There is another major story in the CS community, but this time it is not about the server — it is about a simple and very expensive deception. 🇷🇺 zweih had $34,000 stolen after a scam scheme disguised as an advertising integration reached its final stage — a phishing link for “confirming the transfer.” The money disappeared immediately after the click, and the scammer quickly deleted the chat history and blocked everyone involved in the conversation.
It all started with what looked like a normal ad deal
According to the description of the situation, the scammer approached it in the most ordinary way possible: he wrote with an offer of advertising for the Anbernic portable console. That was exactly the point — not a crude scam from the very first message, but something that looked like a standard commercial collaboration.
After that, the scheme became more technical. The “client” explained that payment was possible only through Trust Wallet and several similar crypto wallets. Tr3vl did not have such a wallet, so he started looking for someone who could help receive the funds.
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zweih simply agreed to help an acquaintance
That is exactly how zweih got pulled into the scheme. He was asked to simply receive the transfer to his wallet and then send the money further to Bybit. So at that stage, everything looked like a routine favor for an acquaintance, not like a risky situation involving direct access to funds.
After that, Tr3vl passed zweih’s wallet address to the “client,” who in response sent banners and later a link that was supposedly needed to confirm the transfer. That click was the fatal moment.
One click — and $34,000 disappeared
As soon as zweih followed the link, $34,000 was withdrawn from his wallet. After that, everything followed the classic pattern of such schemes: the scammer deleted the conversation and blocked both of them on Telegram.
And that is exactly what makes the story so unpleasant. There was no “long game” with money being siphoned out gradually, and no complicated manipulation over several weeks. The whole scheme came down to one key moment — making the person believe that he was only confirming receipt of a transfer, while in reality giving access to the withdrawal of funds.
This is not a story about greed, but about ordinary trust
In situations like this, the community often starts looking for someone to blame among the victims far too quickly. But here, the important thing is different: everything was built not on the desire to “make easy money,” but on ordinary everyday trust. One acquaintance asked another for help with a technical detail, and the scammer simply inserted himself into that process very skillfully.
That is exactly why cases like this are dangerous not only for esports players or streamers, but for anyone who works with crypto wallets, advertising integrations, or is simply used to resolving financial matters quickly through messengers.
Right now, the guys are trying to recover the situation
Judging by the description, zweih and Tr3vl are still in contact and have already involved many people in an attempt to figure out what happened. But in stories like this, the main problem is that after a successful phishing attack, getting the money back is often much harder than stopping the loss before the click.
That is why this news is already going beyond the bounds of a private drama. It is quickly turning into another public reminder for the entire scene: any “advertising collaboration,” any “transfer through an acquaintance,” and any link for confirmation in crypto is a maximum-risk zone.
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A very expensive lesson for the whole scene
The story involving zweih is not just another piece of news about a scam, but a very clear example of how modern scam schemes work in the esports environment. Behind the cover story about advertising, helping a friend, and technically confirming a transfer was ordinary phishing, which ultimately cost the player $34,000.
The worst part is that the scheme looked believable almost until the very end. And that means this story is not only about one victim, but also another warning signal to everyone who deals with crypto, integrations, and “simple financial requests” in private messages.
