On the ArtStation platform, cases of cheating artists have become more frequent. Unknown attackers offer freelancers work on behalf of large gaming companies like Riot Games, Big Fish and 2K, and are tricked into paying for expensive hardware and software worth thousands of dollars. On May 24, Kaspersky Lab drew attention to the problem in its blog.
As an example, the company cites the story of an American concept artist who received an invitation to an interview allegedly from the publisher of 2K.
An example of such a letterHow does this scheme work?
After answering the letter, the attackers ask the artist to go to the secret Telegram chat.
- There, in the format of correspondence, the front company conducts a rather long and detailed interview.At this stage, the very fact of conducting an interview in text form, and not by audio or video, is confusing.
- However, many artists continue to communicate with scammers, since the questions of the fake recruiter themselves are compiled with knowledge of the case.After that, the specialist is informed that he has passed the selection.
- It remains only to purchase the necessary equipment. In this case, we are talking about a MacBook Pro, a set of designer software and a special device for recording time worked. The total cost of the kit is about $ 3.5 thousand.Scammers claim that they will write a special check for these purposes, but it is necessary to buy the necessary goods only from a specific supplier.
- At this stage, many artists begin to suspect deception and stop corresponding, but some continue to communicate with intruders.In case of consent, the artist actually receives a check delivered by a real FedEx courier.
- That’s just it is printed on a regular color printer and does not contain watermarks. At the same time, fraudsters specifically send checks on Friday evening, knowing that many banks do not work on weekends.The attackers are persuaded to pay for goods from their own funds and not to wait for the opening of banks and subsequent clearing.
- Payment is made through the American services Venmo and Zelle, accounts in which are registered to a certain individual. After that, the scammers, of course, no longer get in touch.Example of a cheque from scammers
The mass nature of the problem
The exact number of victims of this scheme is unknown, but many companies have already published warnings about fraud on their resources.
ArtStation gives advice to artists and tells them how not to become a victim of fraud, and encourages them to complain about fake Telegram accounts. Kaspersky Lab also notes that it is not necessary to pass an interview and conduct correspondence in closed chats.
The list of vacancies on the 2K website now contains a disclaimer about the frequent cases of fraud. The company notes that it never uses messengers to communicate with candidates. The same warning is also on the Big Fish job list.
In a comment to Kommersant, the experts of Doctor Web noted that artists are the most accessible target for such fraud. The reason is that they may really need expensive equipment, unlike other freelancers.
According to Alexander Chernykhov, a leading expert in the field of information security of Krok, it is technically impossible to eradicate this type of fraud. The only way to fight remains the increased attention of users.
In general, such cases became more frequent during the pandemic, when many specialists were left without work. Victims of fraud are not only representatives of the gaming industry, but also “white hackers”, as well as taxi operators and other services.
Thus, it is necessary to carefully check such offers at all stages — from the coincidence of email addresses in the letter and on the website of this company to a direct clarifying request to the firm on whose behalf the scammers are acting.