Money laundering prompts Valve to halt CS:GO in-game key sales
"At this point, nearly all key purchases that end up being traded or sold on the marketplace are believed to be fraud-sourced"
Valve is shutting off the ability to transfer new loot box container keys between users in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. According to a blog post explaining the change, the reason is to crack down on money laundering activity.
"In the past, most key trades we observed were between legitimate customers," the company said. "However, worldwide fraud networks have recently shifted to using CS:GO keys to liquidate their gains. At this point, nearly all key purchases that end up being traded or sold on the marketplace are believed to be fraud-sourced."
While previously purchased container keys can still be sold on the Steam Community Market, any newly purchased keys can't be traded.
"Unfortunately this change will impact some legitimate users, but combating fraud is something we continue to prioritize across Steam and our products," the company said.
CS: GO has been a venue for a number of unsavory activities over its seven-year lifespan, including illegal gambling via weapon skins, illegal gambling via loot boxes, and undisclosed business interests for influencers.