Steam is the world's biggest game store and online gaming platform, with millions of daily users and tens of thousands of games for sale.But with all those games and all those users comes the risks of scams, and over the years, countless Steam scams have popped up to swindle and trick unsuspecting users.

1. Phishing Scams

Phishing scams are by far the most common Steam scam you'll encounter. A Steam phishing scam involves sending you to a fake Steam page where you'll be persuaded to give your login details to a scammer.

Steam phishing scams rely on tricking you into believing a scam site is the real deal. You'll typically be sent a message saying that someone is struggling to add you as a friend, that you've been selected for a unique deal, or that they've noticed a specific item in your Steam inventory that they wish to purchase.

You're then sent a link to a convincing fake page, often with a very convincing fake URL. But there will be subtle differences, such as a misspelling or different characters to hide the phishing link, in what's known as URL spoofing. Once you input your Steam data, you hand over your login credentials, including your username and password, and you've handed over the keys to your account.

Steam API Scam

The Steam API scam is a type of phishing scam that takes place after you visit a compromised or straight-up scam website. After you give the scammer your details using a fake login, they gain access to the API key used to give you access to and to allow third-party websites to communicate with your Steam account.

With access to your Steam API, scammers can monitor your account for trades. When one appears, they cancel the trade, clone the account you were going to trade with, then reinstate the trade on their terms. With access to your account, once they initiate the trade, they can easily accept, stealing whatever items they want from your account. Furthermore, because they have the API key, it won't create a Steam Guard warning or otherwise; they're already in your account.

Steam Guard SSFN Scam

One phishing attack variant involves having you send the attacker your SSFN file, a unique file that helps you avoid having to verify with Steam each time you log in. Giving it to a scammer allows them to avoid security restrictions such as Steam Guard, which could give them easy access to your account.

In this case, the scammer will ask you to locate your SSFN file, then send it to them. Armed with this information, they can attempt to breach your account without notifying you.

2. Impersonation Scams

Valve employee impersonation is another common Steam scam.

A scammer will pretend to be a Valve employee and ask for information regarding your account, such as your password or a one-time two-factor authentication code, then access your account.

Typically, the scammer will try and convince you that your account was flagged for scamming or duping items, that your account has a pending ban that they can help you resolve, or that someone else has reported your account. We'll look at the account reporting scam in more detail in a moment.

One easy way to figure out if the person you're talking to is a Valve employee is to click through to the account. Every Valve employee has the official Valve Employee badge, which is the red spigot seen on the Valve splash screen when you load a Valve-developed game.

Another impersonation scam variant is pretending to be a friend. The scammer will research your friend list and impersonate them, replicating the user name with a slight spelling difference. Once your trust is gained, the scammer may ask to “borrow” an item that you’ll never see again once the trade is made.

3. Chargeback Scams

There are a couple of variants of the Steam chargeback scam, but they all involve sending buying a game or item from you, then disputing the charge with their bank.

Typically, the scammer will approach you and make the sale using a bank account, PayPal, or any other payment platform that allows you to dispute a charge. Because these platforms have effectively zero way of verifying the truth, they'll often issue the chargeback, taking the money back from your account directly.

4. Item Swap Scams

Similar to chargeback scams, there are many types of item swap scams. It's key to remember that Valve will never ask to verify your items, will never ask you to transfer items to them, and will never attempt to pay for an item from you. None of these scenarios exist, and if anyone messages you with a similar proposal, report, block, and ignore them.

One common item swap scam is the quick switch. The scammer will create a swap with you, offering to trade items. Once you agree to the swap, they'll attempt to replace the agreed-upon item with one of lesser value.

Now, this was once a bigger issue, but Steam eventually introduced trade holds to stop scam accounts from gaining instant access to stolen items. Now, if you're trading with a new account, the Steam trade won't fully complete for 15 days until after the trade is accepted by both parties. If a scammer did manage to trick you, you have enough time to flag the account to get your item back.

5. Steam Gift Card Scams

Steam gift card scams often form part of larger scam networks. You can find numerous videos online with scam-baiters talking to scammers, and gift-card codes are often the main target. They're easy to process, hard to track, and almost anyone can use them.

A Steam gift card scam can link to other types of phishing scams. For example, you might receive a fake invoice in your email account that demands attention—but the payment must be processed in Steam gift cards (totally legit!).

Steam gift cards can be linked to almost all of the other scams on the list. If the scammer wants an easy payment method they can use to buy items and games for resale (or just resell the gift card), then a Steam gift card is an easy choice.

6. Accidentally Reported Account Scam

The Steam accidentally reported account scam is a gift-card scam variant, but it deserves a section of its own because it's one of the most popular Steam scams.

A scammer will message you something like, "Hey, I'm really sorry, but I accidentally reported your account for scamming me." They'll add some spiel about the accounts having similar names and maybe even provide an account with a similar name. It continues with their apology, and then to be super-helpful, they'll let you know that they informed Steam support.

All you have to do is contact the Steam representative on Discord. You know, that platform that isn't Steam.

The "Steam representative" typically says something like, "I can quickly unblock this account without issue for a fee." Then they'll ask for a Steam Wallet card payment or another type of gift card payment. Alternatively, they'll say the fee is to ensure your account is legit and you are who you say you are.

It's all just another ruse to get their hands on gift cards, be that for Steam or not.

7. Viruses and Malware

Viruses and malware are ever-present risks when it comes to scams of all types, not just Steam scams. However, you might be sent a specific link to a game review or a new title on Steam by a scammer but end up downloading malware instead.

Now, depending on the malware, it could be that absolutely nothing happens. If they send you an executable file that you have to run for the malware to install, so long as you don't run the file, you'll be fine. But once you do run the file and install the malware, you may give backdoor access to your machine, where the scammer can take over your Steam account (and everything else).

When someone sends you a link, you can run it through a link checker to check its safety.

You may find that viruses and malware are spread by automated bots that send out countless requests hoping to get a positive return. Bots are also used in some of the other Steam scams listed above.

8. Fake Steam Code Generators

Linking to malware are fake Steam code generators. Anything promising to generate a free Steam game key, gift card code, or anything similar is one hundred percent fake.

steam wallet code generator fake site scam

To access this incredible free deal, you'll have to enter your Steam credentials, complete a survey, or maybe even pay a small fee, but it's all a scam.

Don't Get Scammed on Steam

These represent some of the most common Steam scams you'll encounter. However, there are many variants of these scams, and while Steam does make an effort to protect its users, scammers are persistent.

Remember, the most important rule to avoid scams is to never reveal your Steam login credentials or other sensitive information to anyone. Be wary of offers that seem too good to be true, always double-check URLs and the identities of people you're dealing with, and don't let others pressure you into making hasty decisions.