FBI used Google cookies, 500 food orders and a Monero seed phrase to identify Steam malware funder
Federal prosecutors say FBI investigators tied 21-year-old Zyaire Dontaevious Zamarion Wilkins to a Steam malware campaign by combining a Bitcoin payment trail with Google cookies, phone records, Bitrefill purchases, Snapchat data, mobile-location records, and more than 500 Uber Eats deliveries. Wilkins was arrested in Florida on July 14 and charged with conspiracy to obtain information by computer for private financial gain. The complaint says the eight-game campaign infected about 8,000 devices, accessed roughly 80 crypto wallets, and stole at least $220,000. Investigators allege Wilkins helped fund and market the operation while another participant created the developer accounts and launched the games. Messages reportedly discuss buying malware, embedding it in games, and targeting people with large crypto holdings. A residential search found laptops, phones, and three wallet seed phrases. One seeded Monero wallet showed about 1,233 XMR in transaction activity, worth roughly $382,000 cumulatively. Wilkins is presumed innocent.
