{"id":2054404,"date":"2026-07-21T15:50:54","date_gmt":"2026-07-21T12:50:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2054404"},"modified":"2026-07-21T15:50:54","modified_gmt":"2026-07-21T12:50:54","slug":"the-fbi-has-arrested-a-21-year-old-alleged-to-have-stolen-220000-through-steam-using-malware-ridden-games","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2054404","title":{"rendered":"The FBI has arrested a 21-year-old alleged to have stolen $220,000 through Steam using malware-ridden games"},"content":{"rendered":"<article class=\"article \" data-ads=\"true\" data-article-type=\"news\" data-article-group=\"news\" data-paywalled=\"false\" data-premium=\"false\" data-sponsored=\"false\" data-type=\"article\">\n<header class=\"article_header\" data-component=\"article-header\">\n<div class=\"breadcrumbs\">\n<nav class=\"nav_breadcrumbs\" data-component=\"nav-breadcrumbs\" aria-label=\"Breadcrumb\">\n<ul class=\"nav-links\">\n<li>\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/\" data-active=\"false\"><br \/>\n                      Home<br \/>\n                <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<li>\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/news\" data-active=\"false\"><br \/>\n                      News<br \/>\n                <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<li>\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/games\/hacker\" data-active=\"false\"><br \/>\n                      Hacker<br \/>\n                <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/nav><\/div>\n<div class=\"headline_details\" id=\"main-content\">\n<h1 class=\"title\">The FBI has arrested a 21-year-old alleged to have stolen $220,000 through Steam using malware-ridden games<\/h1>\n<p class=\"strapline\">Law and Order: CPU<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"headline_asset\">\n<figure class=\"headline_image_wrapper\">\n<p>        <img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"headline_image\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/sombra-hacking-overwatch.jpg?width=570&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;dpr=3&amp;auto=webp\" alt=\"Sombra from Overwatch\" loading=\"eager\" data-uri=\"sombra-hacking-overwatch.jpg\" data-lightbox width=\"570\" height=\"321\"><figcaption>\n          <span class=\"attribution\">Image credit: <cite>Activision Blizzard<\/cite><\/span><br \/>\n        <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"metadata\">\n<div class=\"avatar\">\n<p>    <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Connor Makar avatar\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/tAtwiaBo_400x400.jpg?width=2048&amp;height=2048&amp;fit=bounds&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;auto=webp\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"374\" height=\"374\"><\/p>\n<p>  <img alt=\"Connor Makar avatar\" data-autosize=\"crop_lossy\" data-uri=\"tAtwiaBo_400x400.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"374\" height=\"374\">\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"text\">\n<div class=\"byline\">\n                  <span class=\"article_type\" data-slug=\"news\"><br \/>\n                    News<br \/>\n                  <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"by\">by<\/span> <span class=\"author\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/authors\/connor-makar\">Connor Makar<\/a><\/span>                    <span class=\"job_title\"><br \/>\n                      Staff Writer<br \/>\n                    <\/span>\n            <\/div>\n<div class=\"published_at\">\nPublished on <time datetime=\"2026-07-21T15:50:54+00:00\">July 21, 2026<\/time>              <\/div>\n<div class=\"comments\">\n      <a class=\"comments__link comments-bubble\" href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/fbi-arrest-21-year-old-stolen-crypto-currency?view=comments\" rel=\"nofollow\"><br \/>\n          4 comments<br \/>\n      <\/a>\n    <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"mypop-header-wrapper\">\n<p><button class=\"mypop-button button wide\" data-state=\"follow\" data-type=\"tag\" data-uuid=\"ef8e2bbe-b974-4d06-97e3-c67f3b0278e7\" data-name=\"Hacker\" data-follow-text=\"Follow Hacker\" data-unfollow-text=\"Following Hacker\" data-aria-follow-text=\"Follow Hacker\" data-aria-unfollow-text=\"Following Hacker\" data-popup=\"true\" data-force-login=\"true\" aria-label=\"Follow Hacker\" title=\"Follow Hacker\"><br \/>\n  Follow Hacker<br \/>\n<\/button>          <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"article_body\" data-component=\"article-content\">\n<div class=\"article_body_content article-styling\">\n<p>The FBI has arrested a 21-year-old Florida man alleged to have stolen roughly $220,000 of crypto currency using malware installed alongside games. And while the PC platform used to nab this catch isn&#8217;t explicitly specified, the infested games listed by the FBI were present on Steam until recently.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.documentcloud.org\/documents\/28492703-us-v-wilkins-steam-malware\/\">According to the indictment<\/a>, the suspect is accused of running this cybercrime operation with several co-conspirators for around two years. During this time, they added malware to eight video games. When downloaded, these would scrape a victim&#8217;s PC of passwords, which were then used to access cryptocurrency wallets.<\/p>\n<figure>\n<div class=\"video_wrapper youtube\">\n<a aria-label=\"HACKING IN PROGRESS\" class=\"video-facade full-size\" data-platform=\"youtube\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/uOa-ObWPAKg?autoplay=1\" title=\"Click to play video from YouTube\"><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Cover image for YouTube video\" class=\"video-facade__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/uOa-ObWPAKg\/hqdefault.jpg\"><span class=\"video-facade__title\">HACKING IN PROGRESS<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/a>\n<\/div><figcaption>Scary stuff.<a class=\"video\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=uOa-ObWPAKg\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Watch on YouTube<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>According to investigators assigned to this case, these games were promoted on social media by the group, and even used bots to target people identified as owning considerable amounts of crypto. The FBI found the suspect after linking stolen Bitcoin to giftcards, which were used to pay for UberEats for the most part. That&#8217;s a lot of burgers.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"injection_placeholder\" data-position=\"1\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p>The games used to infect computers with Malware include Lunara, PirateFi, BlockBlasters, and Lampy (the latter was infected with malware after an update). These games were taken off Steam earlier this year, when <a href=\"https:\/\/forms.fbi.gov\/victims\/Steam_Malware\">the FBI announced it was investigating the distribution of malware on the platform<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>With an ever-growing number of games released to digital platforms by smaller creators every year, and software such as generative AI being used to create playable games at an astounding rate, one has to wonder if this sort of problem will only become more common in the future. Here&#8217;s hoping this FBI indictment will dissuade like-minded ne&#8217;er-do-wells, while encouraging platform owners like Valve to create the tools needed to stop it.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"preferred-source\" data-component=\"preferred-source\">\nLove Eurogamer.net? Make us a <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\">Preferred Source on Google<\/a> and catch more of our coverage in your feeds.  <\/div>\n<\/article>\n<div class=\"article_body\" data-component=\"article-content\">\n<div class=\"article_body_content article-styling\">\n<p>The FBI has arrested a 21-year-old Florida man alleged to have stolen roughly $220,000 of crypto currency using malware installed alongside games. And while the PC platform used to nab this catch isn&#8217;t explicitly specified, the infested games listed by the FBI were present on Steam until recently.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.documentcloud.org\/documents\/28492703-us-v-wilkins-steam-malware\/\">According to the indictment<\/a>, the suspect is accused of running this cybercrime operation with several co-conspirators for around two years. During this time, they added malware to eight video games. When downloaded, these would scrape a victim&#8217;s PC of passwords, which were then used to access cryptocurrency wallets.<\/p>\n<figure>\n<div class=\"video_wrapper youtube\">\n<a aria-label=\"HACKING IN PROGRESS\" class=\"video-facade full-size\" data-platform=\"youtube\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/uOa-ObWPAKg?autoplay=1\" title=\"Click to play video from YouTube\"><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Cover image for YouTube video\" class=\"video-facade__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/uOa-ObWPAKg\/hqdefault.jpg\"><span class=\"video-facade__title\">HACKING IN PROGRESS<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/a>\n<\/div><figcaption>Scary stuff.<a class=\"video\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=uOa-ObWPAKg\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Watch on YouTube<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>According to investigators assigned to this case, these games were promoted on social media by the group, and even used bots to target people identified as owning considerable amounts of crypto. The FBI found the suspect after linking stolen Bitcoin to giftcards, which were used to pay for UberEats for the most part. That&#8217;s a lot of burgers.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"injection_placeholder\" data-position=\"1\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p>The games used to infect computers with Malware include Lunara, PirateFi, BlockBlasters, and Lampy (the latter was infected with malware after an update). These games were taken off Steam earlier this year, when <a href=\"https:\/\/forms.fbi.gov\/victims\/Steam_Malware\">the FBI announced it was investigating the distribution of malware on the platform<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>With an ever-growing number of games released to digital platforms by smaller creators every year, and software such as generative AI being used to create playable games at an astounding rate, one has to wonder if this sort of problem will only become more common in the future. Here&#8217;s hoping this FBI indictment will dissuade like-minded ne&#8217;er-do-wells, while encouraging platform owners like Valve to create the tools needed to stop it.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Home News Hacker The FBI has arrested a 21-year-old alleged to have stolen $220,000 through Steam using malware-ridden games Law and Order: CPU Image credit: Activision Blizzard News by Connor Makar Staff Writer Published on July 21, 2026 4 comments Follow Hacker The FBI has arrested a 21-year-old Florida man alleged to have stolen roughly [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,253],"class_list":["post-2054404","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-eurogamer-net"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2054404","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2054404"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2054404\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2054404"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2054404"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2054404"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}