Gamers around the world are holding their breath for November 19, 2026, the day Grand Theft Auto VI is expected to drop. Many of them have been waiting for the next installment in the hit series for over a decade. For die-hard fans, the final months before launch could prove especially agonizing. Sadly, scammers know all about this hotly anticipated release too, and they’ve decided to use it as a lure to launch all sorts of attacks on gamers. We’ve spotted a great many bait sites aimed at impatient GTA VI fans. Today, we walk you through exactly how these crooks try to trick gamers, and how you can avoid becoming their next target.

1. “GTA VI has already leaked, and all you have to do is pay”

One site our experts found, called CyberLeek, claims to have an early build of GTA VI, and pretends to offer three different ways to get hold of the game before its official release. The first and priciest option is to buy the “full game” of GTA VI for US$1000. For that price, buyers are offered an early build of the game, exclusive content, and a direct download link. This is claimed to be a limited offer: only one copy per customer.

For those not ready to part with a thousand dollars, there’s a cheaper option: for a hundred dollars, users can get 24-hour access to the GTA VI demo.

Finally, the third option relies on crowdfunding. Playing modern-day Robin Hoods, the site’s creators claim they’ll raise $50,000 and then release the game to the public for free, with everyone who donates at least $100 getting priority early access. But dig into the fine print, and the fundraising goal for that paid early access suddenly jumps from $50,000 to $500,000. Looks like one of the scammers sat on their keyboard hit an extra zero by accident.

But CyberLeek’s lineup of tempting “offers” doesn’t stop there; there are also services for businesses. For US$5000, the site’s creators offer to place an ad right inside Grand Theft Auto VI: a logo, a product, or a brand mention that will supposedly show up in some unspecified “upcoming Grand Theft Auto video content”. What exactly that means is unclear: in-game clips or cutscenes, trailers, or just some gameplay footage. And honestly, the price seems suspiciously low for product placement in one of the most anticipated games in recent years.

This offer looks especially amusing next to the supposedly complete early build of the game with full access available on the same website. So, apparently, the game is already finished enough to sell in full, but you can still somehow slap ads into it.

One can only pay for all these incredible services with cryptocurrency. CyberLeek accepts Bitcoin, Ethereum, USDT, and Litecoin, and the site’s creators make a point of saying that all payments are final and no refunds are possible. Well, we weren’t expecting refunds anyway.

That said, this is just one example. CyberLeek started out as the nickname of the hacker behind both the recent Rockstar Games breach and GTA VI content leak. Later on, other cybercriminals began using that same name to build a whole bunch of fake sites. Despite having completely different designs, all of these sites attempt to project an association with CyberLeek, enticing users with (false) promises of access to “official” leaked versions of GTA VI. Whichever of these sites you come across, we’d strongly advise against using your own computer to check what’s actually hiding inside the archives and installers they hand out.

2. Preordering Grand Theft Auto VI — with a catch

This bait targets slightly more sensible gamers — the kind who aren’t trying to download GTA VI right this second but wouldn’t say no to grabbing a free preorder code ahead of time. Our experts found a site that is claiming to hand out a redeem code for the PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X|S. All one needs do is pick a platform and provide an email address.

To make it all look convincing, the site even shows off its own “statistics”: it supposedly has 3480 active users, and only 121 codes are still available as of today.

After picking a console, entering an email address, and clicking Reveal Code, the user lands on a new page. It shows the first four characters of a supposedly generated code, and to get the rest the user is asked to complete an additional check. They’re given 15 minutes to do so.

Nobody tells the gamer upfront what this check actually involves. But the next page, which opens after clicking Reveal Full Code, inexplicably turns out to be in German. Here, the user is asked to pass a “human verification”: download a free AI chat app for their computer, run it, and accept the terms of use.

The real point of this “verification” most likely boils down to driving traffic to third-party, often shady, or outright fraudulent sites, with GTA VI simply used as bait to pump up visitor numbers.

A simpler variation involves fake sites that simply collect money under the pretext of placing preorders for Grand Theft Auto VI. For example, a fake PlayStation Store site targeting Brazilian users offers preorders for R$449.9, which actually matches the official price in the real PS Store. The user can pay with a credit card or through Pix (Brazil’s instant payment system), but along with their money, they’d also have to hand over personal data, including their CPF — the Brazilian equivalent of a taxpayer identification number.

3. You’ve missed it: GTA VI is already out!

Some scammers don’t even bother with elaborate stories about leaks, beta tests, or preorder deals. They simply build websites that copy the look and feel of GTA, and invite users to start playing GTA VI right here, right now. We came across a few examples of these sites.

One of these sites tells users they can download GTA VI, as long as they first pick their platform. The range of options is surprisingly generous: a PC version as well as versions for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.

Just to be clear, GTA VI’s official release is still more than a month away, so there’s no way one can download and install the game right now. Nobody knows exactly what users would be getting on their devices instead of the game if they download from one of these sites, but it’s definitely nothing useful. And no matter how carefully scammers copy GTA’s signature style and slap on the Rockstar logo, the address bar usually gives the game away: check the domain and compare it with the official Rockstar Games website address.

4. The icing on the cake: GTA VI for tokens

And finally, what would 2026 be without cryptocurrency? We found a site whose creators were probably inspired by the CyberLeek story and decided to ride the wave of GTA VI’s popularity to promote a token with the refreshingly straightforward name $GTAVI. The whole site is styled after GTA VI and Vice City.

The creators of the project have gone out of their way to highlight the perks of holding the token. They call $GTAVI “the only GTA VI coin that actually rewards its holders”. Whatever the meaning of that tagline, the project’s declared ultimate goal sounds even more tempting: every token holder will get access to Grand Theft Auto VI just by virtue of owning $GTAVI. Think about that for a second: it’s not exactly a direct promise of a free copy of GTA VI, but more like an aspiration on the part of the crypto developers.

To add a bit of credibility, the page also throws in some crypto stats. The claimed market cap of $GTAVI is 51,600 dollars, with a 24-hour trading volume of 7880 dollars. There’s also a mysterious metric called “Characters” with a value of 12, and what exactly it means is anyone’s guess. There’s also a separate mention of a certain $BOOBIE as the Top Gainer — apparently, this is how the site’s creators labeled whoever supposedly made the most money off $GTAVI. The site doesn’t explain where any of these numbers come from or how accurate they actually are.

All in all, this looks like an attempt to hype up yet another meme coin by riding the wave of GTA VI’s popularity. Projects like this often end up following the classic pump-and-dump playbook: the token gets promoted for a while to drive its price up, and then the insiders and major holders cash out, leaving everyone else stuck with heavily devalued crypto. As for the stated goal behind $GTAVI — letting every token holder get a copy of GTA VI just for owning it — the site gives us no reason to believe that’s actually going to happen.

How to wait for GTA VI without falling for scammers

Unfortunately, we don’t know of a legitimate way to get early access to GTA VI, and honestly, we doubt anyone else does either. It looks like we’ll all just have to wait until November. To make sure you don’t fall for tempting scam offers in the meantime, here’s what we recommend:

• Only install games from official sources.
• Check the website address. Even if a page looks like the official Rockstar Games website or the PlayStation Store, carefully examine the domain in the address bar.
• Never enter your payment details on sites promising GTA VI before its official release — especially if they ask you to pay in some unusual way like with cryptocurrency.
• Don’t download unknown launchers, archives, or installation files, even if they’re billed as a “leaked build” or as software you need in order to be a beta tester.
• Don’t hand over your personal information for a “beta test”, “key”, “early access”, or any other offer that sounds too good to be true.
• Never disable security features just because a website tells you to. If a site asks you to ignore a Windows warning, run some mysterious command, or launch an unknown file as an administrator, treat it as a giant red flag.
• Install a reliable security solution built for gamers, one that warns you before you land on a scam site and blocks malicious files, but won’t slow your games down.

What other tricks do scammers pull to fool even the tech-savviest gamers? Find out in our other posts:

• Bad advice for gamers:ClickFix hits Steam forums
• Hentai games with a nasty twist
• Stealka stealer: the new face of game cheats, mods, and cracks
• Gamers under fire: malware on official websites
• Arcane stealer instead of Minecraft cheats

The World Cup attracts a great many fans — but also a great many scammers. While millions of fans tune in to watch the matches, cybercriminals are hard at work trying to get at their money and personal data. In fact, we’ve already flagged more than 336 fake websites designed to look exactly like the official World Cup page! As the biggest sporting event of the year heats up, here are the top red flags you need to watch out for.

Totally Legit Free Streams (No Scam)

Scoring a seat at WC26 has turned into quite the mission. Soccer fans are furious over ticket prices, which have officially been dubbed the highest in World Cup history. On top of lodging and travel costs, the situation is made even worse by America’s stringent immigration policies — where referees, team staff, and even players have faced major visa and entry headaches. But fans still want to watch the games, and that’s exactly where fake streaming platforms step in to “help”.

Here’s how the scam plays out: cybercriminals set up fake websites promising free access to World Cup match streams. But the moment you click Watch Now, you’re prompted to sign up and then pay for “lifetime access” to the entire tournament. In the example below, they’re asking for cryptocurrency — which is still a bit unusual, since scammers typically prefer good old-fashioned bank cards.

Fans who are desperate to catch their favorite teams live risk losing not just their money, but also their personal data, which hackers can later weaponize in targeted phishing attacks.

A losing bet

Match result predictions and sports betting always skyrocket in popularity during the World Cup, and scammers waste no time cashing in on the trend. And behind the flashy slogans lie classic scam tactics.

Take this beautifully designed Spanish-language website. To sign up, it demands a massive amount of personal information, including your full name, national ID number, email address, and phone number — and, of course, it asks you to create a password. If a victim uses the exact same password for multiple accounts, they’re essentially handing the keys to their digital life over to cybercriminals.

Another site, specifically targeting users in Colombia, turned the sign-up process into a paid ordeal — and it features every trick in the book.

• To “verify” your profile, you’re forced to use WhatsApp under the guise of avoiding legal complications.
• Before your account is activated, you must make a deposit. This means sending 100 000 Colombian pesos (about $29) to a specified account and texting the receipt to an “administrator” on WhatsApp.
• Next, you’re told to wait 12 hours for the “administrator” to manually activate your profile.
• Only after all of this do the scammers tell you can place unlimited bets (of course not true).

In many countries — including Colombia — sports betting is strictly regulated. Only a handful of licensed operators are legally allowed to run these sites, and users are required by law to verify their identity. Because of this, these shady workarounds can look tempting to people who love to gamble but don’t want to — or can’t — go through the official verification process.

Unfortunately, the scammers always win in this scenario. They walk away with your initial deposit and every single bet you place on their site. At the end of the day, their only real goal is to drain their victims’ wallets for as much as they possibly can.

Discounts for collectors!

The World Cup isn’t just about the matches; it also drives record-breaking sales of collectible merchandise — stickers, scarves, team jerseys, official match balls, and more. Naturally, plenty of scammers are eager to get a piece of that action.

Take a look at this website offering “exclusive, limited-edition” stickers and albums. Notice anything suspicious?

Check out those prices: everything is heavily discounted, even though the tournament is in full swing. All it takes is a quick price check against the real deal to spot the trap. In the screenshot above, the scammers are charging 67 euros for a sticker collection. On actual online marketplaces, that exact same set goes for at least twice as much, and on the official Panini website, it’s three times the price.

Fake websites mimicking popular sporting goods stores also offer to sell you shin guards, socks, jerseys, and any other gear. Of course, you’ll never see the merchandise, and you’ll lose both your money and your bank card details.

Deals that seem too good to be true are one of the biggest red flags. To make matters worse, with the help of AI, fake websites now look just as professional as the real ones, making them harder than ever to spot. That’s why we recommend installing our security suite before you start shopping online. It blocks phishing sites in real time and uses the Safe Money feature to keep your financial data secure.

Soccer by mail

Another attack strategy involves spam campaigns centered around the World Cup. In one email, our experts uncovered an ad for a soccer analytics and betting-tips service. It uses the classic high-pressure playbook: “ONLY 10 SPOTS AVAILABLE” — so hurry up before they run out! Naturally, access comes with a price tag: AU$200.

This scheme targets fans who are into sports betting, and paying for these types of services usually ends one of two ways for them: they either lose their money with zero guarantee of getting actual predictions, or get sucked into an even deeper, multi-step financial trap.

How to avoid falling for the scams

Across all these scenarios, the World Cup is just another convenient pretext for cybercriminals. Once the tournament wraps up, they’ll most certainly pivot back to their usual tricks — like fake job offers or Telegram phishing scams — until the next Olympics or soccer tournament rolls around and they switch right back to sport.

Our research consistently shows that online fraud has evolved into a massive illegal enterprise. You aren’t just up against lone scammers anymore; you’re dealing with large criminal networks. When it comes to defense, the best approach is a proactive one. By installing Kaspersky Premium, you can safeguard all your devices from malware, phishing, spam, and malicious or lookalike websites. Plus, the included Kaspersky Password Manager will generate unique complex passwords, securely store your sensitive data — like documents and bank cards — and stop you from auto-filling your credentials on fake sites.

• Watch the games only on legitimate streaming platforms. Don’t trust fake reviews and never enter your bank card information on unverified sites. Keep an eye out not just for sketchy streaming websites, but also for fake IPTV apps. As we’ve covered in detail before, scammers frequently use these to infect your devices with Trojans.
• Shop smart. The best way to avoid getting ripped off is to buy merchandise exclusively through official channels (where you won’t see suspiciously deep discounts), or simply buy your gear in person at official retail locations.
• Don’t click suspicious links. If a deal that’s too good to be true lands in your inbox — whether it’s exclusive betting tips or anything else — just ignore it and hit delete.
• Avoid logging in through Telegram bots. At the very least, this saves you from future headaches and annoying spam. At best, it keeps your account from being hijacked and your crypto from being stolen.
• Switch to passkeys wherever possible. Unlike traditional passwords, which are easily stolen and can be typed into any fake login page, a passkey is cryptographically tied to a specific website and won’t work on a phishing page. Kaspersky Password Manager can easily store and sync your passkeys across all your devices.

What other ruses do scammers use to make a quick buck? Check out our other posts:

• The Winter Games in Italy: how to avoid the scams
• Summer scams in Paris
• Meme coins and NFTs: how not to lose your shirt
• How to watch soccer safely
• Neither flowers nor gifts: how women get scammed