Man Arrested for Using Steam Games to Steal Over $200,000

U.S. prosecutors have accused a 21-year-old Florida man of helping distribute malware through fake video games linked to Steam.

The FBI arrested Zyaire Wilkins, a Florida resident and student, on Tuesday. Prosecutors later accused him and unnamed co-conspirators of using malware-infected games to steal passwords, other data, and cryptocurrency from victims.

Malware Hidden Inside Games

According to the criminal complaint, Wilkins and his alleged partners published several games that appeared legitimate but secretly carried malware.

The titles named in the case include BlockBlasters, Dashverse, Lampy, Lunara, and PirateFi. The FBI’s Steam malware investigation also lists Chemia, Dashverse/DashFPS, Lampy, Lunara, PirateFi, and Tokenova among the games it is reviewing.

Authorities say the malware was designed to infect victims’ computers after they downloaded and installed the games.

8,000 Victims and 80 Crypto Wallets

Prosecutors allege that the scheme infected around 8,000 victims.

The complaint says Wilkins and his co-conspirators then accessed around 80 cryptocurrency wallets and stole at least $220,000 in crypto. The Verge also reported that the alleged campaign ran from around May 2024 to February 2026.

The group allegedly promoted the malicious games through platforms including Discord, LinkedIn, and Telegram.

FBI Traced Gift Card Purchases

Investigators linked Wilkins to the alleged scheme through cryptocurrency payments and gift card purchases.

According to reports on the complaint, the FBI traced a crypto account used in the scheme to purchases of more than 150 digital gift cards, including Uber Eats gift cards. Investigators then used subpoenaed Uber records to connect some of those deliveries to Wilkins.

Authorities said Wilkins used the online nickname Sibel.eth.

Devices Seized From Wilkins’ Home

Federal agents later obtained a search warrant for Wilkins’ residence.

They seized a MacBook, cellphones, other electronic devices, and digital wallets. According to the complaint, Wilkins refused to answer questions after the search. TechCrunch reported that his lawyer did not respond to a request for comment.

FBI Had Already Asked Victims to Come Forward

The arrest follows an earlier FBI appeal for victims of malware-infected Steam games.

In March, the FBI’s Seattle Division asked users who installed suspicious games between May 2024 and January 2026 to submit information. The bureau said the investigation involved games including BlockBlasters, Chemia, Dashverse/DashFPS, Lampy, Lunara, PirateFi, and Tokenova.

Valve has removed several games from Steam over malware concerns during the past year. One earlier case involved BlockBlasters, which was removed after being linked to crypto-stealing malware.

The case is still pending, and the allegations have not been proven in court.