What is gaming fraud?

Gaming fraud is any deceptive activity targeting gaming platforms, publishers, and esports sites, and operators usually split it into separate layers that each need a different tool. Anti-cheat layer: in-client cheating like aimbots, wallhacks, memory injection, and automation tools, handled by kernel-level anti-cheat platforms; Account layer: identity abuse such as one person opening many accounts as smurfs, real money trading farms harvesting in-game currency for resale, paid rank-boost services rotating accounts, bonus and promo abuse, and account takeover on real player accounts; Payment layer: card abuse and chargebacks on in-game purchases and digital goods, handled by payment-fraud platforms; Content layer: asset-level fraud like item duplication, exploit abuse, and market manipulation that distorts the in-game economy. ShieldLabs covers the account layer at the web-side signup and login, surfacing patterns indicating multi-accounting, account farms scaling fresh signups, account takeover, and logins from unrecognized devices, using persistent visitor and user identification that holds across sessions regardless of email, IP, or cleared cookies.

How do I prevent gaming fraud?

Prevent gaming fraud by running several layers in parallel, because no single tool covers all of it and abuse slips through wherever nothing is watching. Anti-cheat layer: a kernel-level anti-cheat product detects in-client cheating and exploit tooling; Network layer: a bot-management tool blocks credential stuffing and automated signup floods; Payment layer: a chargeback-prevention or payment-fraud platform screens card transactions on digital purchases; Policy layer: your own rules (hardware bans, rank-locked accounts, region-locked storefronts, account-age requirements for ranked play, trade and gifting limits) keep obvious abuse in check; Account layer: an identification tool surfaces the patterns of one person operating many accounts and logins from unrecognized devices. ShieldLabs owns the account layer, powering smurfing detection, RMT detection, and account-takeover monitoring so your code can hold or step up before a smurf finishes onboarding, a real money trading farm accumulates inventory, or a stolen account ships skins to a buyer.

How does ShieldLabs prevent gaming fraud and abuse?

ShieldLabs runs through a single JavaScript snippet on your signup, login, or account page and returns the data your rules act on, with the first score on the first visit. A 0-100 risk score on every signup and login; Persistent visitor and user identification that holds across sessions, cleared cookies, and rotated IPs; Anonymity signals: VPN, proxy, Tor, anti-detect browser, IP reputation, and more; Active patterns in analytics: multi-accounting, account farms, account takeover, and others. ShieldLabs delivers the risk score and signals via API and Webhooks, so your code can flag, hold, or step up an account before a smurf finishes onboarding, an account farm scales, or a high-risk login completes.

Does ShieldLabs work for any kind of game?

Yes. The mechanism is the same wherever one person can profit by opening many accounts or getting into an account that is not theirs, so ShieldLabs applies across game categories at the web-side signup and login layer. MOBAs (League of Legends, Dota 2, Mobile Legends style): smurfing in ranked queues, paid boost services rotating accounts, and account-market resale of high-MMR accounts, where alt account detection at signup is the operator-side lever; FPS and battle royales (CS-style, Valorant, Apex, Fortnite, PUBG style): smurf accounts in ranked, cheat-account recreation after bans, and skin-account takeover for resale; MMOs and RPGs (World of Warcraft, Final Fantasy XIV, OSRS, Lost Ark style): real money trading account farms, currency-farming networks, and account takeover for inventory theft; Free-to-play games: fake account inflation for referral bonuses, daily-reward farms, and beta-key abuse; Esports tournament platforms: roster fraud, ban-evading cheaters re-entering qualifiers, and account takeover on team accounts. ShieldLabs identifies the visitor and user behind the account in every case, surfacing patterns indicating multi-accounting, account farms, and account-takeover logins so your rules decide whether to allow, hold, or step up.

Is ShieldLabs gaming fraud prevention software?

Yes. ShieldLabs is gaming fraud prevention software for the web-side account layer, the tool a game publisher or esports platform integrates to run gaming fraud detection automatically instead of reviewing accounts by hand. Installs as one JavaScript snippet on your signup, login, and account pages; Returns a risk score and anonymity signals through a REST API and Webhooks, with patterns visible in analytics; Covers the fake-account, multi-accounting, account-farm, and account-takeover patterns that underlie most identity-side gaming abuse. ShieldLabs identifies the visitor and user and surfaces the signals and patterns, while your own rules decide whether to allow, hold, or step up an account.

How do I integrate ShieldLabs into a game?

Integrate ShieldLabs by adding one JavaScript snippet to your web signup, login, or account page, a setup that takes about 5 minutes. Place the snippet on your publisher portal, web launcher auth flow, web store, or account-management pages; Pass an optional UserHID (a hashed player or account identifier from your own system) once a player signs up or logs in; Read the risk score and anonymity signals via REST API and Webhooks for server-side flows, with patterns visible in analytics. ShieldLabs returns the risk score on the next visit, and the free tier includes 5,000 one-time identifications with no credit card required, so you can test on real traffic before enabling production rules.

Will ShieldLabs block users automatically?

No. ShieldLabs blocks nothing automatically; it returns a risk score and a full signal breakdown, and your code decides what to do. Set your own thresholds against the 0-100 score; A mid-range score can flag a signup for review, require email or phone verification, lock ranked play behind account age, or limit trading and gifting; A high score can hold a signup or a high-risk login for manual review. ShieldLabs keeps you in control of enforcement, and the free tier includes 5,000 identifications to test thresholds on real traffic before enabling rules in production.

Gaming Fraud Prevention

Stop gaming fraud. Protect
your in-game economy

Prevent multi-accounting, real money trading farms, and account takeover
across gaming platforms and esports sites at signup and login

Start Free

Keep smurfs out of ranked queues

Block fresh accounts that behave like experienced players signing up to play down a tier

Cut off real money trading farms

Surface the account-farm patterns behind real money trading, bonus abuse, and rank-boost services

Protect player accounts from takeover

Catch account-takeover logins from unrecognized devices and anonymized connections before in-game assets get resold

Keep real players moving

Legitimate players sign up, log in, and queue without extra verification steps

How ShieldLabs prevents gaming fraud and abuse

ShieldLabs recognizes the real visitor behind every anonymous session

Accurate Identification

Identify returning visitors and users across sessions, cleared cookies, incognito mode, and rotated IP, even when they sign up under fresh emails

Anonymity Signals

Detection of VPN, proxy, Tor, anti-detect browser, IP reputation, and other anonymity signals on every visit, with up to 99% accuracy

Risk Score

A ready-to-use score reflecting the risk of each visit, with the weight of every signal behind it

Ready-Made Patterns

Detection of the hidden connections between accounts that may signal multi-accounting, account farms, account takeover, and more

Real-Time Analytics

See how much of your traffic is masked, with an overall quality score and a breakdown of the sources sending your visits

Prevent gaming fraud and abuse in 5 minutes

Easily integrate into any signup, login, or account flow

1
Create your account
Get 5,000 free identifications.
2
Add the snippet
It identifies every visitor and returns their anonymity signals and a risk score.
3
Check your traffic quality
See how much of your traffic is masked, with an overall traffic score.
4
Use the API and Webhooks
Apply the risk score and anonymity signals in your rules to stop fraud and abuse.

Start Free

api.shieldlabs.ai/v1/visits/latest

{
  "request_id": "0c284695-cf0b-4755-8beb-0a2e9536595e",
  "visitor_id": "aa8c616a-8a25-4a5e-bee2-a9a08e5128a4",
  "device_id": "6a45967d-1371-9652-ba99-b01ea3992208",
  "user_hid": "u_9f2a41c7",
  "public_ip": { "ip": "62.197.149.124", "country": "United States" },
  "local_ip": { "ip": "45.83.91.7", "country": "United States" },
  "connection_type": "vpn",
  "os": "Windows",
  "browser": "Chrome",
  "device_type": "desktop",
  "risk_score": 85,
  "signals": [
    { "name": "antidetect_browser", "weight": 60 },
    { "name": "vpn", "weight": 15 },
    { "name": "timezone_mismatch", "weight": 10 }
  ]
}

Protect your game from fraud and abuse today

Free 5,000 one-time identifications, with transparent pricing that scales with your needs

Start Free Contact Us

Stop gaming fraud. Protectyour in-game economy

How ShieldLabs helps