bitcoin or Ethereum with the promise of doubling their investment. These schemes often use fake endorsements from CS.MONEY or professional players, falsely advertising substantial prize pools.
Some red flags include promises of doubling deposits, requests to send cryptocurrency up front, and a lack of verifiable association with legitimate esports organizations. These scams are strategically timed to coincide with major esports events like IEM Katowice and PGL Cluj-Napoca to maximize their reach.
“Scammers, tactics are evolving to exploit the hype surrounding major esports events. Whether they are stealing Steam inventories or cryptocurrency deposits, their goal is always financial gain at the expense of unsuspecting players. If there’s one thing gamers should remember is that in the world of CS2 and esports, nothing valuable comes for free!” they concluded.
Therefore, gamers should verify YouTube channels’ legitimacy by checking for content beyond livestreams and recent uploads and avoid clicking on suspicious links and QR codes. They also advise against CS2 giveaways, as legitimate ones are rare and typically hosted by official esports organizations.
Bitdefender also warns content creators, including those streaming esports and CS2, about potential phishing threats. Moreover, to protect your Steam account, enable Steam Guard Mobile Authenticator and Steam’s Multi-Factor Authentication. Regularly review login activity for unauthorized access, report suspicious activity or livestreams to YouTube and warn other gaming communities.
