NORTH LAUDERDALE, FLA. (WSVN) - A 21-one-year-old suspect is accused of stealing through malicious video games.
Zyaire Wilkins of North Lauderdale could face up to a decade in prison, according to a 15-page federal complaint.
Authorities said between May 2024 and February 2026, Wilkins and his accomplices launched games and infected devices of roughly 8,000 people, which allegedly allowed them to access about 80 crypto wallets and steal at least $220,000.
The complaint lists the malicious games as Piratefi, Blockblasters, Dashverse, and Lunara.
Once a game was installed, agents said malware harvested private data and login credentials were taken to unlock those wallets. After the crypto was collected, it was laundered into gift cards.
Investigators said Wilkins used the gamertag, “Sibel.eth,” on a messaging app Signal, to coordinate with an unidentified “primary developer.” There, they allegedly discussed multiple “draining campaigns” and strategies for tricking victims into giving up their wallet details.
The arrest appears to be the first charge linked to an investigation the FBI went public with back in March when it asked gamers hit by a run of malicious Steam titles to come forward.
Steam parent Valve has since pulled at least one of the games and is urging affected users to completely reformat their computers.
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