If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Case in point for a supposed Grand Theft Auto V setup file that was making the rounds on a few torrent sites that would seemingly let players finally play the game on PC. But here's the thing. While Rockstar is suspected to be currently developing the newest GTA for PC, it's never been confirmed. Ergo, the setup file was an errant fraud, and in the end, thousands of computers belonging to people trying to get one over on the developer wound up with their gear infected.
WCCFTech covered the issue after some of the site's readers reported finding a fairly legitimate looking torrent playing host to the file, and that someone put a LOT of work into it to make it look the real deal.
Reports the site, "Site metrics and Seed Ratio reveal that this particular torrent has been downloaded well into the thousands. The setup file is a realistic 18 GB and has an actual setup.exe file, one that works. Basically a malicious replica of the original setup file this one doesnt give out any hint of malicious activity. Probably the reason it trapped so many unsuspecting users (apart from its Legit Look) is because it is a verified, unreported torrent and has a very high SEO ranking."
Without any major signs of trouble, even more users took to grabbing the file, only to discover far too late the error of their ways:
"...only after you get on the registration window do you hit a snag. From there on, a .txt file located claims to have a key on a page where the user is forced to do surveys."
This along with beta sites are an unfortunate reality with hotly anticipated games, and the people that go out of their way to develop such sites or fake files are less than savory characters.
I understand the urge to play one of the hottest games of all time on your preferred platform, believe me I do. That being said however, if you go out of your way to download a game because you're either too cheap to pay for it, or too impatient to wait for it to release on whatever system, and this happens, I have a very difficult time feeling anything even slightly resembling sympathy for you.
