NOTICE: We’ve created an archive of all major developments related to the Samsung Galaxy S10 lineup. We are continuously updating that page with latest S10e/S10/S10+ news so that you don’t need to search for information related to the device on daily basis. Head here to access that page.

Modularization is a great way to to support DIY enthusiasts. Just imagine the situation: if IBM management decided not to open up the modular architecture of PC to other vendors, we probably wouldn’t get the freedom to choose the components while building a PC.

However, porting the same concept into gaming results in an abomination. Microtransactions and in-game purchases are ruining the experiences of games across all platforms, even in single player modes!

The publishers are trying to milk the gamers as much as possible, by releasing tons of DLCs (downloadable contents).

ea_ubisoft_microtransactions_meme

In character driven games, redesigning the outfit or the weapon of the in-game characters are often subject to additional payments. The game publishers tend to partner with third party franchises to bring more hypes and lure gamers to buy ‘exclusive’ skins.

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The ‘limited time mashup’ between Fortnite and Avengers universes (Source: Twitter)

Fortnite, being one of the most popular battle royale game, is trying hard to hold its position against other competitors such as PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG) or Apex Legends.

Epic Games, the developer of Fortnite, is constantly bringing new attractions in the virtual world of Fortnite, like the iKONIK skin bundle.

Lead your squad to victory with the new iKONIK exclusive. It brings K-Pop finesse to your look with a rare outfit and ultra-fresh emote. Get iKONIK when you level up to Samsung’s most powerful lineup of gaming devices yet– the Galaxy S10e, S10, or S10+. It’s all available now!

Epic Games partnered with Samsung, and bundled this exclusive skin designed by Fortnite streamer Tyler “Ninja” Blevins based off the looks of Korean pop idol group iKON member Jung Chan-woo.

Left: Leaked Kpop skin; Right: iKONIK skin (Click/Tap to zoom)

In one of our previous articles, we talked about the leak of the skin before official release, community tradings and the bugs while redeeming it. As a matter of fact, the trading thing is becoming a huge source of income for a handful of grey market chaps.

s10_fortnite_ikonik_skin_seller

People from all over the world use popular social media platforms, such as Twitter, Discord or reddit to buy and sale the exclusive iKONIK skin. Given the monumental popularity of the battle royale game, they charge $60-$150 in USD or equivalent amount in local currency or even bitcoin!

fortnite_ikonik_redditbay
iKONIK skin sellers on r/redditbay

Most of these ‘sellers’ require the buyers to hand over the login credentials of their Fortnite account. They will login using the details on a Fortnite instance installed on a Samsung Galaxy S10e/S10/S10 Plus to redeem the skin.

After getting the payment, they start the process and notify the buyer to change the password of the account after completion.

[H] Fortnite Ikonik Skin & $130 Samsung promo code [W] PayPal

Came from my Galaxy S10 preorder purchase. (I need to log into your fortnite account on my phone to redeem you the code) Leave offers!

(Source)

fortnite_ikonik_twitter

While veteran gamers are using these services to grab their favorite skin(s), some newbies prefer to bug Galaxy S10 users and request them to redeem the skin for them.

fortnite_ikonik_reddit_conversation
Source

Although some Galaxy S10 owners do it for free, not everyone is kind enough to do the charity. A handful of people charged random amount of money for the skin, and the adamant gamers agreed to pay them as well.

What the hell?

I gave mine away for free!

I didn’t think anybody would actually wanna pay for it…

(Source)

The credit card details part is making people uncomfortable a lot. As a few potential buyers want to share the login credentials of their accounts, entering credit card info on those seems to be a exploitable move.

fortnite_ikonik_instagram_conversation

Sure, it seems simple enough. Log in to his account, let him get a fortnite skin that you’re not using anyway, and your good deed is done for the day. But in reality you’ve just loaded your credit card to someone’s gaming account so they can charge whatever they want with it.

(Source)

FYI, the credit card details are actually required for the Samsung account, as the microtransaction uses APIs of Samsung Galaxy Store.

I did it for a friend of mine. The skin can only be obtained by doing an in-app purchase of £0.00. You don’t actually input your credit card details in the app, it just uses the Galaxy Store API for the in-app purchase, so whatever credit card is registered with your Samsung account, which they won’t ever have access to since they don’t have your phone and your Samsung account.

(Source)

Better safe than sorry! For newbie S10 users, you still have a chance to earn some quick cash utilizing the free skin if you’re not a fan of Fortnite. You can opt for modern platforms like Telegram or fall back to old school eBay or similar services, while the hype train is running.

To the potential buyers out there, verify the authenticity of the sellers before paying upfront. Look for different deals over the interweb, as some of them are really cheap.

I sold the skin on eBay, and had the guy give me a prepaid visa gift card with $5 or so on it. Used his card, nobody got scammed, made $150.

(Source)

If possible, ask them to provide proofs. If you’re going to share your account details, make sure to change the password afterwards.

Did you keep the iKONIK skin from your Galaxy S10e/S10/S10+ or sold it? Comment below.

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S10

Kingshuk De
896 Posts

I came from a mixed background of Statistics and Computer Science. My research domains included embedded computer systems, mobile computing and delay tolerant networks in post-disaster scenarios. Apart from tinkering with gadgets or building hackintosh, I like to hop on various subreddits and forums like MyDigitalLife and XDA.

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