Despite childhood lessons telling us otherwise, it appears that some cheaters indeed find success—at least temporarily. However, pushing their luck can lead to consequences. Take the case of Sebastian Araujo, who initially won over $6,800 in various Fortnite tournaments by circumventing bans, but is now facing a $175,000 penalty imposed by Epic Games.

The ruling from Epic indicates that Araujo was banned for using a hacking device to cheat during tournaments held on June 6, 2024. Rather than reform, he set up multiple fake accounts and continued playing. During a four-month period, he racked up numerous wins and 991 cheating complaints.

Epic pursued legal action against Araujo in December 2024, which resulted in a default judgment due to his negligence in responding. The court awarded Epic $168,550 for violations and additional fees, although a claim for $100,000 in further damages was rejected as excessive.

Epic tweeted: “The Judge ruled in our favor after the cheater ignored our lawsuit. The player is required to pay $175,000 and we’ll donate what we collect to charity. They are also banned from playing Fortnite forever.” View Tweet

Ultimately, this ruling not only serves as a warning to others but ensures that the funds will be donated to Child’s Play, a charity focused on supplying toys and games to pediatric hospitals worldwide.