Science-Based Research Identifies Money Laundering Trends in the Steam Marketplace

The revelation from newly conducted research that secondary gaming marketplaces could be exploited for money laundering, particularly on platforms like Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and the Steam Marketplace, may not come as shocking news to gamers. However, it is important that these patterns are now backed up by scientific findings.

A recent paper in Forensic Science International: Digital Investigation examined the data from five days’ worth of CS:GO player trading on the Steam Marketplace in August 2020. The study aimed to identify potential illicit activity by looking at “irregularities in the frequency and quantity of trades” and applying existing methods for detecting money laundering.

Notably, the research highlighted some recurring trader IDs, including four users who consistently ranked within the top 10 buyers and sellers. Additionally, one specific user stood out for having three of the most frequently duplicated trades, suggesting attempts to obscure the initial source of funds by distributing them across multiple accounts.

The paper concludes that traditional identifiers for money laundering can indeed be applied within digital marketplaces, potentially aiding in the identification of criminals. However, it also suggests that further investigation is needed, using more extensive money laundering detection techniques and network analysis to accurately identify illicit activities on such platforms. Nevertheless, it seems apparent that the data matches up.