Hey, you know what is fun? Money laundering! Wait, did we say “fun”? We meant “highly illegal and full of dire consequences.” It’s probably not something most of us have entertained, but there’s a chance that it is going on underneath your very nose in one of the most popular games on the market.
The Independent reports that organized crime is utilizing the battle royale shooter Fortnite as a cover for money laundering. “Criminals are using stolen credit cards to buy Fortnite V-bucks, then selling the in-game currency for bitcoin at a discount on the dark web as a way to launder money,” the investigator writes.
MMO designer Raph Koster tweeted that this shouldn’t shock us, as virtual worlds have often dealt with the ramifications of real-world currency exchange. “The surprise isn’t that someone is trying to wash money through Fortnite. The surprise is that it took so long. Any videogame with a robust secondary market for in-game currency or goods is a viable channel,” he said.
Speaking of Fortnite, Netflix is claiming that the game is now a bigger competitor to the streaming platform than rival HBO. And it’s probably right.
