Epic Games and Tim Sweeney are taking cheaters to court, even naming and shaming them, while still being willing to give cheaters a second chance in the game.

Epic Games has announced that it is suing an individual named in the lawsuit as Isaac Strock (who lives in Illinois, USA) for allegedly stealing hundreds of Fortnite accounts and reselling them via Telegram. The lawsuit was filed by Epic back on February 27, and the company alleges that Strock accessed the accounts through various means, including trying to trick Epic’s customer support team and even having the audacity to sell a guide to help others do the same.

“Strock takes control of other players’ Epic Games accounts through fraud. Strock contacts Epic’s Player Support team and pretends to be the account holder of the account he is attempting to steal… Epic has caught Strock attempting to defraud its Player Support team on at least four occasions,” Epic’s filing reads.

The lawsuit details an alleged attempt on June 16, 2023, when Strock contacted Epic’s customer support to change the email address he claimed was his account and provide certain information normally only available to the account’s true owner. Epic added that another method of gaining access to players’ accounts is to use the Internet (e.g., through dark web searches or data theft) to find email address and password combinations for other accounts not associated with Epic and use those credentials to log into Epic’s services.

After Strock gained access to the accounts, Epic allegedly sold them through an online message board or channel on the Telegram platform. The lawsuit cites as an example an account sold on September 12, 2024 that had 146 skins and few V-Bucks. It was sold for $425 worth of Bitcoins. On the day this account was listed for sale, Epic discovered that it was being accessed from Strock’s IP address. A key element of the lawsuit was the EULA, to which Strock repeatedly agreed, under which Epic prohibited the transfer of items and the sale and purchase of accounts. The lawsuit even referred to Strock’s own website, which is now offline. There, he allegedly sold 482 Fortnite-related items. Epic also says that Strock ran a Telegram channel where others sold illegally obtained Fortnite accounts, as well as a guide on how to manipulate Epic’s customer support.

Epic is using publicity as a weapon against cheaters, publicly naming and shaming these people wherever it can, but in the meantime it has introduced a “second chance” for players who break the rules the first time…

Source: PCGamer