The Ukrainian Security Service has uncovered the largest cryptocurrency mining farm in the country to date. It found 3,800 PlayStation 4s, 500 graphics cards, 50 processors, and laptops.
Initially thought to be for the mining of cryptocurrency, it turns out the gaming consoles were being used to mine valuable FIFA Ultimate Team football cards.
Farm Was Using Stolen Electricity
The mining farm was using stolen electricity worth five to seven million Ukrainian hryvnias (US$183,610 – $257,055) in a month. Money aside, the withdrawal of electricity may have much greater consequences as entire communities in the city of Vinnytsia were left without power.
FIFA Ultimate Team Mining Bots
FIFA Ultimate Team is a game mode in FIFA that allows users to build teams with players of their choosing based on the cards they own. They then compete with each other online to win coins allowing them to buy even better individual players and player packs.
The PS4s were being controlled by computers that ran bots to grind earn in-game currency. Afterward, accounts would be sold on the black market for profit. EA Sports has issued warnings that buying or selling in-game currency on the black market may result in a ban. It’s reported that the purchase of loot boxes makes up 30 percent of EA Sport’s total revenue.
Buying FIFA player cards can be done through the FUT Web App or the console, and some cards – such as that featuring Portugal captain and Juventus star Cristiano Ronaldo – can fetch over US$1,000 as listed for sale on U7BUY card marketplace.
We are starting to see more online games supporting in-game currencies, such as Counter-Strike’s CSGO allowing players to wager bitcoin when playing against others.
EA Sports reportedly has over US$1 billion in revenue across FIFA and related games, so the money involved in this industry is mind-boggling.
In June, Crypto News Australia reported how players can now wager on Counter-Strike games using a Bitcoin gaming wallet. Via Infuse technology, it allows players to scan a QR code, join a lobby and play Bitcoin-infused games.
By Jana Serfontein, Crypto News Guest Author
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