The text chat has been hacked; wtf is going on? [ Edited ]

[FreelancerWhisky]

Hackers have someone managed to figure out a way to send in-game text messages to players that aren't in their squads. These text messages are in red/orange and are always sent by someone who isn't part of your actual squad. THEY ARE ALSO NOT PART OF YOUR CLUB.

I didn't save screenshots but it has already happened a bunch of times to me in-game. Usually the hackers only say one sentence or joke during the jumpmaster phase and leave your team alone for the rest of the game, but it's still unnerving because if they can communicate directly with your team who is to say that they can't cheat by also spying on your team's POV?

Here are some examples from Reddit:

Video example (hacker says something at 11/12 seconds):

https://old.reddit.com/r/apexlegends/comments/jq68gj/okay_so_i_was_in_a_game_and_this_chat_appearedi...

List of people also experiencing the same thing:

https://old.reddit.com/r/apexlegends/comments/jq46pw/is_the_game_getting_hacked/

https://old.reddit.com/r/apexlegends/comments/jq0zt5/weird_guy_with_the_name_tman_i_was_just_playing...

https://old.reddit.com/r/apexlegends/comments/jq0nmf/is_this_a_bug_game_started_and_we_could_see_wha...

https://old.reddit.com/r/apexlegends/comments/jpyglg/enemy_chat_i_notice_since_the_beginning_of_seas...

https://old.reddit.com/r/apexlegends/comments/jpsp1w/its_the_first_time_i_see_something_like_that_in...

https://old.reddit.com/r/apexlegends/comments/jpn9us/just_had_somebody_in_our_chat_who_wasnt_in_our/

WTF IS GOING on Respawn?

[aisthebestletter]

@FreelancerWhisky Had this yesterday a few times. They were sending lols or spam type messages that were 50 characters long (bunch of letters and numbers). Strange

[Jekth_Avid]

@FreelancerWhisky I think these messages are sent while the game is counting (you know, like the 45/60 thing) at the very beginning of the game, when your squads haven't been determined/placed into a game yet. That would explain why you would see the messages only once during the whole game. I'm not sure if that's what happening, but that's what it seems like to me.

[Kimsey02]

Same thing happened to me today

[xMaxrayx]

@FreelancerWhisky ah i see one with advertisement for her YT channels.

[hayhor]

@FreelancerWhisky I dont think it is hackers. I think they are experimenting with death coms. I've had what you mention after ending a game at the start of the next and many times it is people taunting. I think it is just delayed or something.

I also could hear my killer loot my box in a game I didnt leave right away.

[xMaxrayx]

@hayhor no it's.

[xMaxrayx]

it's rlly annoying I already turn of chat to speech bot .

[FreelancerWhisky]

Bumping to say that I think Respawn fixed it somehow since I don't see that stuff anymore.

EDIT: NOPE IT'S STILL HAPPENING

[hayhor]

@FreelancerWhisky Yeah I haven't seen it either lately.