Due to recent ads appearing on websites around the internet for the past couple of weeks today the FTC released a statement on their blog highlighting this practice as a scam and warning consumers of the damage that could be done. The Nintendo Switch released last month to much acclaim, the downfall has seemed to be high demand for the product paired with the low supply from publisher Nintendo.
This post outlines that there is no legitimate Nintendo Switch emulator and any type of online advertisement, blog post, YouTube video or otherwise is a scam. The act of downloading these malicious applications pretending to be a Nintendo Switch emulator could download all kinds of malware into your system that could aid in the theft of important information like credit card numbers, mislead you into thinking that there are other viruses in your system asking you to pay to have them cleaned, or even just break your computer. The FTC released the following guidelines on how to make sure that you are able to avoid the scam:
- Don’t download anything that says it’s a Nintendo Switch emulator.
- Don’t complete a survey to get an “unlock code.” That’s a red flag for a scam.
- Keep your security software current. Set it to update automatically. Installing unknown programs can lead to malware.
- Play Nintendo Switch at your friend’s house until you’re able to buy the real one yourself.
What do you think of Nintendo Switch scam emulators? Did you avoid them or did you fall prey?