Thieves Steal $150,000 In Crypto Via Verified Steam Game Carrying Malware

Scammers stole up to $150,000 in crypto currency from unsuspecting gamers and live streamers, according to reports, using trojan malware hidden in video game files.

Blockblasters, the game that these victims downloaded, was a free-to-play 2D platformer with a charming retro aesthetic. The game was available on digital storefront Steam from July 30 to Sept. 22.

According to digital scam investigator, ZachXBT, the game stole over $150,000 from 261 Steam accounts, as reported by BleepingComputer.

The frauds used intricate methods of entrapment to ensnare victims. The most prominent one was spear phishing, which typically involves finding out personal information about the target and using it to build trust with them, and create a rapport until the victim is tricked into downloading a malware ridden file.

According to an 'X' post from vx-underground, who monitors malware, the scammers would ask streamers (who were publicly noted for holding wealth in cryptocurrency) and ask them if they were interested in being paid to promote their game on stream.

Those who downloaded the game found their crypto wallets drained.

The malware scam gained viral notoriety among the general public, when the game stole $32,000 dollars from a streamer using those funds to treat their Stage-4 cancer.

Streamer Raivo Plavnieks held a livestream where he would play videogames, while requesting viewers to donate funds to help them pay for their Stage-4 Sarcoma. Which is a cancer that targets the connective tissues in the body.

Viewers watched as the game stole the $32,000 in real time from the streamer. The game stole their creator fees earned on crypto blockchain platform pumpdotfun.

"I can't breathe, I can't think, I'm completely lost on what is going to happen next, can't shake the feeling that it is my fault that I might end up on street again or not have anything to eat in few days... my heart wants to jump out of my mouth and it hurts," Plavnieks said in an 'X' post.

The streamer started a Go-Fund-Me campaign, to cover the loss by soliciting donations, according to BleepingComputer. The website further reported that a crypto influencer named Alex Becker, said he donated $32,500 to RastalandTV in a safe wallet.

BleepingComputer further reported that Steam had removed games like PirateFi, Sniper: Phantom's Resolution and Chemia, that were carrying information-stealing malware.