Fake ‘GTA V’ Beta Version Installs 19GB Of Malware On Unsuspecting Users


Fans of GTA V (Grand Theft Auto 5) were so eager to download the new PC version of the game that they accidentally installed a massive file loaded with viruses.

According to Christian Today, a free PC Beta download for GTA V was being offered online, tricking many GTA fans into instantly downloading what they thought was a preview of the game onto their computers. But the free Beta version of GTA V was absolutely too good to be true and was a complete scam, bringing 19 gigabytes of viruses and malware and no copy of GTA V.

The developer of GTA V, Rockstar Games, never made an announcement that the Beta version was available, but that didn’t stop many of the desperate gamers. A PC version of GTA V will be available, however, next year. Rockstar Games has announced that GTA V will be coming to next generation consoles like XBox One and Playstation 4 on November 18 and arriving on PC by January 27, 2015. Perhaps the lengthy wait is what drove GTA players to take the risk and download the scam file.

XBoxer 360 reported on the scam download of GTA V as well, warning users to steer clear of the phony link. The publisher of GTA V, Take-Two, has been actively shutting down sites boasting the fake download, including getgtavbeta.com and betagtav.com, but two other sites have also been busted for scamming users and will be taken down soon: gta5betacode.com and grandtheftauto5beta.com.

Even more malicious, the scam sites also force users to post the links to their Facebook wall before being allowed to download the GTA V Beta, ensuring that the viruses spread more rapidly. Take-Two is actively looking for new scam sites and phony downloads for GTA V, and have asked that any suspicious links be reported to them.

Fake photos of players playing the GTA V PC version were also circulating the internet, accompanying a fake Steam download of the game and even a PC torrent of the Beta. A Beta version of GTA V will very likely never be released, since no other GTA games have ever released one on the past.

If you see an advertisement for a Beta version of the upcoming GTA V PC version, be sure to stay away from it and wait for the real copy of GTA V to hit the stands next year.

Did you or anyone you know fall victim to the GTA V scam?

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