Switched has a new home! Huffpost Tech.

Click here to visit the new home of Switched!

Hot on HuffPost Tech:

See More Stories
AOL Tech

Thief Arrested in Real Life For Virtual 'RuneScape' Caper

by Terrence O'Brien on December 1, 2009 at 02:20 PM

Virtual Pickpocket Arrested IRL
Normally, when we cover thefts at Switched, there is some connection to the real world, whether it be to iPhones or credit cards. But the only thing tangible about a recent heist in Britain was the arrest.

According to the Telegraph, a man was arrested for allegedly using a phishing scam to obtain the log-in information of individuals who play the online role-playing game 'RuneScape.' The unnamed man supposedly used the credentials to steal virtual items, gold, and entire characters from members of the site, and planned to sell them on some sort of virtual black market.

Considering that 'World of Warcraft' characters can fetch up to $10,000, and that the sale of virtual goods in both 'WoW' and 'Second Life' are profitable businesses, the arrest comes as no shock. Players spend real cash and time acquiring these goods and developing their characters, making those virtual personas no less valuable than physical items like game consoles and cell phones.

Past arrests over virtual thefts have usually involved confrontations IRL (in real life). In October of last year, a 13-year-old boy in the Netherlands was assaulted over items he had collected in 'RuneScape.' In 2007, a Brazilian man was kidnapped and held at gunpoint for the password to his 'GunBound' character. This, however, is the first time we've heard of an arrest over theft in a purely virtual environment. [From: Telegraph]

Tags: crime, runescape, theft, top, virtual-worlds

Add your comments

Please keep your comments relevant to this blog entry. Email addresses are never displayed, but they are required to confirm your comments.

When you enter your name and email address, you'll be sent a link to confirm your comment, and a password. To leave another comment, just use that password.

To create a live link, simply type the URL (including http://) or email address and we will make it a live link for you. You can put up to 3 URLs in your comments. Line breaks and paragraphs are automatically converted — no need to use <p> or <br /> tags.

HuffPost AOL Social News Most Popular