Gamers have been warned that there may be some subtle clues that hackers are already inside your gaming world and you may not know it. In a new warning, one expert is telling players that unlike traditional hacking scenarios where you immediately notice missing items or changed passwords, modern cyber-criminals have developed more sophisticated approaches.

They often work quietly in the background, making subtle changes that can go undetected for weeks or months while they collect valuable data or prepare for larger attacks.

Faye Hwang, Business Development Manager at LDShop, a global game top-up platform, cautioned gamers: “It’s common for players to assume they’ll immediately notice if their account gets hacked, but today’s cybercriminals are much more subtle. They understand that obvious theft gets detected quickly, so they’ve adapted their methods to stay under the radar.”

Five hidden signs your gaming account has been hacked

1. Unexpected changes to your inventory or items

One of the most subtle signs of account compromise involves small changes to your gaming inventory. Hackers often test account access by moving items around, deleting less valuable objects, or making minor modifications that might go unnoticed.

Hwang said: “Players typically focus on their most prized possessions, but hackers know this. They’ll often start by taking or moving smaller items to test whether the account owner is actively monitoring their inventory.”

Check for missing crafting materials, altered item arrangements, or unfamiliar items that weren’t there before. Even if nothing valuable seems missing, these changes could indicate someone else has accessed your account.

2. Mysterious friend list modifications

Hackers frequently add themselves or their associates to victim friend lists, allowing them to monitor gaming habits and gather intelligence for future attacks. They may also remove existing friends to cover their tracks or create space for their own contacts.

Review your friend list regularly for unfamiliar usernames, especially those with generic names or suspicious profiles. Pay attention to recently added friends you don’t remember accepting, as this could be your first clue that someone else is controlling your account.

3. Altered account settings or preferences

Small changes to account settings often go unnoticed but can be telltale signs of unauthorised access. This includes modified privacy settings, changed notification preferences, or altered security questions that you didn’t update yourself.

“Hackers will often adjust settings to make their activities less detectable,” said Hwang. “They might turn off login notifications or change privacy settings to hide their presence from other players.”

4. Strange login locations or unusual activity times

Most gaming platforms provide login history showing when and where your account was accessed. Look for login attempts from unfamiliar locations or at times when you weren’t gaming. Pay particular attention to logins from different countries or regions, especially if they occur while you were sleeping or away from your gaming setup. Multiple simultaneous logins from different locations are major red flags.

5. Unauthorised purchases or missing in-game currency

While obvious theft gets noticed quickly, hackers sometimes make small purchases or gradually drain in-game currency to avoid immediate detection. They might buy items and immediately sell them, or transfer currency to other accounts in small amounts. Monitor your purchase history and currency balances regularly. Even small discrepancies could indicate unauthorised transactions that might escalate if left unchecked.

How to prevent hacking

Gaming accounts have become increasingly valuable to cybercriminals for many reasons – one reason being that these accounts are typically also linked to email addresses, payment methods and personal information that can be used for identity theft.

The expert urges people to enable two-factor authentication on all gaming accounts and linked email addresses as this adds an extra security layer that makes unauthorised access significantly more difficult You should also regularly monitor your account activity, including login history, friend lists and purchase records.

If possible, you should also set up notifications for login attempts and account changes so you’re immediately alerted to suspicious activity.

Faye Hwang added: “The sophistication of these attacks has evolved dramatically. Instead of obvious theft that gets detected immediately, modern hackers operate like digital pickpockets, taking small amounts over time or gathering information for larger future attacks. Prevention is always better than recovery. Setting up proper security measures might take a few extra minutes, but it could save you months of frustration and potentially thousands in losses.”