Steam Scammers Are Targeting Palworld & Helldivers 2
Summary
- Scammers are targeting popular games like Helldivers 2 and Palworld on Steam with fake listings to trick consumers.
- Steam has removed the fraudulent listings to protect users from potential scams.
- Despite Steam’s occasional moderation issues, players are vigilant in warning others about fake game listings in the review section.
After finding an immense amount of success on Steam, both Helldivers 2 and Palworld are the target of scammers trying to trick consumers into purchasing the wrong product. Whenever a game manages to make waves within the community, there’s always someone who tries to capitalize on the hype by either creating an inferior project or by simply editing a Steam listing to obscure an already existing game. Fortunately, internet-savvy users are usually quick to point out listings that aren’t legitimate.
X (formerly Twitter) user @Wario64 shared images of three Steam listings for Helldivers 2, the first of which bears a price of $39.99 while the others both feature steep discounts:
Looking into the SteamDB listing for one of the products, a user has changed the game’s Description and Store Name to Helldivers 2 while the initial title, Figurality, has been crossed out and marked in red. Steam was quick to react to the scam as Figurality has been removed from the platform, even though searching for the game still takes users to a page listed as Helldivers 2.
Helldivers 2 Review: “A Refreshingly Fun Power Fantasy”
Helldivers 2 is just about the best-case scenario for a live-service game, and its show-stopping gameplay delivers incredibly visceral moments.
Steam Has a Problem With Moderation
A similar instance occurred with Palworld, the surprise survival game hit that allows players to capture Pokémon-like creatures and set them to work on a fully customizable base. Shared to the game’s Reddit by u/Maximum_Quartermain, a listing for a second Palword with a sharp 95% discount is found immediately below the actual game. Delving into the product’s SteamDB results in similar findings, as the original title, Stolen Mushrooms, and description have been crossed out and changed. Steam has also removed this fraudulent game.
While incidences of changing existing products’ descriptions to trick players are rare, Steam does have a slight issue when it comes to moderating the content that’s sold through the platform. Many successful games have fallen prey to cheap imitators looking to cash in on brand recognition and hype. Fortunately, Steam users are often quick to identify issues such as these and leave warnings regarding the scam in the review section.
Helldivers 2 and Palworld Are Both Surprise Hits
While the fraudulent Steam listings for Palworld and Helldivers 2 are unfortunate, they do point to the surprise success of both games. The titles were released to little fanfare before word-of-mouth and social media marketing brought hundreds of thousands of players to both titles. Aside from Steam, Helldivers 2 is also available on PlayStation 5, while Palworld can also be played on Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S.
Source: @Wario64/X, u/Maximum_Quartermain/Reddit
