Open-source intelligence sleuths have shopped a scammer to the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement company (ICE) for stealing $32,000 price of crypto from a most cancers affected person through a malware-ridden recreation.
Twenty-six-year-old streamer and self-proclaimed “crypto degen” Raivo Plavnieks is at the moment battling stage-four sarcoma, which, as he elegantly places it, is “growing faster than a shitcoin pump.”
He’s at the moment elevating funds for his remedy with a Pump Enjoyable token known as “CANCER,” which has reached a market cap of $2.5 million, and made $46,000 in creator rewards.
Nevertheless, he was tricked into enjoying a stranger’s Steam recreation known as “Block Blasters,” which promised monetary compensation however as an alternative drained $32,000 of his “creator rewards.”
Plavnieks shared the second his crypto was drained through the livestream.
Malware specialist VX-Underground caught wind of the “heinous” hack yesterday and determined to probe the sport additional. The web site’s crew downloaded it, uncovered its infrastructure, and revealed it was answerable for assaults on 907 victims.
VX-Underground additionally found the attackers’ Telegram credentials, and a number of sleuths throughout the web banded collectively to reveal them.
One among these attackers was discovered to be an Argentine dwelling within the US, recognized for his or her love of sports activities automobiles and creating “brainless” TikToks.
Nevertheless, their love of flaunting the fruits of their ill-gotten beneficial properties has come again to chunk them after sleuths noticed their movies and reported them to ICE.
‼️ Meet the scammer who drained a most cancers affected person’s remedy fund, ruining many lives to drive sports activities automobiles and put on costly watches. He’s an Argentine immigrant within the US, and the OSINT nerds who discovered him have reported him to ICE. pic.twitter.com/veJLjtXktS
— Worldwide Cyber Digest (@IntCyberDigest) September 22, 2025
Luckily for Plavnieks, the crypto neighborhood banded collectively to make him entire once more, and he shall be returning to livestreaming after some relaxation.
Block Blasters was finally taken down by Steam after tons of of individuals reported the sport. Nevertheless, it was flagged by the safety software program G Knowledge CyberDefense and reported to Steam every week in the past.
A joint report crediting VX-Underground, ZachXBT, and different on-line sleuths known as the vetting strategy of Steam’s developer Valve “appalling” and “incompetent,” noting the malware had been out there for a month.
It highlighted how the attackers held no regret and lied about returning the funds to the scammed most cancers affected person. “They will face their punishment in due course,” it mentioned.
You’ll be able to donate to Plavnieks’ GoFundMe right here. It has already raised over €11,984 ($14,000), simply €6,000 ($8,000) away from its goal.
