Fake GTA 6 Early Access Sites Drain $250 in Crypto from Players

Fraudulent websites claiming to offer early access to Grand Theft Auto VI are siphoning hundreds of dollars in cryptocurrency from victims, delivering nothing in return. Malwarebytes researchers identified the scam sites appearing just days before Rockstar Games began taking official preorders. The fake pages mimic high-end video game stores, complete with Vice City-themed artwork and GTA 6 logos.

One site demanded $250 in Bitcoin, USDT, or Ether for what it called “VIP Digital Access,” according to Malwarebytes security expert Stefan Dasic. After payment, victims received instructions to enter their transaction ID to “unlock” a download that does not exist. The scam exploits a core feature of cryptocurrency: irreversibility. Credit card payments can be reversed through chargebacks. Bitcoin and Ethereum transactions cannot. Once funds leave a victim’s wallet, there is no fraud department to contact and no reversal mechanism.

Rockstar has announced that official preorders start June 25 through authorized digital storefronts and select retailers. The company said in an X post that GTA 6 launches November 19, 2026, and there is no early access program. The long wait between releases – GTA V launched in September 2013 – and multiple release-date changes have created ideal conditions for fraud. Over 465 million copies of Grand Theft Auto have been sold globally. Publisher Take-Two Interactive said GTA 5 sold more than 225 million copies.

Take-Two’s stock dropped 18% after Rockstar pushed the release from Fall 2025 to November 2026, as Cryptopolitan reported in November 2025. The stock has since gained 2.25% and trades at $244.95. Take-Two carries an Alpha Score of 32 out of 100, labeled Weak, in the Communication Services sector.