Proving that thieves are willing to steal anything, it seems criminals are targeting online worlds ripping off accounts and players’ items, as well. Saying it’s tantamount to organized crime, Microsoft is the company issuing the warning to online gamers.
Yes, it seems criminals are stalking MMORPGs, introducing malware and stealing account information. This, of course, gives the thieves access to all sorts of information from the accounts, plus the wherewithal to sell the virtual items for real money and the accounts themselves to boot.
Games like World of Warcraft are being pointed out as targets, but there’s little doubt others in different gaming worlds are falling prey, as well. I’ve heard of accounts hacked and stolen throughout my EverQuest gaming career, but take heart in Sony’s measures to at least protect credit card information. To date, I’ve had no trouble other than with eBay gamers, but that’s another story.
Microsoft’s security development engineer, Dave Weinstein has been quoted as saying “those of you who are working on massively multiplayer online games, organized crime is already looking at you.” Weinstein also said that it's a bit tough to get law enforcement to buy into the theft of an online sword. Can you imaging trying to make that call?
Kind of a scary thought, really. How slimy does a crook need to be to steal someone’s virtual sword and sell it?
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