If that CyberPunk 2077 deal seems to good to be true, it probably is

Gamers keen to get their hands on CyberPunk 2077 have been warned not to fall victim to a growing number of online scams using the game as a hook.

As one of the most highly-anticipated launches of the year, CyberPunk 2077 is proving a strong lure for criminals looking to take advantage of over-eager gamers, according to experts at Kaspersky.

The security firm has warned that criminals and scammers alike will be looking to try and trick impatient gamers using a variety of techniques aimed at stealing money and personal information.

• We've put together a list of the best endpoint protection software
• Keep your devices virus-free with the best malware removal software
• Check out our roundup of the best ransomware protection

CyberPunk 2077 scams

Sadly, many of the CyberPunk 2077 scams are nothing new, with Kaspersky seeing interest in the game from criminals growing throughout the whole of 2020. In fact, between January and November 2020, the company detected more than 3,300 attempts to infect victims across the world using a number of scams mimicking a game that had not even been released yet.

This included several websites offering gamers the chance to download Cyberpunk 2077 before its official release date. Installers from these sites look very much like the real one, but in fact, do not download any game files: they just wait for a while and then ask the user for a license key. 

Users are told that this key can be acquired by completing a scammer’s survey followed by entering personal data, such as email addresses and phone numbers. However when starting up the "game", the victim is shown a splash screen that tells the user it lacks a DLL, a code file that contains functions important to start the game.

“Cybercriminals’ increased interest in Cyberpunk 2077 is understandable. The gaming community has been waiting for this game for years and now, on the eve of its release, scammers hope to extract valuable information from their victims who cannot wait to play the game. So, we urge everyone who, like many of us, is impatient to play this game, to wait for the official launch and to download it from trusted sources,” says Kaspersky security expert Anton Ivanov.

The company is urging CyberPunk 2077 fans to be cautious when browsing promotions related to the game, and only use reliable sources to purchase games online.

• Stay safe with our picks of the best antivirus software