14 DAY TRIAL // Steam users are being targeted in a new fraud campaign, one aimed at those who were banned via the Steam VAC (Valve Anti-Cheat) system.
Since its introduction, the Steam VAC system has been implemented in around 400 Steam games and allows game makers and especially multiplayer server administrators to ban users who cheat or act out online.
The system has been deemed by most gamers to be a plague to the Steam community, who, at one point or another, have a close encounter with the notorious VAC popup.
For many years, there have been hundreds of YouTube videos that advertised magical cures to get around this popup but only tricked users into installing malware on their computers.
Don't buy any subscriptions to mobile deals to remove a Steam VAC ban. It makes no sense!
Security researchers from Malwarebytes discovered one such campaign, after stumbling upon steamunban(dot)fr, a website called Steam VAC Remover that promises to remove Steam VAC bans.
The website is nothing more than a fraud, luring users into buying various mobile deals and subscriptions, as a way to repay the site's operators for removing the user's VAC ban.
In fact, as you've probably guessed it, nothing happens. Users are left waiting and staring at a silly animation on the site while the crooks make off with their money and lie in wait for the next fool who lands on their website.
"Nothing [...] is going to miraculously unban your Steam account from a VAC slapdown. Once the ban is applied, that’s it, no amount of downloadable mobile content or fancy looking console boxes will rectify that," said Christopher Boyd, researcher at Malwarebytes. "Sometimes people get away with a bit of cheating, but as far as Steam goes the consequences are irreversible. Don’t cheat, and you’ll be playing on safe and secured servers for a long time to come."
