Skip to main content

Fortnite Used to Launder Money on the Dark Web

Recently updated on January 16th, 2019

Fortnite Battle Royale is one of the most played video games in the world. However, this popularity has drawn a lot of attention from the dark web. In Fortnite, players can buy in-game currency called VBucks to purchase special items. However, criminals on the dark web have been buying VBucks for other reasons. This week, a joint investigation by The Independent and Sixgill, a computer security firm, in the UK revealed all.

According to The Independent, fraudsters are using stolen credit cards to buy VBucks and then selling off the virtual currency illegally. Sixgill employees reportedly posed as potential buyers during the investigation to verify the claims. These employees identified operations in English, Russian, Chinese Mandarin, Arabic and Russian on the Dark Web.

Dark Web Using Fortnite for Money Laundering – NZ Gaming News

Global Reach

A senior intelligence expert from Sixgill, Benjamin Preminger, said that criminals are carrying out fraud on Fortnite ‘with relative impunity’. He also stated that security measures created for Fortnite were weak. Despite efforts by Epic Games, the creators of Fortnite Battle Royale, to control the in-game currency, the fraud is ongoing. While most gamers are unaware of the Dark Web, they could be using defrauded VBucks.

Other popular games have been linked to third-party gambling. Epic Games appears to have avoided the market, but money laundering is still a threat. Still, they can’t seem to stop players from defrauding VBucks. Whether or not the company will take action is yet to be seen. Other top games have experienced similar threats. Particularly Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CSGO), which has struggled with third-party sites since 2016.

Dark Web Exploiting Video Games

Fortnite is especially popular with underage players, leaving them open to threats. Without Epic Games’ efforts to counteract third-party skin sites, the game could have been exploited like CSGO. In that case, third-party sites allowed players to bet on random rewards from the game. CSGO has plenty of speciality weapons, with customised ‘skins’ that are highly valuable. Betting on these prizes became extremely popular, and created a huge industry.

In 2017, gambling on skins, or skin betting, became legal in Nevada and the Isle of Man. Regulating sites offering this type of gambling is still difficult, but it should become easier. However, most sites still operate on the Dark Web, and usually have nothing to do with the games apart from hijacking their currency.

Epic Games has begun closing accounts that use defrauded VBucks, but Sixgill believes that this isn’t enough. In fact, Sixgill believes that this is a superficial fix. Benjamin Preminger of Sixgill believes that Epic Games should monitor players with stockpiles of VBucks and/or too many ‘high-value goods’ transfers. He also called for the company to report these players to law enforcement agencies.



Related Posts

BetEasy Launched with Ad Campaign

BetEasy Rebrand Campaign Launched by CrownBet – NZ Betting News

Recently updated on August 13th, 2018William Hill Australia is no more after combining with CrownBet as BetEasy. The merger, which was announced in early 2018, will consolidate the Australian betting industry. CrownBet won the bidding process and agreed to stop using the William Hill branding by October. However, their decision to change to BetEasy was […]

Christchurch Casino License Riding on Charitable Trust Donations

christchurch casino licence renewal charitable conditions

Recently updated on April 10th, 2019Christchurch Casino was one of the first gambling companies to receive an operating licence back in 1993. They received a 25-year licence, and now they are up for a casino licence renewal. However, in new developments, the Gambling Commission has a condition for the gambling company to be able to […]

Anti-Gambling Group Cry Foul Over Lotto N.Z. Bingo Game

Lotto NZ Online Bingo Game

Recently updated on July 14th, 2019News of Lotto NZ’s plans to launch an online bingo game was met with much criticism.  Anti-gambling organisations, Problem Gambling Foundation led the outcry over the launch of yet another gambling game. The state-owned gambling operator is set to introduce bingo games on its MyLotto website. It is one of the […]

Spinomenal Jingle Wins Tournament Information

Spinomenal Jingle Wins Tournament Series Details

Recently updated on December 10th, 2020Get ready for even more cash prizes with the Spinomenal Jingle Wins tournament, coming to its partner casinos on 10 December. All players stand a chance to win a share of the $50 000 prize pool. To enter the competition, you’ll need to place a minimum bet of $0.50 and have […]