Criminals are becoming more creative
The latest innovation is the use of V-Bucks (Fortnite’s currency) for such activity. There are elements in the game, such as skins (the appearance of your character), which must be purchased through the V-Bucks currency.
Stolen credit cards
For 1,000 units of that tool, you would pay around $ 10. Quite naturally, there is a demand for coins at a lower cost and that is the weakness in the system from which criminals benefit. They buy V-Bucks using stolen credit card data and then sell them to players at a discounted price. In this way, they effectively “launder” the money. The virtual currency of the game is available for wholesale purchase in deep web and in smaller quantities on social media platforms.
Fighting against money laundry
Cyber Security Company Sixgill, which undertook the investigation with The Independent, revealed operations around the world. They explained that criminals are pushing and making money from Fortnite’s system “with relative impunity.” This is partly due to the fact that money is really anonymous and does not leave a mark, according to Europol. Block analyst companies, such as Chainanalysis and Blockchain Intelligence Group, also provide specialized software that can support law enforcement investigations.