Earlier today, CD Projekt RED took to their official twitter account to address growing concerns surrounding a bunch of pretty fishy looking emails claiming to be from the developer. The most concerning is an increasing number of people receiving invites to a so-called Cyberpunk 2077 BETA test via email.
1/2 If you recently received an email claiming to be granting you beta access to Cyberpunk 2077, it's not from us. Unfortunately, there have been more of these being sent out over the past few weeks. When we contact you via email, it'll always come from @ cdprojektred com address
— Cyberpunk 2077 (@CyberpunkGame) July 30, 2020
Not only are the emails very evidently fake but CD Projekt RED has assured fans that there are no plans for a BETA in the near future and that if there is, we’ll know about it directly from them first.
2/2 Same goes for content creators. We always reach out directly from @ cdprojektred com domain. If you are being contacted by a third party claiming to be working with us (an ad agency for example), you can assume it's not genuine.
— Cyberpunk 2077 (@CyberpunkGame) July 30, 2020
Another user, New Zealand’s own Luke Rowell of Disasterradio reported being contacted, rather unconvincingly, by a representative of the developer, offering a fairly generous €100m for the rights to his music.
what about fake music licensing for your game? anyone else?? this was such a mystery https://t.co/fhWpiollir
— disasteradio / eyeliner in 2 person horse costume (@disasteradio) July 30, 2020
Aside from the email being rather noticeably from a Gmail account, rather than the developer’s official domain, fans of Netflix’s Queer Eye might notice something else a little off about the interaction. Yep, Antoni Porowski is the name of the famed (and pretty adorable) Canadian culinary guru on the latest iteration of the emotionally charged reality series.
Fortunately, Rowell realised he was dealing with a fraudster straight away and took the opportunity to mess with “Mr. Porowsi” a little before reaching out to CD Projekt RED to let them know what was going on.
Sadly, however, not all internet users may be as switched on or familiar with the warning signs when it comes to online scamming. It’s possible that younger users, less tech-savvy users, and others may have already given up their PlayStation/Xbox account details to the scammers, leaving them vulnerable to theft. If you hear or see anybody boasting an invite to the bogus BETA, make sure to let them know they’re on the hook.