Youth workers are warning parents and Fortnite players that drug dealers are attempting to make young gamers drug mules by offering v-bucks as payment. An article from The Times is shining a light on how certain criminals are offering children rewards for harbouring drugs or delivering packages to customers so they can buy in-game rewards for games like the highly successful Epic Games battle royale.
Matthew Norford, a 38-year old youth worker has told The Times that through his scheme 1Message, he has young kids between the age of 12 and 13 report that older people have been in contact with them while playing Fortnite. Kids are drawn into the idea of playing games with older individuals in their area because it's seen as cool. These criminals then make a deal to buy the kids v-bucks for Fortnite if the kid will keep drugs in their room for them, or delivers packages of drugs apparently.
Norford says that he's in contact with a 12-year old boy who regularly harbours about £80 worth of marijuana in his room for an older boy after the older lad befriended him and offered to buy him skins in Fortnite. The social worker expresses his worry for the boy, saying "I'm very worried he's going to start selling the drugs himself but what can I do when I've only got contact with him once a twice a week? This drug dealer has got a hold of him, buying him the things on the game his parents can't afford while they play all hours of the night."
Epic Games has received these reports and is, according to The Times, working with law enforcement to take action on these cases, but it will be difficult for the devs to pinpoint free accounts on such a massive game as criminal activity. If you're a parent looking to work out how to protect your kids better, Epic Games says parental controls on the games are advised to keep your kids safe.
Featured Image Credit: Epic Games