Fortnite is one of the biggest free-to-play games with plenty of in-game purchases and a very steep learning curve. So, it was only a matter of time before some enterprising, and downright dastardly, people started to manipulate and take advantage of Fortnite players looking for a competitive edge.
That manipulation comes in the form of hacks that promise players the ability to aim easier, earn free in-game currency, and move faster. Unfortunately, for the tens of thousands of players impacted by these hacks, they rarely deliver on their promises and instead give the player’s computer a bad case of malware and steal personal data.
While there may be some legitimate hacks for Fortnite on the PC, with the prevalence of hacking scams your best bet is to just leave them alone.
5. Most hacks are viruses that install malware into your PC
Be wary of any website, program, or file promising free V-bucks.
The most popular fake hack of all has to be the one that promises players free V-Bucks, a type of in-game currency that can normally only be bought with real currency. However, this fake hack instead installs vicious malware on players PCs, which has impacted over 78,000 players. Fortnite hacks make all sort of promises to players.
The most popular one promises players free V-Bucks but it’s far from the only one out there. Others claim they can make players move faster, supposed to create a aimbot for the player to get more kills, or help the player run at speeds other players can’t match.
What really happens, however, is once download, the so-called hacks install vicious malware on the player’s PC. The malware then runs silently in the background, and the worst part is the player never even gets the promised benefit. Instead, they get bombarded with ads on their browser, credit card numbers and personal information stolen from them, or in some cases a fake message from the FBI telling them they did something illegal and need to call the listed number right away.
Whatever the outcome it hurts the player. So Remember, cheaters really never do win!
4. These Viruses Could Be Bitcoin Miners Or Something Worse
Fortnite is a fun game to play, but be careful of anyone claiming to have hacks to sell to players.
An advertisement popping up on your computer might be the least of your problems with these hacks. If you’re not careful these hacks could turn your computer into Bitcoin miners without your knowledge.
Mining Bitcoins takes a lot of computing power, and there are a lot of people that play Fortnite. A well publicized Fortnite “hack” scandal involved a Russian man creating a program that tricked thousands of players. The Russian man, named Mr. Yakovenko, is being sued by the makers of Fortnite, Epic Games. Mr. Yakovenko’s program, which he promoted through Youtube, doesn’t actually do anything to help you in the game.
What it does do is install a bitcoin miner on the player's computer. The program connects to unsecured web pages without the user's knowledge leaving them open to all sorts of dangers.
And, while that was one of the first high-profile cases, there have been hacks that have downloaded malware, viruses, and have stolen many users’ personal, sensitive information.
3. You could be giving hackers a remote control of your PC by installing a fake hack (malware)
Advertising hacks is common for the PC and mobile versions of the game.
These hackers are serious, and when they get into your PC they can wreak havoc. You are opening up your computer and giving them complete access to your account and personal information. How much stuff do you keep on your computer? Even worse, how many websites do you visit that contain your personal information?
If like everyone on the planet store this information online and their computer, hackers probably can access your bank accounts, credit cards, insurance information, and more from your computer. With certain “hacks” for Fortnite, you let hackers directly in your computer. These hacks give the hackers remote access to your computer.
They can then use your computer to look through your files, find your passwords and logins, and even access your credit card numbers.
2. Your account could get hacked if you installed the malware (aka fake Fortnite hack)
This is also a problem on the mobile versions of the game.
The whole reason you would download a hack is to have an advantage at the game, wouldn’t it be just terrible if your Fortnite account itself got hacked? That’s exactly what could happen, and has happened to many people. So, you might think that getting your Fortnite account hacked isn’t such a big deal. Okay, so they use your account to play a few games and mess up your win-loss record, no biggie, right? Well, losing games on your behalf is the least of your concerns. A hacker gains access to your account, then they use your account and your payment information to buy tons of items and V-Bucks. Then, they take the codes for those things and post them for sale online and you’re stuck footing the bill. Luckily, Epic Games has been refunding a lot of fraudulent charges when their players get charges through hackers, but they’re probably not as likely to do that if they find out you were trying to hack their game in the first place.
1. You will get banned (eventually)
Epic Games also bans players who use cheating software or VPN services.
It turns out that game developers tend to get pretty upset when players try to cheat and scam them. And, that’s exactly what a hack is made for, so if you are using them, even a fake one, and get caught you can expect to get banned. Online games need to strike a delicate balance so there is a fair level of competition.
If there isn’t such a balance, then people won’t play the game. If you’ve ever played a really old version of Call of Duty you know how frustrating this can get. So, to keep things fair and balanced Epic Games bans people when they find out they’re using hacks. Epic Games has two methods to ban players.
The first is an account ban which, as the name suggests, bans the account you were using when you made the infraction.
The second ban is more severe, and probably what you will get if they find out you tried to hack. It’s an IP ban, where they ban your IP address outright. So, you can change your account and you will still won’t be allowed to play.
