--- description: The FTC just issued a rare scam alert for the Nintendo Switch, warning gamers not to download programs claiming to be Switch emulators title: The FTC Doesn't Want You to Fall for This Nintendo Switch Scam image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2990ac5cf6d4401e/6988bb6ebc6cfc3dd03e0400/nintendo_switch_console_1.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Business](/section/business/) ## Business Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Tech](/tag/time-section-tech/) ## Tech Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # The FTC Doesn't Want You to Fall for This Nintendo Switch Scam by [Matt Peckham](/author/matt-peckham/) ## Matt Peckham Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Apr 19, 2017 6:43 PM CUT  Nintendo by [Matt Peckham](/author/matt-peckham/) ## Matt Peckham Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Apr 19, 2017 6:43 PM CUT Well this is a bit odd. Attorney Lisa Schifferle writing for the Federal Trade Commission’s Consumer & Business education division issued a warning on April 18 titled [“There’s no Nintendo Switch emulator.”](https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/blog/theres-no-nintendo-switch-emulator "undefined") That has been, and as far as I can tell continues to be, a true statement, though the FTC isn’t generally in the business of issuing warnings about video games. There’s apparently a noteworthy scam making the rounds, wherein people are either going looking for counterfeit software on dubious websites, or being approached by scammers peddling nonsense in the guise of a Nintendo-fied simulacrum. In a blog post that seems at time to knowingly wink at readers amidst its stern language, Schifferle acknowledges the Switch’s supply scarcity at the moment. It’s a problem. Buyers have either been paying ridiculously inflated scalper prices off auction sites for [Nintendo’s mobile-TV hybrid game system](http://time.com/4685094/nintendo-switch-review/ "undefined"), or paying retailers like GameStop exorbitant sums for “bundles” with take it or leave it bric-a-brac. Thus the impatient (or just plain mischievous) may be lured by promises of software that runs Switch games on a computer. “But there is no legit Nintendo Switch emulator. It’s a scam,” writes Schifferle, noting all the other nefarious things that can install themselves surreptitiously if you download fake software and give it carte blanche. (Not to be confused with _fake_ fake software, which, like fake fake news, would in fact be real.) Don’t be deceived by stories you may have seen about people running _The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild_ at ultra-high-definition resolutions. There are two versions of _Breath of the Wild_, one for Wii U and one for the Switch. That’s because a Wii U emulator exists; a Switch emulator doesn’t. (To say nothing of the grayish legality of emulators in general, which is another matter.) Here’s the FTC’s list of guidelines to avoid the scam, all arguably obvious enough not to bother repeating, but presented here because that last one made me smile. --- > “” --- --- > “” --- --- > “” --- --- > “” --- If you did download something you shouldn’t have and, whoopsie, you think you’ve been victimized, the [FTC encourages you to report it](https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov "undefined"). ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4746893/nintendo-switch-ftc-scam/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4746893/nintendo-switch-ftc-scam/"},"headline":"The FTC Doesn't Want You to Fall for This Nintendo Switch Scam","datePublished":"2017-04-19T18:43:37.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T08:51:06.516Z","description":"The Federal Trade Commission issues a rare video game warning","url":"https://time.com/4746893/nintendo-switch-ftc-scam/","keywords":["Tech","Video Games","FTC","Nintendo","scam","Federal Trade Commission","fake","Switch","onetime","nintendo switch"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2990ac5cf6d4401e/6988bb6ebc6cfc3dd03e0400/nintendo_switch_console_1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Matt Peckham","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/matt-peckham/"}],"articleSection":"Business","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2990ac5cf6d4401e/6988bb6ebc6cfc3dd03e0400/nintendo_switch_console_1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"nintendo_switch_console_1","caption":"","creditText":"Nintendo","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/business/","name":"Business"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-tech/","name":"Tech"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4746893/nintendo-switch-ftc-scam/","name":"The FTC Doesn't Want You to Fall for This Nintendo Switch Scam"}}]}] ```