Gaming 3 min. read

How to avoid the free Fortnite “V-Bucks” scam

How to avoid the free Fortnite “V-Bucks” scam

Who doesn’t want the latest ‘skins’, or for your Fortnite character to be able to ‘floss’?

V Bucks—Fortnite’s in-game currency—is all you need for an awesome avatar. The problem, though, is that V Bucks cost real money, and they don’t offer any performance advantages to make you better at the game.

So wouldn’t you be excited if you saw an ad offering V Bucks for free? All you need to do is sign up and you’ll get enough V Bucks to purchase the best floss of all time.

Pretty cool, right?

According to a new report, however, there are more than 4,700 fake Fortnite sites trying to trick unsuspecting players into handing over their personal information for free Fortnite V Bucks. All of these efforts (and there were over 50,000 security alerts just last month) are scams.

Every. Single. One.

To be clear: There are NO free V Bucks. This is a scam trying to steal your personal information and use it against you.

In most cases, the scammers ask you to download a spammy app or hand over your email or perhaps even your credit card (you know, just to verify that you’re human). These techniques are then, in the best of cases, used to spread harmful malware. In the worst of cases, they use your credit card for fraudulant purchases.

In every case, you will end up with zero free V Bucks and a device that’s filled with malware. And yet Fortnite players around the world are constantly falling for these scams.

How to spot the free V Buck scam

The scams arrive in many different guises. They can be in the form of “V Buck generators,” where websites want you to watch videos and click on ads to get you to fork over your Fortnite username and password. This info will then be sold on the dark web.

You may also be led to a fake domain. It may even look just like the legit Fornite site. Again, the aim here is to collect your personal information, your credit card details, and in some cases even your bank account. After all, how else are they going to verify that you are who you say you are?

Social media is one of the most popular ways the scams are spread. The fake sites and V Buck generators encourage you to share the links to get more points. This, in turn, exposes the scam to even more people who will then share it with their network.

YouTube, too, has thousands of scammy videos designed to send you to these sketchy sites, and they’ve been viewed millions of times as players desperately seek ways to get those elusive free V Bucks. 

Then there are even fake Fortnite Android apps that are now flooding the market.

What you need to do to protect yourself

To protect yourself, only purchase V Bucks from the actual Fortnite site (and make sure the site you’re on is legit; again, scammers have gotten pretty good at fooling people by creating sites and URLs that appear exactly like the original). And you should also install and run Hotspot Shield to keep you anonymous online and prevent the spread of harmful malware.

Once again, let’s be absolutely clear here: There are no free V Bucks. I’m sure you’re aware of the old saying: If it sounds too good to be true…


Looking to unblock Fortnite at school, work, or while connected to any restricted WiFi network? Hotspot Shield will unblock any game for free. Download it today and continue gaming — anytime, anywhere.

fortnite free v buck scam


Get the latest stories and tips from Hotspot Shield in your inbox