Inside Roblox’s Criminal Underworld, Where Kids Are Scamming Kids

ign.com:

In the depths of the Roblox criminal Discord network, a scammer from across the void shows me his best score. A screenshot materializes in the chat — it contains the uncensored username, password, and IP address of a Roblox account that was allegedly captured in his snare. There were 467,985 Robux in the target's wallet at the time of the hack, equivalent to about $5,850.

"I scripted something called a pin cracker. I run it, crack their pin, and it auto-unverifies their email," says the scammer, when I ask how they prevent their victims from reclaiming their Roblox identity. "They get logged off, and I change everything."

Could it really be that simple? I didn't know what to believe. The panels of these Discord servers bloom with illicit content — almost like the Anarchist's Cookbook for Roblox hoodlums. A marketplace zooms by in one of the sub-channels where swindlers offload troves of plundered goods; Roblox accounts and items, sure, but also instructions on how to steal those assets in the first place.

There is a forum titled, "Flex Your Beams," the term "beam" being shorthand for "scam" in Roblox parlance. It's filled to the brim with screenshots like the one I just saw; an ocean of exposed authentication details. Sometimes, a user posts a clip that documents the entirety of their operation. "Beaming 25k, ezzz," reads the title of one unlisted YouTube video from November. The author breaks into a mark's Roblox profile and trolls them in the DMs. ("Did you just try scam me keeps saying giving item to u," writes the victim. "Get beamed," they respond.)

The hacker I'm speaking to shows me a few more of his scores; a bounty of high-value Roblox cosmetics that could fetch a pretty penny, as well as a Visa credit card to