Watch Out for “Is this your Steam/Discord account” Discord Scams

“Is this your Steam account” is a type of phishing scam that aims to lock you out of your Steam account. The scam targets Steam users by contacting them on their Discord account. Unfortunately, many gamers have fallen for it and lost access to their Steam and Discord accounts.

Keep on reading this guide to learn how this scam works, and how to spot the red flags so as to avoid falling for it in the first place.

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How the Scam Works

⇒ To dodge scams, the first step is spotting them.

In the first variation, you’ll get a message from one of your Discord friends or a complete stranger saying they accidentally reported your Steam account.

In the second and latest variation, scammers will pretend they have been the victims of cyberbullying. They’ll say that those who bullied them mass reported everyone on their friends list, including your Discord account.

They’ll quickly create a sense of urgency, and panic by claiming your Steam or Discord account will soon be suspended or permanently banned. To convince you what they’re saying is true, they also send you carefully forged screenshots of a so-called Discord or Steam ticket that mentions the offense and the dire consequences.

The problem is that the email screenshot seems legit. It even has the official Discord or Steam Support email as the sender. The scammers will then prompt you to take action to prevent your account from getting permanently banned. They’ll even send you step-by-step instructions to follow.

This is the part that should really raise the first red flag

The instructions are nothing Discord or Steam Support would ever ask you to do. You’ll be asked to contact a “specific Discord or Steam Support agent” immediately to prevent further action on your account.

If you contact the so-called support agent, you’ll see their profile claims they work in the anti-scammers or anti-fraud department. They’ll then list some basic account details to make you think they have access to Steam’s database. But it’s just publicly available information.

Scammers often target users with linked Discord and Steam accounts on shared Discord servers. If your Steam profile privacy settings are set to Public, you’ve just made scammers’ job so much easier. Once they’ve gained your trust, they’ll ask for information they actually don’t have access to, such as your date of birth and other details about your identity and Steam account, including your Steam ID number.

At this point, they’re trying to collect as much information about you as possible. They’ll use it to get past Steam’s security when they try to steal your account.

Here comes the most interesting part: when they effectively hack your Steam account

The scammers will then ask you to temporarily change your email address to one they’ll specify, claiming it’s for placing your account under “protection.” Once you’ve made the mistake of changing your email address, your Steam account will be locked. 

The scammers will immediately change the email address, seizing complete control of your account. You won’t be able to log in using your old email address, the temporary email address, or your good-old password.

Once they’ve hacked your account, they’ll reveal their true colors

Scammers will request a certain amount for a supposed security check, promising somebody will return the money to you. Even if you don’t send them the money, they’ve still succeeded in a way. They’ll keep using your account to spread the scam to other Discord and Steam users.

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 Long Story Short

1. Creating Urgency – Scammers create panic by threatening that your Steam account will be permanently banned.
2. Urging Quick Decisions through Panic – Scammers pressure you into making hasty decisions following the “do this or else” scheme.
3. Exploiting Trust – They impersonate Discord or Steam Support to gain your trust and squeeze personal information from you.
4. False Solutions – Disguised in an attempt to “help” you avoid a ban, they trick you into changing your Steam email addresses, locking you out of your account.

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How to Spot the Red Flags

Watch out for sentences that sound strange. Often, scammers, who aren’t native English speakers, will use phrases like “my friend” to try to gain your trust. They’ll also write long, rambling sentences, cramming all of their ideas into a wall of text.

If you receive a message that starts with or is full of “sir” or other very formal language, It could be a scam. Real Discord staff are friendly and informal. Sometimes, scammers will quickly switch from “sir” to “bro”.

When you’re contacted via direct messages or told to reach out to a specific support agent, that should raise another red flag. If a Discord staff member would like to talk with you, they would probably send an email.

There’s also this constant sense of urgency that should make you pause and think before doing what the scammers ask you to do. They’re pressuring you to take immediate action, so that you don’t have time to step back and analyze the situation.

Steam doesn’t take immediate action on your account when someone reports you. They will carry out an inspection before enforcing anything on your account. The fact that you’re asked to provide personal information such as your date of birth should also raise another red flag. Discord or Steam Support wouldn’t ask for personal information, they have it on their end.

The biggest red flag for you is when someone asks you to change the email address associated with your Steam account. The scammers will provide you with a generic Gmail, Outlook or Yahoo email address, not an official Steam email address.

And, Steam Support will never ask you to change your email to something specific.

What to Do if Scammed

If scammers have hacked your Discord or Steam account,  you need to contact Discord or Steam Support immediately.

Tell them what happened, and give them as many details as possible. If you remember the username the scammer used to message you, send that information to both Discord and Steam Support so they can take appropriate action and block them. Include screenshots of your conversations with the scammers, if possible.

Scammers use multiple accounts to carry out their plans but they sure won’t like it when Discord and Steam start blocking those accounts. Sadly, once hacked, your account will likely be used for the same purpose.

If you’re lucky, you should get your account back in a few days or weeks. Unfortunately, some users had to wait for around two months to get their Steam or Discord accounts back. Be patient.

You should also warn all of your friends and fellow gamers from shared servers about this scam and the fact that your account has been hacked. If you have already paid the scammer, immediately freeze your bank account.

To prevent scams in the future, join moderated Discord servers and disable direct messages from strangers. Go to your Discord account’s settings, select Privacy & Safety, go to Server Privacy Defaults and disable the option that reads Allow direct messages from server members.

Conclusion

Phishing scams are widely successful because they exploit your emotions, like fear and urgency, pushing you to act fast. They create a scenario where something bad will happen unless you act fast. This pressure makes you act impulsively.

To make things worse, scammers have gotten really good at impersonating official companies. Disclosing and changing personal information are two red flags you should never ignore. To dodge scams, the first step is spotting them.

Share this guide with all your gamer friends to warn them about this scam!