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

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. 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. …