The French esports entity **3DMAX** has been ensnared in a fraudulent scheme, leading to monetary damages nearing a seven-figure sum.
**Stéphane Pons**, the Chief Executive Officer of 3DMAX, disclosed during an interview with **Lasource.gg** that the deception was carried out by an ex-associate just prior to his assumption of the CEO position, inflicting substantial organizational and monetary harm.
Nevertheless, Pons withheld the precise amount or the identity of the previous associate implicated in the deception. Leveraging his financial expertise, he successfully detected unusual transactions occurring within the organization and subsequently froze its accounts to avert additional harm.
The head of 3DMAX verified that all earnings for the team had vanished, encompassing funds derived from competition rankings and Major sticker profits. In Counter-Strike, Major stickers are a crucial component of the shooter game’s economic structure, as **Valve** allocates half of the capsule proceeds among the 32 participating teams.
“Just prior to my joining, our organization became targets of a fraudulent act orchestrated by a previous partner,” Pons stated during the discussion. “Legal proceedings are currently in progress. The amount is in the six-figure range, nearing seven figures. Nonetheless, I have pledged, alongside the owner, to fully reimburse the absent funds for the players. We are re-evaluating our financial resources to guarantee the team receives all necessary backing and equipment.”
Beyond compensating for the incurred losses, Pons indicated that 3DMAX is nearing a resolution to the predicament and anticipates releasing an announcement with favorable information soon.
Fraudulent Activities in CS2 Extend Past 3DMAX
The environment surrounding Counter-Strike is quite familiar with athletes and organizations facing various illicit schemes. During March 2025, former FaZe Clan competitor Joakim ‘**Jkaem**‘ Myrbostad disclosed that he wagered and lost $11,000 (approximately £8,124) in valuable skins that had been provided to him for the BLAST.tv Paris Major in 2023.
Lately, cybercriminals have been compromising YouTube channels to masquerade as prominent players, enticing followers into engaging with deceptive promotions which lead to compromised Steam accounts and the forfeiture of expensive virtual goods.
This article details how 3DMAX suffered financial damage nearing $1 million due to a fraudulent scheme.
