Those who watch Counter-Strike: Global Offensive on Twitch may currently come across streams from big stars like s1mple and shroud. The problem: Neither s1mple nor shroud are actually involved.
What’s going on with Twitch? It looks like the CS:GO section on Twitch currently has a fake problem. Fraudulent streams keep popping up, pretending to belong to popular streaming figures. The issue: Apparently, many users are falling for these streams.
As Reddit user ben_is_radish pointed out, two of the most-watched Twitch channels for CS:GO were fake channels. The stars shroud and s1mple were listed there as creators with similarly sounding names and profile pictures – when in fact, neither was associated with the streams:
- The former Twitch star Michael “shroud” Grzesiek switched from Twitch to Mixer in October 2019 – he is no longer on Twitch
- Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev (22) is regarded as one of the best CS:GO players in the world, but he rarely streams on Twitch, spending most of his time participating in tournaments.
Nevertheless, the alleged channels of shroud and s1mple attracted a lot of viewers on Twitch:
Scammer channels a problem on Twitch
This is how the community reacts: The issue is viewed very critically by users. A user (via reddit) compares this situation to the Runescape section on Twitch, where similar incidents have also occurred. However, Twitch has only done so much to address the issue.
Even s1mple himself spoke out about the issue in December. During this time, the professional was banned from Twitch, which fraudsters took advantage of. Using similar account names and promoting fake in-game items, they tried to benefit from the situation and deceive viewers:
“I see fake profiles of me scamming people on Twitch every day. Isn’t it your responsibility to protect your users?”
However, it is questionable how effectively Twitch can combat the fakes, as new accounts quickly reappear as soon as the scam accounts are banned.
As a viewer, one should pay close attention to whether the streams being watched are originals by checking the “Verified” status of the streamer, especially if planning to spend any money on the stream.
