Home Gaming PSA: Somebody is impersonating me to get free games

PSA: Somebody is impersonating me to get free games

2 min read
106

Fake fruit

About a month ago, I received a message from Paul Milewski – an ex South African chap who now lives in Poland, and works for Dying Light developers, Techland Games. He received the following email from somebody claiming to be me…

Hello there! I hope i m writing with a developer.

My name is Matthew “Matt” Figueira(27) and i m an author from LazyGamer.net here is my profile; https://www.criticalhit.net/author/matfig/ and i m testing all kinds of steam games(especially video games and sometimes indie games) and writing articles about them on lazygamer.
I saw your Call of Juarez game series on steam and found your mail address. I think they will be one of the good choices for my new “Best Action-FPS games” article/review. I want write a nice contribution about Call of Juarez game series. Can you please send me presskits and steam product codes for your Call of Juarez game series?

Take care!

Paul, spotting this as a fake immediately, forwarded it to me, but not before he had replied to the sender. To cut a long story short, he ended up confronting the imposter, who replied with the following…

Believe or not i am Matt and i dont need your games in any case. I will find games like Call of Juarez series. Yes, my English lil bit bad because i m from South Africa, but it is not problem for me and job.My friends or editors re fixing my grammar mistakes.

Also…

As jy nie die mense te vertrou, kan jy nie iets te wen.

Thanks anyway.

After seeing this, I thanked Paul, and considered myself lucky that he brought it to my attention. I was silly though. I never took any action. I brushed off the whole affair, and assumed that the impostor would realise that they had been caught out. Surely he/she would cease and desist? Of course not.

Last week, I received a message from Artifex Mundi – a game development studio. They too, had received a message from somebody claiming to me, from the very same email address that Paul had earlier this month.

WTF

That was the last straw, which is exactly why I decided to write this article to bring it to everybody’s attention. How many people “Matt Figueira” has approached and asked for games, I don’t know, but it needs to stop immediately.

If you are a gaming developer, or anybody for that matter, that has received an email from the above address, please be aware that it is completely fake. My official point of contact is Matthew@lazygamer.net and nothing else.

(Header)

Last Updated: November 30, 2015

106 Comments

  1. Oh no that’s one cabbage too many.

    Reply

  2. Ottokie

    November 30, 2015 at 12:41

    So many useless human beings out there. I hope his groin gets infested with camel fleas.

    Reply

    • Admiral Chief - CHAAARGE!

      November 30, 2015 at 12:49

      Poor camel fleas!

      Reply

      • Ottokie

        November 30, 2015 at 12:51

        Just think if he tried to impersonate you with that kak spelling xD

        Reply

        • Admiral Chief - CHAAARGE!

          November 30, 2015 at 12:53

          His balls would immediately disintegrate

          Reply

          • Mark Treloar

            November 30, 2015 at 12:59

            These Apples?

    • HvR

      November 30, 2015 at 13:04

      Totally, pretending to be MattyFeeg even for free games is a new low..

      Reply

  3. HairyEwok

    November 30, 2015 at 12:41

    Damn, that sucks…. That guy must have seen a Zuma speech and thought, hmmm yeah they’re english is horrible. Sigh, our image out there is so negative.

    Reply

    • oVg

      November 30, 2015 at 12:44

      After the sign language dude, anything goes.

      Reply

  4. oVg

    November 30, 2015 at 12:43

    MY BRAIN!!! It hurts, I dont know what it all means. Trollception?

    Reply

  5. Francois Knoetze

    November 30, 2015 at 12:44

    Ag no man! Filthy scum! Hope this bugger gets hat he deserves: a broken PC and fleas from a 1000 camels!

    Reply

    • Ottokie

      November 30, 2015 at 12:44

      xD

      Reply

    • HairyEwok

      November 30, 2015 at 12:46

      It really saddens me that the world out there seems to think were a bunch of barbaric, illiterate fools. Probably the reason why we never get local servers for games anymore.

      Reply

    • Mark Treloar

      November 30, 2015 at 12:58

      Leave the camels alone. They had nothing to do with this.

      Reply

      • Admiral Chief - CHAAARGE!

        November 30, 2015 at 12:58

        ^This man is wise in his knowledge

        Reply

      • Francois Knoetze

        November 30, 2015 at 13:13

        But wouldn’t camels with less fleas be better than camels with many fleas? I was spreading their itchiness.

        Reply

  6. Admiral Chief - CHAAARGE!

    November 30, 2015 at 12:46

    WHAT
    THE
    FLIP

    THERE IS ONLY ONE FIGGLE!!!!

    Reply

    • Alien Emperor Trevor

      November 30, 2015 at 12:47

      There’s one way to be sure… show us the knees!

      Reply

      • Admiral Chief - CHAAARGE!

        November 30, 2015 at 12:47

        Yes, show us dem knees!!!!!!!

        Reply

    • Black_Sage

      November 30, 2015 at 15:46

      Glad to see Figgle is catching on XD

      Reply

  7. Alien Emperor Trevor

    November 30, 2015 at 12:47

    “Also, you look like trustworthy developer! I have Nigerian uncle who is also prince and wants to get money outside of Nigeria. Maybe you can help?!”

    Reply

  8. Admiral Chief - CHAAARGE!

    November 30, 2015 at 12:47

    PSA!

    If you want to know if the staff member is legit, check out for the following things:

    – Missing 0s
    – Terrible photoshops
    – Overuse of cabbages
    – Insistence of football over soccer
    – Lots of bat-persons
    – Did I mention the missing 0’s?

    Reply

    • Mistake Not...

      November 30, 2015 at 12:50

      If this guy was legit from Lagz he would have ended with GITFS.

      Reply

      • Admiral Chief - CHAAARGE!

        November 30, 2015 at 12:54

        ^This

        Reply

      • Ottokie

        November 30, 2015 at 12:54

        Hahaha, the community verification phrase 😛

        Reply

        • Admiral Chief - CHAAARGE!

          November 30, 2015 at 12:57

          INPUT CORRECT PARAMETER:
          GET IN THE:
          A. SUN
          B. SLIME
          C. SLEEP
          D. ___________

          Reply

    • Mark Treloar

      November 30, 2015 at 12:51

      but this is still legitimate right “I decided to write this article to bring it everybody’s attention”

      Reply

  9. Mistake Not...

    November 30, 2015 at 12:48

    “Yes, my English lil bit bad because i m from South Africa”
    Yeah, no. That’s really not a good excuse. And your Afrikaans isn’t much better either, dude.

    Reply

  10. Admiral Chief - CHAAARGE!

    November 30, 2015 at 12:48

    THIS ENGLISH IS SO BAD MY BRAIN HURTS!

    Reply

    • oVg

      November 30, 2015 at 12:52

      tehehehe there their

      Reply

      • HairyEwok

        November 30, 2015 at 12:52

        they’re

        Reply

      • Hammersteyn

        November 30, 2015 at 12:52

        to much two soon

        Reply

        • Admiral Chief - CHAAARGE!

          November 30, 2015 at 12:55

          After the atrocious INGLY I read above, the incorrect there their they’re and to too two is minuscule

          Reply

          • Sageville

            November 30, 2015 at 14:09

            *theiry’re

          • Admiral Chief - CHAAARGE!

            November 30, 2015 at 14:30

            YOU!

          • Sageville

            November 30, 2015 at 14:34

            Ya neh!

    • Ir0nseraph

      November 30, 2015 at 12:54

      XD

      Reply

    • Bob of the Khundelar

      November 30, 2015 at 12:59

      It’s ok, he’s from South Africa.

      Sorry, that should have been: it ok he from South Africa. English bad but fine for job. Peeple check grammar for me.

      Reply

  11. VampyreSquirrel

    November 30, 2015 at 12:48

    Wow, just wow… this is totally not cool! There can only be one Afro wielding Martha on this planet!

    I hope we can find out who they are!

    Reply

    • Admiral Chief - CHAAARGE!

      November 30, 2015 at 12:49

      LOL I FORGOT ABOUT MARTHA!!!!!

      Reply

  12. Unavengedavo

    November 30, 2015 at 12:49

    This person didn’t even get the Afrikaans bit right O_o

    Reply

    • HairyEwok

      November 30, 2015 at 12:50

      Google translate does wonders…… wonder if you should be using it at all.

      Reply

      • Unavengedavo

        November 30, 2015 at 12:51

        That looks more like the person used Bing Translate O_o

        Reply

    • VampyreSquirrel

      November 30, 2015 at 12:52

      He obviously doesn’t realize that Martha’s a Porra.

      Reply

    • Hammersteyn

      November 30, 2015 at 12:53

      That’s okay, neither does Matty

      Reply

      • Unavengedavo

        November 30, 2015 at 12:54

        But I think Matty would have not even tried responding in Afrikaans O_o

        Reply

      • Captain JJ never changes

        November 30, 2015 at 12:55

        Yea, I think that Afrikaans may actually have been the one thing that could prove it’s Matty. ;P

        Reply

    • oVg

      November 30, 2015 at 12:53

      That was google translate. It was missing the slang that the language is known for. 😉

      Reply

      • Ottokie

        November 30, 2015 at 12:55

        True, that thing went full Dutch on the translator xD

        Reply

  13. Hammersteyn

    November 30, 2015 at 12:50

    Like anyone still uses hotmail

    Reply

    • Captain JJ never changes

      November 30, 2015 at 12:51

      That was probably the first tip-off.

      Reply

      • Hammersteyn

        November 30, 2015 at 12:51

        yahoo mail would be the second

        Reply

    • Guava_Eater

      December 1, 2015 at 07:21

      I still have a hotmail account…. POP3-ing to my Gmail… 😀

      Reply

      • Hammersteyn

        December 1, 2015 at 08:23

        XD was teasing. Hotmail will always be there. I linked my mweb to my Gmail

        Reply

        • Guava_Eater

          December 2, 2015 at 11:51

          Lol I’ve not logged into it myself for years, it’s only actually become useful again since I got an Xbone which needs a Microsoft account. I was like: “Oh yeah I have one of those already…”

          Reply

  14. Captain JJ never changes

    November 30, 2015 at 12:50

    How do we know it’s really you writing this!?
    What if everything we know about you is a lie!?

    Reply

    • Hammersteyn

      November 30, 2015 at 12:52

      Agreed, did not see one mention of any mobas

      Reply

      • Sageville

        November 30, 2015 at 14:10

        Not one… (Suspicion Intensifies)

        Reply

    • Alien Emperor Trevor

      November 30, 2015 at 12:52

      This coming from the person whose excuse is… “I’m looking after my sick mother-in-law”? Who do you think you’re fooling!

      Reply

      • Captain JJ never changes

        November 30, 2015 at 12:54

        That’s not an excuse!
        It’s the truth yo.
        You don’t believe that but somehow still trust that one-day the Banana will prove to be real?

        Reply

        • Alien Emperor Trevor

          November 30, 2015 at 12:55

          There’s all kinds of Banana-related things – Bananarama, Banana Boats, etc. BananAI is not far fetched.

          Reply

      • VampyreSquirrel

        November 30, 2015 at 12:57

        Maybe his sick mother-in-law’s name is Fallout 4?

        Reply

        • Captain JJ never changes

          November 30, 2015 at 12:58

          Har har har.
          I see your angle.

          Reply

        • Admiral Chief - CHAAARGE!

          November 30, 2015 at 12:58

          I wish I had one of those

          Reply

  15. Captain JJ never changes

    November 30, 2015 at 12:52

    I’m glad they Figueired it out before giving this loon games. 😀

    Reply

    • Admiral Chief - CHAAARGE!

      November 30, 2015 at 12:55

      No. Corner. Just, go there. And think about what you’ve done.

      Trevor we could forgive, but not you Lenny Milkbags

      Reply

      • Captain JJ never changes

        November 30, 2015 at 12:56

        You just forgive Trevor because you’re afraid of him.

        Reply

        • Alien Emperor Trevor

          November 30, 2015 at 12:57

          Why would I ever need forgiveness? Did I do something someone foolishly believes is wrong?

          Reply

          • miaau

            November 30, 2015 at 13:17

            no. do not be silly now.

        • Admiral Chief - CHAAARGE!

          November 30, 2015 at 12:58

          HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA, no.

          Trev is ok, he gives me things, so he is paid up

          Reply

    • hairyknees

      November 30, 2015 at 13:43

      <3

      Reply

  16. Guild

    November 30, 2015 at 12:53

    Zoe had a similar thing on Twitter. Person pretending to be her and asking for Steam codes from devs

    Reply

  17. VampyreSquirrel

    November 30, 2015 at 12:53

    Can we use this information to sign the fake Martha to some unsavory newsletters? XD

    Reply

    • Hammersteyn

      November 30, 2015 at 12:55

      Grow larger cabbages. Contact Dr. Mufasa?

      Reply

  18. RinceThis

    November 30, 2015 at 13:03

    HAHAHAHAHAH! Oh man, what a noob.

    Reply

    • Captain JJ never changes

      November 30, 2015 at 13:04

      …..is exactly what the criminal would say to cover up his tracks.

      Reply

      • RinceThis

        November 30, 2015 at 13:05

        i m not crimminals os wot u say is rubbiz!

        Reply

        • Captain JJ never changes

          November 30, 2015 at 13:05

          LOL

          Reply

        • Alien Emperor Trevor

          November 30, 2015 at 13:12

          Very convincing. Perhaps too convincing.

          Reply

  19. RinceThis

    November 30, 2015 at 13:04

    Sham Mat(27) u said u’d join us in CT this weekend and i m sad you didn’t. 0_O I mean…

    Reply

    • Unavengedavo

      November 30, 2015 at 13:05

      I’m sure fake Matty would have joined us for beers O_o

      Reply

      • RinceThis

        November 30, 2015 at 13:07

        Yeah, I mean even Nana was there, in the body of a little boy,he was fooling NO ONE!

        Reply

        • Unavengedavo

          November 30, 2015 at 13:10

          Reply

    • hairyknees

      November 30, 2015 at 13:43

      -_-

      Reply

  20. RinceThis

    November 30, 2015 at 13:08

    “to bring it everybody’s attention.” This is a classic case of Matty loosing his cabbages…

    Reply

  21. HvR

    November 30, 2015 at 13:08

    Please be on the lookout for tthis imposter
    http://www.tremble.com/images/fro.jpg

    Reply

    • Alien Emperor Trevor

      November 30, 2015 at 13:15

      The fake sunglasses are a dead give away.

      Reply

    • VampyreSquirrel

      November 30, 2015 at 13:20

      Why does that look kinda like Sandy with an afro wig on?

      Reply

      • Admiral Chief - CHAAARGE!

        November 30, 2015 at 13:41

        Because it blows?

        Reply

        • VampyreSquirrel

          November 30, 2015 at 13:54

          Just (be)cause?

          Reply

    • Captain JJ never changes

      November 30, 2015 at 13:21

      I think his silhouette profile pic means that just about anyone with a raccoon on their head could pose as him. 😉

      Reply

  22. Kromas untamed

    November 30, 2015 at 13:33

    Wow … just wow.

    Reply

  23. Michelle

    November 30, 2015 at 13:51

    “lucky that he bought it to my attention” hehehe

    Well good thing the developers contacted you.Hope that guy gets caught.

    Reply

    • Captain JJ never changes

      November 30, 2015 at 13:52

      Seems there’s always an exchange of money going on in the gaming industry.

      Reply

    • hairyknees

      November 30, 2015 at 14:09

      Oh lawd XD

      Reply

  24. Darren Peach

    November 30, 2015 at 13:51

    Yikes. That is a touch unsavory.

    Reply

  25. Sageville

    November 30, 2015 at 14:07

    “I saw your Call of Juarez game series on steam and found your mail address. I think they will be one of the good choices for my new “Best Action-FPS games” article/review.”

    This is the part that gave the whole game away… “Call of Juarez” and “Best Action-FPS games” in same paragraph….

    Reply

  26. Raptor Rants

    November 30, 2015 at 14:18

    How dare you be so rude :p

    Reply

  27. Gareth L (That eXCheez Guy)

    November 30, 2015 at 14:22

    *searches internet for instances of “i m”*

    Reply

  28. Black_Sage

    November 30, 2015 at 15:45

    How many times did they grate that shit through google translate? Wow.

    Reply

  29. Jim Lenoir (Banana Jim)

    November 30, 2015 at 20:01

    What the… F…?

    Reply

  30. Guava_Eater

    December 1, 2015 at 07:19

    Wankers, I hope someone send them game files with a virus….

    Reply

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