Gamers who follow Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) tournaments are at risk of becoming victims of fraud. Hackers hack YouTube accounts, impersonate professional players, and organize fake skin and cryptocurrency giveaways. As a result, users lose their Steam accounts, valuable in-game items, and cryptocurrency.
According to Bitdefender Labs researchers, cybercriminals are actively using major esports events such as IEM Katowice 2025 and PGL Cluj-Napoca 2025 to organize streamjacking attacks.
How the scheme works:
1. Hacking YouTube accounts – hackers gain control of popular channels and delete previous content.
2. Impersonating professional players – they change the name and design of channels, impersonating famous esports athletes such as s1mple, NiKo, donk.
3. Fake streams – broadcast replays of old games, creating the illusion of a live broadcast.
4. Skin and cryptocurrency scams – a QR code or link appears on the screen promising viewers valuable CS2 skins or doubling their cryptocurrency deposits.
5. Account and cryptocurrency theft – victims are asked to log in to their Steam account, which leads to the theft of inventory. In the case of cryptocurrency, players send funds to the hackers’ wallets, hoping to get double the amount back.
In the case of cryptocurrency, players send funds to the hacker’s wallet and expect to get double the amount back. In addition, attackers actively use fake comments and posts on community pages to create the illusion of a legal lottery. Gamers need to be especially careful when watching esports broadcasts.
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