Scammer Steals $32K in Crypto From Cancer Patient via Steam Game

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It’s the kind of thing that makes you want to look around for a moral compass in a land that’s run out of them. A 26-year-old cancer patient, Raivo Plavnieks, had the bad luck of being both sick and, apparently, deeply trusting. He was battling stage-four sarcoma-a nasty fight in its own right-and trying to raise some funds with a cute little Pump Fun token called $CANCER. You’d think that alone was enough for the universe to cut him some slack, but no, it had other plans.

Enter Steam. Not the trusty engine of entertainment we all know, but rather, the smooth-talking scammer’s best friend. Plavnieks was duped into playing a game called Block Blasters, a title that promised financial rewards in exchange for playing. Ah, but there’s a catch: it wasn’t a game-it was malware disguised as a game. So, like a moth to a flame, Plavnieks clicked, and the malware did what it does best-it drained his crypto wallet faster than a teenager can spend their first paycheck.

For anybody wondering what is going on with $CANCER live stream… my life was saved for whole 24 hours until someone tuned in my stream and got me to download verified game on @Steam
After this I was drained for over 32,000$ USD of my creator fees earned on @pumpdotfun and…

– rastaland.TV (@rastalandTV) September 21, 2025

And just like that, a man trying to raise money for his own survival was left holding nothing but an empty crypto wallet and a broken heart. His emotions spilled out live, visible to anyone watching, as a friend tried to comfort him. “I am broken now,” he said. And you couldn’t blame him. His GoFundMe, though, became a beacon of hope for others. It raised almost €12,000 ($14,000) in support. At least humanity wasn’t totally lost.

More Victims Affected

But here’s where it gets even juicier. This wasn’t just Plavnieks getting hit. No, this was a wide-scale operation, as cybersecurity group VX-Underground unearthed. They tore through the malicious Steam game, pulling up logs and credentials like a kid with a magnifying glass on an anthill. They found that over 900 other victims had been affected, proving that this wasn’t just a one-off incident. The attackers had their hands in a lot of pockets, and it took a fraction of time to pull it all apart-less than 30 minutes. You’d think someone, anyone, would have caught this sooner. But no.

Then came the kicker: these criminals, perhaps not the brightest bulbs in the bunch, flaunted their stolen loot online. You can imagine the smugness. If only they knew how quickly that would backfire. It led investigators straight to their door, and soon enough, ICE (the good guys) were alerted. Steam, of course, removed the game, but only after it had wreaked havoc. Better late than never, right?

Crypto Sleuth’s Investigation

Now, let’s talk about Steam, the supposedly secure platform that let this all slide. A report by VX-Underground, ZachXBT, and other investigators wasn’t kind. They called out Valve’s security system as “deeply flawed” and criticized the fact that this malware had been allowed to fester for weeks before anyone cared. Imagine that-a platform so secure that criminals practically set up shop under its nose and it took a week for someone to notice. The attackers even promised to return the stolen funds. Sure, because why not give the victims a little more hope before you crush them with your next scam?

In the end, this whole debacle didn’t just cost a man his funds-it revealed just how weak the armor was in the world of gaming security. As the investigators so eloquently put it, Valve’s response was “appalling” and “incompetent.” They probably won’t be calling it “a job well done” anytime soon. But hey, at least they got around to removing the game. After the damage was done. Classic.

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2025-09-23 16:59