Fake ‘Baldur’s Gate 3 for iPhone’ Scam Tricks Users into Paying for Subscriptions

Scammers found a new way to deceive iPhone users – by making them pay phony subscription fees for fake versions of the famous Baldur’s Gate 3 game.

Various AAA games already available on newer iPhones

In an announcement last year, Apple teased iPhone users about various AAA games launching on the App Store.

Select iPad models, as well as the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max, have received titles like Death Stranding, Resident Evil 4 Remake, and Resident Evil Village.

So the idea that Baldur’s Gate 3 would become available for the same user segment didn’t seem so far-fetched.

However, contrary to rumors circulating online about the popular roleplaying game landing on Apple’s App Store, Baldur’s Gate 3 developer Larian Studios has never made such a promise.

New ‘Baldur’s Gate 3’ scam targets iPhone users

A new addition to Apple’s App Store titled Baldur’s Gate 3 – Mobile Turuk has fans of the role-playing video game hit adrenalized.

Con artists appended actual screenshots from the original game to the phony app and overlaid a mobile interface to boost the illusion of legitimacy.

Some may have already fallen prey to the scam and downloaded the game, expecting a full port of Baldur’s Gate 3 to be installed on their devices.

Fake subscription fees and sensitive data collection

However, after downloading the seemingly free app, users are prompted with a page demanding a steep $29.99 subscription fee for 30 days of access to the full game.

As expected, paying the subscription fee does not give users such access, as the popular role-playing video game is not being ported to the iOS ecosystem.

To add insult to injury, a brief analysis of the rogue app’s Terms of Service reveals that the app collects data about the user, including their IP addresses, which could be used for further malicious purposes.

Spotting and dodging online scams

Unfortunately, scam artists’ cunning and adaptability are steadily evolving as new ways of deceiving unsuspecting individuals emerge. While most of these deceitful attempts can be easily spotted and avoided, some could still slip past even the most vigilant eyes.

Dedicated solutions like Bitdefender’s Scamio can help you detect and deter online scams effortlessly. Using AI-powered technology, Scamio can check any tricky text, email, link, social media message, image, or QR code to assess its veracity.

It also works for given scenarios; describe the scam and Scamio will provide you with an assessment of its perceived legitimacy.

Scamio is free and available on Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, Discord and your web browser. You can also help others stay safe by sharing Scamio with them in France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Romania, Australia and the UK.