Criminals have been spotted using Fortnite as a platform for laundering criminal proceeds potentially reaching hundreds of thousands of dollars gained through the V-Bucks mechanic.
Developed by Epic Games, Fortnite is an extremely popular video game played by both children and adults. The company says that at least 200 million people enjoy the game, but with such popularity, the risk of criminals jumping on the bandwagon in order to turn a profit increases.
An investigation
launched by The Independent suggests this is exactly what has occurred. The game itself is free, but in-game currency known as V-Bucks can be purchased for game items, outfits, and weapons.
These virtual coins can be purchased from the official Fortnite store as well as vendors including Microsoft and GAME. However, with 1,000 coins costing roughly $10, there is a market for discounted coins which are eagerly snapped up by players.
This is how the scam operates. Stolen credit cards are used to buy V-Bucks which are then sold on for bargain rates to legitimate players wandering the web's underbelly, also known as the Dark Web.
