The theft of credit cards and bank credentials is one of the threats faced by players and, in the case of the youngest, their parents. It does not matter if the attack is massive (that is, against the game) or directed (that is, against the person); There are a number of precautions that can minimize the risks.
A strong password is not the only way to protect credit cards when making purchases in video games, whether for us or for the little ones
Of course, there are a number of measures common to any account that can be applied, such as choosing strong passwords, not reusing them and, if possible, changing them frequently. In addition, they should not be shared or pointed out unless it is done in a key manager that encrypts the information.
In the case of payments, according to the Report on Security and Online Videogames & eSports published by S2 Grupo, there is a curiosity: people who are not necessarily the holders of the bank account are attacked. Many parents use their cards for their minors’ online purchases and this can lead them to be unaware that their details have been compromised until it is too late.
Thus, in the event of any news or suspicion that the card information may have been obtained by a third party, it should be blocked as soon as possible. However, it is much safer to never directly associate a card; e-wallets give an extra layer of security.
The company also points out that the service should be maintained without associating a bank account to it: when necessary, money will be introduced again, but without a ‘trace’ of the origin of the money. It is best to use a service like PayPal to put more credit in the account.
Physical gift cards for services such as PSN, Google Play, Spotify and the like are another safe option, although somewhat less practical, since they require going to an establishment to purchase them (this purchase should never be made online, much less at a reduced price) .
Those who choose PayPal and want to go even further in their search for secure payment should create a specific account for these services that is not related to the main one. In this sense, from S2 Grupo they go one step further and recommend creating a specific email for the game profile, if it requires it, and that it does not provide information that allows the player to be identified.
Finally, when filling the electronic purses of each of these stores, it is convenient to do so only with the amount that is going to be spent at that time. In this way, every penny of purchases within video games is protected.
MOBILE GAMES
All these tips are applicable to video games on consoles, computer or services like Steam, but they have a problem when it comes to mobile platforms: many times the phone or tablet used to play belongs to the parent. In this case, the danger is not so much the account as that unwanted purchases are made (or, rather, unwanted by the adult).
When in this case, the confirmation should always be activated before each purchase (in some cases after a purchase the service does not ask for a password again for a few minutes, so this configuration should be reviewed) and, if the operating system allows it, activate different profiles without administrator permissions.
On the contrary, if the device belongs to the person who uses it, it is possible to resort to electronic wallets and rule out the use of credit cards. Again, the purchase of gift cards is the best guarantee of security.
