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Japanese Man Arrested For Virtual Theft

Posted by michael on from the watch-out-pk'ers dept.

Kethinov writes "The Daily Yomiuri is reporting that a 21-year-old man was arrested for "illegally accessing an Internet game server to sell a virtual 'house' owned by a woman to another game participant for 50,000 yen, police said Thursday. According to the MPD, Ryusei Sakano of Itabashi Ward, Tokyo, posed as a female game player he met online while playing 'Ultima Online,' a popular Internet-based game. Sakano reportedly asked the game's system administrator to provide the female player's entry password on the pretext that she had lost her password to the game.""

14 of 208 comments (clear)

  1. Virtual Arrest and Virtual Fine by siliconshock.com · · Score: 4, Funny

    Maybe they should virtually arrest him and give him a virtual fine or virtual jail!

    1. Re:Virtual Arrest and Virtual Fine by D+iz+a+n+k+Meister · · Score: 5, Funny

      Then he could virtually, uh, "drop the soap".

      --

      He painted a unicorn in outer space. I'm askin' ya, what's it breathin'?
  2. Finally!!! by Sleeper · · Score: 5, Funny

    At last people are taking this stuff seriously...
    Now they just need to catch that guy who shows up here looking like me and screws up my karma.

    --
    - Back off man. I am a scientist
    1. Re:Finally!!! by Sleepr · · Score: 5, Funny
      Sleeper wrote "Now they just need to catch that guy who shows up here looking like me and screws up my karma."

      Microsoft R0X0rS! Linux sUx! In Soviet Russia, all your petrified Natalie Portman hot grits and f1rst p0sts belong to goatse.cx.

      Hrm, wait a sec... that won't work...

  3. Virtual Real Estate by sssmashy · · Score: 4, Funny

    I knew the real estate market in Japan was pricey, but 50,000 yen for a "virtual" house???

    Sounds like some frustrated Japanese are desperate become homeowners they're willing to settle for houses that don't even exist in the material world....

    1. Re:Virtual Real Estate by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      So they're arresting a guy who sold a house that didn't exist, to a buyer who was willing to pay for it anyway, for a big wad of cash, and all in a day's work.

      Dude, don't lock him up! I want him to be my real estate agent.

  4. Getting it out of the way... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Funny

    In Soviet Russia, virtual house sells you.

    Imagine a Beowulf cluster of virtual houses!!!

    1. Steal virtual real-estate.
    2. ???
    3. Profit!

    What would Natalie Portman do?

    1. Re:Getting it out of the way... by flewp · · Score: 1, Funny

      What would Natalie Portman do?

      Hopefully me!

      --
      WWJD.... for a Klondike bar?
  5. The world's oldest (male) profession... by ites · · Score: 3, Funny

    After virtual theft, can we expect to see virtual estate agents ("it's a real bargain, sir!"), virtual cops ("I'll track down your thief for a mere 10m gold pieces, ma'am!"), virtual lawyers ("my client was temporarily insane due to the pressure of game conformity, m'lod"), virtual punishments ("...and banished for life to MSN"), and virtual sex ("50m gold pieces and I'll tell you a nasty little secret..."). Can't wait.

    --
    Sig for sale or rent. One previous user. Inquire within.
  6. wow by odyrithm · · Score: 1, Funny

    According to the MPD, Sakano took advantage of the fact that the game's virtual gold pieces--used by players as a virtual currency--can be traded through bulletin boards. He sold a virtual house belonging to the female player valued at 25 million gold pieces for 50,000 yen, the police said.

    are these gold pieces to yen what yen is to USDs? ;)

    --
    moo
  7. Re:Virtual Real Estate- Mine! by hplasm · · Score: 1, Funny

    I bought this virtual house from him, and he never delivered it. He said it must have got lost in transit. Swine.

    --
    ...and he grinned, like a fox eating shit out of a wire brush.
  8. Re:for the inevitable slashdotting.. by Hellkitten · · Score: 0, Funny

    A newspaper is mostly read on paper. I would not be surprised if the web sites of the biggest French (France is where I live) newspapers didn't support a slashdot effect.

    Yes perhaps but we're not talking about a french newspaper we're talking about a japanese one, just because the frensh haven't discovered the internet yet doesn't mean that the japanese hasn't

    --
    - We are the slashdot. Resistance is futile. Prepare to be moderated -
  9. Re:The weakest link.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    > Hi, Ultima Online Tech Support, how can I help you?

    >> Hi

    > Hi. How can I help you?

    >> Errrr, I am this woman Yadayada, and I lost her, err, my password and I err lost it and err need it back please.

    > Sure! It's "secret"

    >> No it isn't, I tried that.

    > Oh, I'm sorry, that's Yadayoda's password. Your password is "iamgod".

    >> No it isn't! My password is "1337h4x0r", err.. well.. I mean... why thank you. Bye now.

    > NP! Bye!

  10. How about that support call? by freeze128 · · Score: 2, Funny

    *RING*

    Tech support guy: "EA Tech support. How can I help you?"

    MAN: "Yes, I forgot my password."

    TS: "Okay, what's your name?"

    MAN: "Jane Doe."


    Does anyone else see the problem with that?