Most CS2 trade scams work in one of two ways: they get you to confirm a trade that is not what you agreed, or they take over your Steam account. Check the recipient and every item in Steam itself before you confirm, never trade for anything outside the trade window, and never hand over your login, Steam Guard codes or confirmation links. If your account was taken in the last 7 days, Trade Protection can undo the trades.
Scams Steam Support warns about
| Scam | How it works |
|---|---|
| Item switch | The offer contains an item that looks like the one you discussed but is worth less. |
| Quality switch | You agree on a Factory New skin; the offer, often a counter-offer, has a Field-Tested one. |
| Hidden item | A trade for your cheap items has a valuable one buried in the middle. |
| Money for items | The buyer promises PayPal, gift cards or Wallet codes after the trade and sends fake or reversed payment. |
| Fake trade bot | Someone posing as a site’s bot tells you to send items, then blocks you. |
| “Item check” | You are asked to send an item to check it is not duplicated or bugged. The item never comes back. |
| Middleman | A “trusted” third person holds your item. A trade inside Steam needs no middleman. |
| “Tournament” software | You are asked to install voice or anti-cheat software that is really malware. |
| “I reported you by accident” | Always a scam. Steam ignores false reports, and Valve staff never contact you in chat. |
The full list is in Steam Support’s Scam FAQ. Steam’s page on cash offers adds that an offer to buy your items for cash is very often the start of a scam, and that Steam Support cannot recover items you trade away for nothing in return.
Check every trade before you confirm
- Start from your own order. Open the marketplace from your own bookmark, not a link someone sent you, and note which account the order says will receive the item.
- Open the offer in Steam. Match the recipient to that account. Names, avatars, levels and “+rep” comments can be copied.
- Hover over every item. Check the name, wear, normal/StatTrak™/Souvenir and, for expensive skins, the float, pattern and stickers.
- Keep it to one trade window. Anything promised outside the offer (cash, a second trade, a key) is not part of the trade.
- Read the mobile confirmation again. If the offer changed, cancel it and go back to the order. There is no rush: a real buyer can wait.
Phishing and account takeover
Valve’s Scam FAQ describes how hijackers often use a fake Steam login or a fake trading site to get your password. Check the real address bar before you sign in; a page can draw a fake browser window inside itself. Never share Steam Guard codes, never approve a QR login you did not start, and never forward a trade confirmation email or link.
If someone has had access to your account, check Steam’s Web API key page and revoke any key you did not create, and sign out other devices.
If you were scammed or your account was taken
- Stop trading and save the order IDs, trade offer IDs, the other account’s profile and the messages. Never pay anyone who offers to “recover” your items.
- Take the account back through Steam Support. Valve says you can always recover it there, even if the scammer changed the password, email and phone number.
- Once you are in control, open Trade History. Under the Trade Protection rules, you can reverse every trade with protected CS2 items from the last 7 days. All of them are reversed, not just one, and your account gets a 30-day trade and Market cooldown.
- Report the scammer’s account in Steam, and contact the marketplace’s support through its own site with your saved IDs.
Restrictions after a password reset or a new device are normal security timers; the VAC and trade ban guide lists how long each lasts.
Habits that stop most scams
- Use the Steam Guard Mobile Authenticator and protect your email with its own strong login.
- Keep bookmarks for Steam and the marketplaces you use.
- Remove browser extensions you no longer trust.
- Before using a new marketplace, read how to check if a CS2 marketplace is legit.