Hackers from the Lviv region sold gaming accounts worth 10 million hryvnias
This was reported by the National Police of Ukraine.
Cyber police officers from Lviv Oblast, together with investigators from the region’s District Police Department No. 2, under the procedural supervision of the Lviv Oblast Prosecutor’s Office and the Frankivsk District Prosecutor’s Office in Lviv, have identified three local residents aged 19, 21 and 22.
They are suspected of stealing gaming accounts belonging to Ukrainians and foreigners in a globally popular online game.
According to law enforcement officials, the 19-year-old organiser of the scheme from Drohobych met his accomplices on gaming forums in 2025.
The investigation established that he had devised a complex scheme to hack players’ personal profiles. The stolen accounts were subsequently sold for cryptocurrency in closed online communities and on a website whose domain is registered in the Russian Federation.
The suspects used social engineering techniques and programming skills. They infected the victims’ devices with a keylogger – a programme designed to steal confidential information.
Within a few months, the suspects gained access to over 610,000 gaming profiles.
The malicious software was disguised as software that purportedly provided bonuses or made the game easier to play.
The hackers sorted the stolen accounts into several categories depending on their potential value on the virtual market.
The police note that this market is a large-scale economic ecosystem with its own digital currency, where players legally buy, sell and exchange digital goods.
The criminals were most interested in profiles whose owners had purchased collectables, rare items of equipment and limited-edition gear with real money.
The suspects were also interested in accounts with a balance of in-game currency.
In recent days, police carried out 10 authorised searches at the suspects’ homes.
During the searches, they seized $32,000, €2,000, rough notes, 37 mobile phones, 11 computer towers, 7 laptops, bank cards, 5 tablets and 4 USB drives.
Cyberpolice specialists discovered over 300 records containing data on so-called ‘elite’ accounts.
According to preliminary data, the scheme’s illicit turnover could have reached 10 million hryvnias.
Law enforcement officers are currently analysing the information contained in the seized devices.
The group members have been notified of their status as suspects under Part 4 of Article 185 and Part 5 of Article 361 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine – theft and unauthorised interference with the operation of information, automated, electronic communications and information and communications systems and networks.
The suspects face up to 15 years’ imprisonment.
The court has ordered their detention as a preventive measure.
As part of the pre-trial investigation, law enforcement officers are identifying the victims and possible accomplices of those detained.
The police also do not rule out additional legal charges.
As reported by ThePublic, Russian hackers have gained access to over 170 email accounts belonging to Ukrainian prosecutors and investigators in recent months. Details of the breach came to light following a leak of information online.
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