Nagpur: What starts as an innocent quest to finish a level faster or unlock a hidden feature is now turning into a gateway for online fraud, blackmail, money laundering, and in some cases, extortion involving children. Flagging a disturbing new trend, cyber cops said scamsters are now using cheat codes in online games to lure young players into clicking malicious links, draining their phone data, pilfer bank details, and in extreme cases, digital blackmail rackets.“These children are too excited to win and finish the game before others,” says DCP economic offences wing Mahak Swami, who is tracking such cases and keeping a hawk’s eye on the mischievous ways to trap unassuming youngsters. “Earlier, kids would scribble cheat codes in notebooks and trade them on the playground. Now, they are being offered cheat codes on shady websites, social media DMs, or gaming chats. All it takes is one click to fall into a trap,” Swami said. Once the youngster clicks the link, the phone is compromised. Stored passwords, UPI apps, and even OTPs can be accessed remotely, she added. DCP (cyber cell) Lohit Matani confirmed that recent cases involved children being duped through online games. “Scamsters portraying themselves as fellow players enter gaming chats and lure kids into clicking links. It is a steadily growing pattern,” he said.In many such cases, the lure is always a cheat code or a shortcut to move to the next level. But what happens is that a spyware gets installed, and the user unknowingly hands over complete access of the device and everything on it to the web imposter. Even in Nagpur, three such major frauds related to online gaming are being investigated by the police.Swami added that in some instances, when fraudsters discover they cannot extract money directly, they threaten the child for explicit photos or videos. It becomes a case of blackmail. The child is scared, ashamed, and continues to follow the fraudster’s instructions to avoid being exposed.Apart from exploitation, these gaming platforms have become convenient siphons for money laundering. Layers of digital wallets and in-game currency are being used to mask illegal transactions, making it hard to track the original source.Swami adds that many popular games repeatedly expose children to glorified visuals of drugs, high-end weapons, and luxury crime. Mental health experts echo the concern. “Children’s brains are still developing impulse control and risk assessment,” said Dr Kanak Gillurkar, a mental health expert. “When they are rewarded for shortcuts and hacks in games, it reinforces a mindset of instant gratification, which is basically a dopamine hit. That can lower their guard in real-life decisions. For some, the gap between virtual thrill and real-world danger fades. Continuous exposure to such games builds emotional instability, making children increasingly habitual and addicted, and more vulnerable to risky behaviour,” she added.CM Devendra Fadnavis recently raised the issue in the state assembly and called for urgent central legislation to regulate online gaming. He warned that the absence of a clear legal framework is allowing unchecked exploitation, addiction, and criminal misuse of platforms that are accessible to millions of minors. While the Centre issued guidelines under the IT Act, Fadnavis said they fall short of addressing the real dangers posed by games involving monetary stakes and unregulated content.
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