They downloaded a game for fun — and paid with their crypto wallet: inside the Steam trap that hit 80 victims

The FBI has arrested a 21-year-old Florida resident on charges of participating in a scheme that distributed malware disguised as free Steam games, ultimately stealing at least $220,000 worth of cryptocurrency from owners of roughly 80 wallets.

What Happened

According to investigators, the scheme ran from May 2024 to February 2026: the perpetrators embedded malicious code in eight games — including BlockBlasters, Dashverse, Lunara, and PirateFi — which were distributed through Steam as ordinary free titles. In total, the malware infected roughly 8,000 devices.

How the Theft Actually Worked

Once a game was launched, the malware deployed a remote access trojan (RAT) on the victim's device that harvested browser cookies, session data, and crypto wallet private keys. The stolen cookies and session keys were then used to carry out session-hijacking attacks — letting the attackers bypass two-factor authentication on crypto exchanges and web wallets, effectively logging in as the legitimate user.

How the Suspect Was Identified

Investigators traced the stolen bitcoin to more than 150 gift cards, most of them spent on Uber Eats deliveries. After subpoenaing Uber, the FBI found the cards were linked to an account that had food delivered to a specific individual — 21-year-old Zyaire Dontaevious Zamarion Wilkins, known online by the handle Sibel.eth. He's been charged with conspiracy to obtain information by computer for private financial gain.

Why This Should Worry Gamers Who Hold Crypto

The key danger in schemes like this is that the infected games were distributed through Steam's official storefront and looked no different from legitimate free indie titles — the malicious activity only began after the game was launched and was nearly invisible to an ordinary user. This isn't the first such incident: earlier in 2026, Steam already pulled another game after it drained over $150,000 from streamers, including cancer-treatment donations from one of the victims.

What This Means in Practice

The story is another reminder of a basic security rule for crypto holders: hardware wallets and keeping keys separate from everyday devices used for gaming and entertainment remain the best defense against attacks like this — and distribution through a verified storefront like Steam is no guarantee that a given application is free of malicious code.

This material is for informational purposes only and is not investment advice.