Hamster Kombat – is a crypto game that requires no financial investment. It rewards players with so-called tokens, which may possibly be sold on an exchange in the future.
According to the media portal FinGramota.kz, more than 100 million users are currently registered in the game. They are all awaiting the 'listing' – players have been promised that they will soon be able to withdraw their collected coins to crypto exchanges.
Despite the fact that the game requires no investment, there is a risk of losing money through fraudulent schemes.
For example, upon reaching a certain level in the game, scammers contact players with tempting offers to buy either their in-game currency or the entire account.
"They offer a decent reward and use specific jargon to create the impression of being a crypto expert. Their main goal is to obtain the user's bank card details or access to their online banking, withdraw the maximum amount of money from it, and disappear without a trace," the statement says.
At the same time, under the pretext of buying an account, fraudsters may gain access to the user's personal data. The criminals ask to enable remote access to the user's device or send a request to download files from a computer or mobile phone. The data obtained can later be used for fraud or blackmail.
Another type of fraud involves sending phishing links and ransomware viruses under the guise of purchasing in-game currency or an account.
"By clicking on such a link, the device may be locked with a demand for a 'ransom'. Alternatively, the installed virus will collect the user's personal data and financial details and forward them to the scammers at certain intervals," the statement says.
Furthermore, fraudsters often covertly offer players to act as intermediaries in their schemes. The swindlers transfer money to the player's card, offering them to keep a portion of the funds and convert the remaining amount into cryptocurrencies.
"If an unwitting player agrees, they could become part of a money laundering, terrorist financing, or asset legalisation scheme. This could even lead to criminal prosecution," the statement says.