FBI Arrests Florida Man for Steam Malware Crypto Theft
Original: FBI arrests man accused of using Steam games to drain victims’ crypto wallets
Why This Matters
The case highlights the growing use of gaming platforms as vectors for large-scale crypto theft and malware distribution.
The FBI arrested 21-year-old Florida resident Zyaire Wilkins on July 15, 2026, for allegedly uploading malware-laced fake games to Steam, infecting ~8,000 victims and stealing at least $220,000 in cryptocurrency from around 80 wallets over two years.
U.S. prosecutors charged Zyaire Wilkins, a 21-year-old Florida student, along with unnamed co-conspirators, with hacking crimes tied to a scheme involving fake video games published on Valve's Steam platform. The games—BlockBlasters, Dashverse, Lampy, Lunara, and PirateFi—were designed to appear legitimate and were playable, but contained malware that stole passwords, user data, and drained cryptocurrency wallets. The group marketed the games via Discord, LinkedIn, and Telegram. Investigators say the scheme infected approximately 8,000 victims and resulted in theft from roughly 80 crypto wallets totaling at least $220,000. The FBI traced cryptocurrency payments from a linked account to UberEats gift card purchases, then subpoenaed Uber to identify the recipient—Wilkins, who used the online alias Sibel.eth. A search warrant executed at his residence yielded a MacBook, cellphones, other devices, and digital wallets. Wilkins declined to speak with investigators. Valve had previously removed PirateFi and other malicious titles from Steam. The FBI had publicly called for victims to come forward in March 2026.