How to Stay Safe When You Play With Strangers Online
Finding new teammates means talking to strangers, and almost all of them are just people who want to win a few games. A small number aren't. They want your account, your items, your money or your attention in ways you didn't sign up for. You don't need to be paranoid to stay safe, just consistent about a few habits.
This guide covers what to keep private, the scams that target gamers specifically, how to lock down your accounts, and what to do when something goes wrong.
Keep personal details out of the lobby
Your gamer tag is public by design. Everything connected to your real life should stay private until you genuinely know someone, and many details should stay private even then.
- Never share: your home address, your school or workplace, your phone number, passwords, or any code sent to your phone or email.
- Think twice before sharing: your full name, photos that show your face or surroundings, your exact city, and links to personal social media accounts.
- Watch the background: streams, screenshots and webcam calls can show mail, school uniforms, street views or other screens.
Use a gaming username that isn't your real name, and an email address for gaming accounts that isn't the one you use for banking.
Recognise the scams that target gamers
Scams aimed at players follow a few patterns. Once you know them, they're easy to spot.
| Scam | What it looks like | The tell |
|---|---|---|
| Free items or currency | "Claim free skins / premium / coins here", with a link | You're asked to log in through a link someone sent you |
| Verification code theft | "I sent you a code by mistake, can you read it back to me?" | Anyone asking for a code sent to your phone or email |
| Fake staff | A message claiming to be from the game's support or a platform moderator, threatening a ban | Urgency plus a request to log in, pay or "verify" through a link |
| Paid tournaments or "team tryouts" | An entry fee or deposit to join a team or event you can't verify | Payment to a personal account, no public organiser |
| Bad trades | "You send first, I'll send right after" | Any trade outside the game's official trading system |
| Boosting and account sharing | Offers to rank up your account if you give them your login | Sharing a login breaks most games' rules and hands over the account |
The common thread is simple: never log in through a link someone sent you, and never tell anyone a code that was sent to you. Go to the site or app directly instead.
Lock down your accounts
Account takeovers are the most common real harm in gaming, and they're mostly preventable.
- Turn on two-factor authentication on every gaming account and, most importantly, on the email those accounts use. Whoever controls your email can reset everything else.
- Use a different password for each account. A password manager makes this painless. When one site leaks, the others stay safe.
- Save your recovery codes when you set up two-factor authentication, somewhere other than the device that generates the codes.
- Review connected apps every few months and remove anything you don't recognise.
Vet new teammates before you invest
You don't need a background check to play a ranked game, but a little care before you add someone to your core group goes a long way.
- Play a few casual games together before inviting someone into a private squad or server.
- Check their profile: do the games, rank and history look consistent and real?
- Notice how they treat other people, not just you. Someone who's charming to you and cruel to everyone else will turn on you eventually.
- Be wary of anyone who quickly pushes the conversation to a private app, asks for photos, or asks you to keep the friendship secret.
Handle harassment without escalating
When someone becomes abusive, arguing back almost never helps. A reliable sequence:
- Stop replying. Attention is often the goal.
- Block them so they can't message you again.
- Take screenshots before anything gets deleted.
- Report them through the platform's report tools, with the screenshots.
- Tell someone you trust, and if anyone threatens your safety or anyone's in danger, contact local authorities.
Advice for parents
Most gaming platforms, including MOT, require users to be at least 13. For teens who play online, rules work less well than a running conversation: ask who they play with, what makes a good teammate, and what they'd do if someone asked for photos, codes or secrecy. Make sure they know they can tell you about a bad experience without losing their games over it. That's the single biggest factor in whether you hear about problems early.
Safety tools on MOT
MOT lets you block users, report users and content, and protect your account with two-factor authentication using an authenticator app, with recovery codes and email recovery if you lose your phone. Every server and squad is covered by our community guidelines, and we publish how we handle child safety on our child safety page. MOT is for users 13 and over.
Join MOTFrequently asked questions
Is it safe to play with people I meet online?
Most people you'll meet just want to play. The risk comes from a small number of scammers and bad actors, and simple habits (keeping personal details private, never sharing login codes, not clicking unexpected links) protect you from almost all of it.
What are the most common scams targeting gamers?
Fake free items or currency, fake giveaways asking you to log in through a link, people asking for your login or the verification code sent to your phone or email, fake tournament or team sign-ups that ask for payment, and trades where the other side never delivers.
Should I turn on two-factor authentication?
Yes, on every gaming account and on the email account they're linked to. A password alone is easy to phish; a second factor stops most account takeovers.
What should I do if someone threatens or harasses me?
Stop replying, block them, take screenshots, and report them using the platform's report tools. If there are threats to your safety, tell someone you trust and contact local authorities.
Can young players use MOT?
MOT is for users aged 13 and over. Younger players should not use it, and parents of teens should talk with them about the habits in this guide.