Twitch was investigating a big money laundering incident on the platform, which we revealed in November 2021. Hackers have been able to launder about $10 million in Bits via the streaming platform.
Some purported small streamers, with around 50 viewers, allegedly got unusually large sums in donations. The streamers would then reimburse 70-80% of the contributed Bits to the ‘viewers,’ who were purportedly making the donations with stolen credit cards.
A MASSIVE Twitch scandal is ongoing in the Turkish scene involving dozens of esports players and streamers money laundering through bit donations
After Twitch’s massive payout leak, people noticed several smaller streamers making absurd amounts of money from bits (1/2)
— Jake Lucky (@JakeSucky) October 30, 2021
After operations in 11 provinces, the Demirören News Agency (DHA) stated on January 4th that 40 people had been arrested in connection with the scandal, while four additional suspects remained at large.
The people implicated, according to the investigation, were working alongside the streamers, who were aware that the Bits were being provided via stolen credit cards.
According to the report, some of the suspects implicated were minors. Because there were approximately 150 users involved in the incident, it may take some time before all of them are apprehended by the authorities.