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U.S. Man Charged Over Malware Hidden in Game Downloads That Stole Crypto Wallets

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2026-07-18 01:23:48
A 21-year-old Florida man, Zyaire Wilkins, has been charged by U.S. federal prosecutors over an alleged malware scheme that infected about 8,000 devices and stole crypto assets from roughly 80 wallets, with losses exceeding $220,000. According to ChainCatcher, prosecutors said Wilkins and associates embedded malware in at least eight games distributed through gaming platforms from May 2024 to February 2026.

The indictment says the games included BlockBlasters, Chemia, Dashverse, DashFPS, Lampy, Lunara, PirateFi and Tokenova. Some of the titles had already been removed from Steam over security concerns, while investigators said the games were promoted on Discord, Telegram, X and LinkedIn to trick users into downloading them.

Authorities said the malware stole sensitive user data and drained crypto wallets after installation. The FBI said investigators identified the suspect through onchain fund-flow analysis and digital payment records, including purchases of more than 150 gift cards on Bitrefill that helped confirm his phone number and home address. The case was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington.
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