Federal agents have arrested a 21-year-old Florida man accused of stealing cryptocurrency by hiding malware inside fake video games published on Steam, Valve's popular PC gaming platform.
The suspect is Zyaire Dontaevious Zamarion Wilkins of North Lauderdale, Florida, who was arrested on Tuesday, according to Tom's Hardware. TechCrunch reports that Wilkins is a student and that prosecutors accuse him of publishing several fake video games on Steam that were laced with malware.
That malware infected thousands of victims and was used to drain crypto from their digital wallets, according to TechCrunch. Tom's Hardware reports that roughly 8,000 devices were infected.
The Verge, citing local news outlet Local10, reports that authorities say Wilkins stole at least $220,000 in crypto. Investigators traced the stolen funds through the blockchain — Tom's Hardware notes that agents followed stolen bitcoin as it was converted into Uber Eats gift cards, helping tie the money back to a suspect.
According to The Verge, a final hearing in the case is scheduled for June.
Why it matters: Steam is trusted by millions of gamers, and this case shows how attackers can weaponize that trust by slipping malicious code into seemingly ordinary downloads — a reminder that even software from a major storefront can carry hidden risks, especially for anyone holding cryptocurrency.