A 113.90 GB file with Lucia on the thumbnail, sitting on torrent sites as if it were GTA 6 for PC. Almost all of it was empty space. The part that mattered weighed about 50 KB: a program that edits Windows Defender's exclusion list so it stops watching the C: drive, then tries to shut down any other antivirus. Brazilian outlet TechTudo broke the file down in August, building on a researcher's analysis posted on X, and it is still the clearest picture of the kind of trap that multiplies as November 19 gets closer.

The warning has now left the gaming press. On Sunday, October 18, CBS News Miami ran a segment by Anna McAllister with a blunt message for the city that inspired Vice City: anyone offering GTA 6 ahead of time is trying to rob you.

What Miami TV reported

The guest was Chris Mawson, founder and editor-in-chief of Power Up Gaming. He laid out the usual script: a social media ad promises early access for a fee, the victim pays, installs, and "it turns out to be malware or a virus," which opens the door to stolen data and money. Mawson calls the launch "a generational event in the gaming industry" — and that fear of missing out is exactly what scammers feed on.

The tips are familiar but worth having in one place: don't click download links on social media, buy only from Rockstar's site or a well-known store, pre-order through a legitimate retailer, and pay by credit card rather than cryptocurrency, which is far harder to claw back. CBS also spoke to Oscar Chiffone, a Miami fan: "It's a long-awaited game, it's in my hometown." He'll wait for the official release.

GTA BOOM picked up the segment the same day and added the backdrop: Miami is plastered with official marketing, from the "Welcome to Vice City" sign on the Kaseya Center's roof to a convoy of GTA 6-liveried cars cruising the streets. The more visible the game is, the more people search for it — and the more bait there is.

Pre-loading is real; playing early isn't

This is where the CBS piece slips a little. In its text, Mawson's advice reads "there is no way to preload or get early access to the game." The second half is right. The first half isn't quite.

Official pre-loading opens on November 12, one week before launch, for anyone who pre-ordered. That detail came out with the editions in June and was reported by Screen Rant (via OpenCritic). But pre-loading is not playing: the files sit on your console, locked until the 19th.

In our view, that nuance matters because it makes for good bait. "Unlock your pre-load now" or "download the files before everyone else" sound plausible precisely because they contain something true. The practical rule: pre-loading happens inside the PlayStation Store or the Microsoft Store, in your account's library, from November 12. No link on Instagram, Discord or WhatsApp does it for you, and nothing runs on PC — the game launches only on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S.

In Brazil, the scam asks for your CPF and a Pix transfer

Miami's warning is generic. The Brazilian version has local flavor. In July, Kaspersky mapped Portuguese-language campaigns aimed at Brazilian fans, in findings reported by News Rondônia. Fabio Assolini, the company's chief security researcher for Latin America, tied it to the climate every big launch creates and flagged two very Brazilian risks: Pix, the country's instant payment system, and the habit of typing your CPF (the national taxpayer ID) into any sign-up form. Three schemes stood out:

  • Fake pre-order store. The most polished one cloned the PlayStation Store's look, with game art, user reviews and a legitimate-looking checkout. It asked for a CPF, a phone number and payment by card or Pix. Buyers got nothing.
  • Fake beta. A supposed test installer that actually delivered a program built to steal passwords and documents. Rockstar has never opened a beta or early access.
  • GTA-branded crypto. Pages pushing a token dressed in the series' visual identity and asking victims to connect their crypto wallets — which can drain everything stored in them.

The leaks attributed to Cyberleek, who dumped gameplay videos through September and October, gave all this extra fuel: every new clip becomes an excuse for a "leaked build download." There is no public build. What circulates as one is the 113 GB file from the top of this story, or something like it.

If you already clicked

TechTudo lays out the steps for anyone who ran one of these files on PC: undo the changes to Windows Defender's exclusions, run a full scan with a trusted antivirus and check that your other security software still works. If you only downloaded it, delete it and scan anyway. If you typed a password into a fake site, change it, and turn on two-step verification on your PSN or Microsoft account.

If you paid by Pix, contact your bank right away and report the fraud: with an instant transfer, every hour counts. Card chargebacks tend to be easier, which is the same reason Mawson recommends cards over crypto. One more Kaspersky tip that travels well: use a virtual card for online purchases.

What the real game costs

A useful yardstick against miracle deals: on the Brazilian PlayStation Store and Microsoft Store, the Standard Edition costs R$ 449.90 and the Ultimate R$ 549.90, official prices since pre-orders opened on June 25 (in the US, $79.99 and $99.99). Retailers may discount, but a GTA 6 "key" for a fraction of that on a social media profile is not a sale. And no price, high or low, gets you the game before November 19.