Call of Duty: Warzone hackers are running out of cracked accounts to sell

Best Warzone bullfrog loadout - two Warzone operators fight in front of some flags

(Image credit: Activision)

Call of Duty: Warzone account sellers are reportedly running out of stock thanks to new account security protections, Motherboard reports.

Like many online games, an underground market has circulated around acquiring and reselling valuable Warzone accounts. It's not uncommon for accounts with desirable cosmetics to sell for up to $300—with Motherboard suggesting that accounts with the extremely rare Damascus weapon skin can go for $2,000.

But apparently, tighter restrictions on account security have made it harder and harder to steal and resell accounts—including a captcha system to slow down automated account theft using hacked passwords, and better tracking systems to hunt down so-called account farms.

"Since accounts are in short supply due to security measures changing, we'll now be offering a variety of unlock services. In short we can help you unlock pretty much anything in [Modern Warfare / Cold War]," one reseller reportedly announced in Discord.

Older accounts containing cosmetics that are no longer available (such as one controversial Roze outfit) were particularly sought-after. But when asked when these "aged accounts" were coming back, one seller responded: "never". Unlocking a personal account with every cosmetic may sound better to some than having to play on a new account altogether, but it carries the extra risk of Activision detecting the activity and earning a permanent ban.

Call of Duty: Warzone has been beset by a cheating epidemic for months, from "silent" aimbots to forcibly crashing streamers' games. Account selling itself hasn't stopped outright, either. But at the very least, it should be a little harder for hackers to nick and resell your Warzone account.

20 years ago, Nat played Jet Set Radio Future for the first time, and she's not stopped thinking about games since. Joining PC Gamer in 2020, she comes from three years of freelance reporting at Rock Paper Shotgun, Waypoint, VG247 and more. Embedded in the European indie scene and a part-time game developer herself, Nat is always looking for a new curiosity to scream about—whether it's the next best indie darling, or simply someone modding a Scotmid into Black Mesa. She also unofficially appears in Apex Legends under the pseudonym Horizon.