The Cheating Enterprises Exploiting the Gaming Industry

Gaming companies are being abused by fraud actors creating and selling cheat codes.

Estimated to cost companies ~$29B in lost revenue, these activities are perpetrated by coordinated criminal enterprises that capitalize on the popularity and success of the gaming industry.

Today, the average user can easily access and purchase cheats online, with vendors promoting their activities professionally. This damaging activity has financial consequences for the exploited services, causing:

• The loss of revenue from in-game stores: The fraudulent acquisition of in-game tools and digital assets prevents platforms from selling such digital goods through their in-game store. 
• Devaluation of digital assets: The sale of digital assets acquired fraudulently can see platforms undercut, and the digital assets they list devalued.
• Weakened player retention: The presence of users manipulating multiplayer games to gain an unfair advantage, harming legitimate player retention. Loss of these players could significantly harm the profitability of a game.

Download the full report to understand the sophistication of the enterprises promoting exploitation of the gaming industry.