A 24-year-old man from Poland faces over 9,000 criminal charges for attempting to sell access to multiple video game accounts between 2014 and 2018. According to court documents, the man gained more than $260,000 while selling these accounts but now faces both prison time and a financial penalty.
The unnamed defendant concocted a scheme that was meant to offer access to a single account to as many gamers as possible. However, restrictions on Steam account access and other digital storefronts prevented this idea from ever actually delivering on its promise. In most cases, users found themselves locked out of the account they thought they paid for, and the 24-year-old pocketed the money.
There are many video game account or single video game auction websites online that offer access to the highest bidder. This person's plan was to buy as many digital versions of various games in order to raise the value of multiple accounts and then attempt to auction those accounts via one of these websites. He did so for 4 years between 2014 and 2018 and apparently made $260,000 in the process.
While some auction winners likely got what they paid for, as the same account continued to expand its access, users began to realize that they have been tricked. Most digital PC clients like Steam limit the amount of users that can access a single account at a time, and will even lock an account if too many users try to log in from different territories. It's unclear from the brief description of the case whether this is what happened with auction winners but it seems very likely.
GamePressure suggests that under the Act on Copyright and Related Rights, the Polish man could face up to 5 years in prison, but the current penalties are already being served. According to reports, over $34,000 worth of assets have been taken from the defendant to prepare for any penalties that they may owe as part of the case. Considering the $260,000 made as part of the scheme, it's unlikely they will be able to pay back what they owe (plus any damages) and will be facing some other type of punitive measure.
If nothing else this case should serve as a warning to those who use secondary auction sites or code sellers to obtain cheaper prices on PC games. While it may seen like a good deal on its face, there is every chance of getting ripped off.
