FBI arrests individual for distributing malware-infected Steam games that stole $220k in crypto from 8,000 victims.
Regulation & Gov ·
The FBI arrested 21-year-old Zyaire Wilkins, a Florida resident, on accusations of distributing malware-infected video games through Steam to steal cryptocurrency. According to prosecutors, Wilkins and unnamed co-conspirators published several compromised titles including BlockBlasters, Dashverse, Lampy, Lunara, and PirateFi over a two-year period. The scheme targeted approximately 8,000 victims, compromising around 80 crypto wallets and yielding at least $220,000 in stolen digital assets.
Once installed, the malicious software was engineered to harvest credentials and wallet access from infected machines. The conspirators promoted their fake games across Discord, LinkedIn, and Telegram. Valve has since removed the identified titles from its platform; all were designed to appear functional and playable while concealing their malicious payload beneath a veneer of legitimacy.
Federal investigators traced the operation through cryptocurrency transactions linked to gift card purchases, ultimately connecting a crypto account to deliveries made to Wilkins' residence under the online alias Sibel.eth. Agents executed a search warrant and seized computing devices and digital wallets from his home. Wilkins declined to cooperate during questioning, and his legal counsel has not responded to requests for comment.