Of course, I’m not saying that all free Discord Nitro offers is a scam, it’s just good sense to know which ones are worth a shot and which ones to avoid. In this article, we’ll discuss the infamous Discord Nitro scams, how to spot them, and how to avoid falling into their traps. Let’s dive in.
What Is a Discord Nitro Scam?
Basically, Nitro scams are free Discord Nitro giveaways, offered by someone else on the platform. In most cases, those who offer Nitro scams are random people who may be on the same server as you are. Sometimes, they come from strangers you barely know or who messaged you out of the blue. While there are also instances that it can come from a friend, whose Discord account has been hacked.
Usually, these nasty individuals send malicious links through direct messages, inviting you to click it for a free Discord Nitro. Upon clicking this link, you will be taken to a fake Discord login page where you will be required to log in to access the reward. Besides sus accounts, bots and servers are also reported to use this tactic. It will ask you to give personal details, which vary from your Discord password, email, token, to Steam credentials.
Be warned that most often than not, these fake Discord web or Steam account log-in pop-up pages are phishing links. Phishing is a widespread internet fraud that scammers use to steal private information by sending emails and direct messages.
Random people who offer you free Nitro out of the blue are mostly just phishing in disguise. Worse, there are scammers who pretend to be an official Discord account. Sometimes, they use the name of a popular and trusted bot, too. Giving away your login credentials to get free stuff without serious consideration can pose a serious security threat to your account. It can cost you your money, your peace of mind, and worst of all, your identity.
What do they need my Steam Account for?
Believe it or not, Steam accounts can become a gold mine for hackers and scammers. Except for the fact that your credit card information and PayPal login credentials are also at serious risk of being hacked, your Steam account alone can be sold on the internet.
Unfortunately, this type of scam can sometimes be difficult to notice. The scammers crafted a very convincing and legit-looking Discord website. Along with it, was a well-made fake Steam login that “pop-ups” on the page.
One of the ways to avoid falling into their trap is to always check if the link in the address bar is typed as discord.com/login. Fake websites that pretend to be Discord usually have misspellings and suspicious domain extensions. For example:
- dlscord.com instead of discord.com. The “i” is replaced with a small letter “l”.
- discord.cm
- appnitro-discord.com, discord-freenitro.com, steam-nitro.online, discord-nitro.com, nitrodsgiveways.com, discord-steam-promo.com, dicsord-ticket.com, ds-nitro.com, nitro-discordapp.com, discordgifte.com, discord-appnitro.com
As a general rule, discord.com is their only legitimate and safe domain. If the page you visited doesn’t have that domain, it’s most likely owned by a scammer.
The Steam login page they use isn’t also a pop-up. When you try to drag it, it doesn’t go out of the main window, contrary to how pop-ups normally work.
Furthermore, if you try to log in, you will instead get an error message stating that your credentials are incorrect. However, your credentials have already been recorded, and your Steam account is now at the risk of being stolen.
How to Spot a Free Discord Nitro Scam
In addition to the abovementioned red flags, here are other tips you can do to avoid being scammed by the so-called free Discord Nitro gifts:
- Use immediate scam detection websites, apps, or browser extensions to check the page’s validity, such as Trend Micro Check – Browser Security and ScamAdviser.
- Don’t entertain messages that randomly offer free rewards–especially if it’s from a stranger or you have no recollection of joining any contest recently.
- This came from the Discord blog itself: do not scan any QR codes from people you don’t know. Probably the only time you’ll need to use a QR code is when you sign in, and you should only use the desktop app for that. Or at least the official website of Discord, which is discord.com.
- Use strong passwords, change them from time to time, and enable 2FA (two-factor authorization) for added security.
- Discord has a built-in message scanning feature. Enable this by going to User Settings > Privacy and Safety > Safe Direct Messaging > Keep Me Safe. This can filter out suspicious DMs.
- If you received a suspicious free Nitro offer, report it to Discord.
- Delete any messages containing scams like these.
Probably the best way to avoid these scams is to not just believe them. As I’ve mentioned at the start of the article, free Nitro is almost always too good to be true. It’s most likely a scam unless you have an ultra generous friend or there’s a legit contest going around that you’ve actually joined in. Still, it’s always best to do a little research before jumping into the opportunity. Jeopardizing your IP address and personal data isn’t worth it for a small freebie you can get for around ten bucks.