One of the biggest issues with using online platforms for some CSGO-related services or products is that there is a chance of you getting scammed. In this article, you can find some tips by Martin Hunink on how you can avoid that.
Take A Look At User Reviews
User reviews are great for getting a heads-up on what to expect from a CSGO marketplace. It helps you understand what the community thinks about the platform and whether or not it is worth using.
However, reviews do not present a definitive conclusion about a platform. You see, it is not that hard for a scam site to pay for fake reviews that artificially boost the reputation of their site.
Also, people usually write a review after they get frustrated by something on a platform. It can be something very small, like a delay in the response from customer support.
For this reason, you should always take user reviews with a grain of salt. While it is a good idea to look at them before using a site, they do not paint the complete picture.
Check For Information Theft
Once you have looked at user reviews, you should check whether the platform is engaging in any information theft. Some red flags you can look out for include shady links that require you to enter sensitive information like your Steam username, Steam password, Gmail password, or credit card details.
Check For API Scams
The most dangerous scam these days happening to CSGO players is the API scam. You don’t need to understand the working of API. All you need to know is that if a scammer gets your API key, they can use it to accept, decline, and create new trade offers. A scammer might delete a legitimate trade offer from your friend and instantly send you a fake trade request. They will steal your CSGO skins and leave you with nothing in return.
To avoid the API scam, you should ensure two things. Firstly, you enter your information while logging in to a platform with caution. If you enter a CSGO skin trading platform or a CSGO skin marketplace, they will probably ask you to sign in through Steam. However, if you have already signed in to your Steam account on that browser, the platform shouldn’t ask you to enter your Steam credentials.
The “Sign in through Steam” section of a platform should only ask to confirm that it is you. If the platform takes you to a page where you are required to enter your Steam username and password, it is likely a scam site. You should always sign in to your Steam account from the official Steam website before trying to sign in through Steam at other sites. This way, you will be sure if the site is trying to scam you or not.
To check if someone has your API key, go to steamcommunity.com/dev/apikey and check whether the “Domain Name” section is empty. If there is no blank space and you don’t remember registering an API key, your account is compromised, and someone has your key.
If you are sure someone has your API key, quickly change your passwords on places like Steam and Email. Go to the Steam Guard section of the Steam client and click on the “Deauthorize all other devices” button. Once that’s done, go to steamcommunity.com/dev/registerkey and click on the “Revoke My Steam Web API Key” button.
Look At The Launch Date
If you want to be safe from scams, you should always prefer platforms that have been providing their services for a long time. Platforms that launched over five years ago usually are not scams. Scams get identified within a year, after which people stop falling for them. After that, scammers have to create a new site.
There are some great platforms out there that didn’t launch that long ago. However, to be on the safer side, you should always use platforms that launched several years ago.
The Ultimate Solution Against Scams in CSGO Sites
You are probably thinking to yourself, that’s a lot of work for checking whether a CSGO site will scam you or not. The worst part is that you still might not be able to verify 100% whether a particular site will scam you.
For that reason, you should double-check Farming Less for that. To save you from all that trouble, this website has reviewed all kinds of CSGO-related marketplaces out there. They have an extensive review process that helps filter out scam sites. You can also report your negative feedback there as well as suggest new sites.