FBI arrests Florida man accused of using Steam games to steal cryptocurrency
The FBI has arrested 21-year-old Zyaire Wilkins for allegedly uploading fake video games to Steam that contained malware designed to infect computers and drain cryptocurrency wallets.
US prosecutors have charged a Florida man with uploading malicious video games to the popular PC gaming platform Steam. According to a criminal complaint, the games contained malware that, once downloaded and installed, infected victims' computers, stole passwords and other data, and drained their cryptocurrency wallets.
The FBI arrested Zyaire Wilkins, a 21-year-old Florida resident and student, on Tuesday. On Wednesday, prosecutors accused him and unnamed co-conspirators of hacking crimes. Over the past two years, Wilkins and his partners allegedly published several malware-laden games on Steam, including BlockBlasters, Dashverse, Lampy, Lunara, and PirateFi. The FBI says the malware infected about 8,000 victims, leading to the hacking of around 80 crypto wallets and the theft of at least $220,000 in cryptocurrency.
Wilkins and his associates marketed the games on Discord, LinkedIn, and Telegram, according to authorities. The games were designed to look legitimate, allowing users to install and play them, but they contained hidden malware.
In March, the FBI announced an investigation into a hacker using malware-embedded games on Steam and urged victims who downloaded such games to come forward. Over the past year, Valve, the maker of Steam, removed several games from the platform after they were found to contain malware, including PirateFi.
During the investigation, the FBI interviewed another person involved in the scheme, who said they helped raise money to launch and market the malicious games in exchange for a share of the stolen cryptocurrency. The FBI traced cryptocurrency payments from a specific account to UberEats gift cards, which were linked to an account that made deliveries to Wilkins, known online as "Sibel.eth."
A search warrant executed at Wilkins' residence led to the seizure of his MacBook, cellphones, other devices, and digital wallets. According to the complaint, Wilkinson refused to speak or answer questions. His lawyer did not respond to a request for comment.
