Dutch teen arrested for stealing virtual furniture in "Habbo Hotel"

linkpwns

linkpwns

CAGiversary!
Feedback
12 (100%)
So, try to follow us on this one. A 17-year-old in the Netherlands was arrested for stealing €4,000 worth of virtual property -- specifically, furniture in the online world of Habbo Hotel.

For the uninitiated, Habbo Hotel is a massively-multiplayer online world, based around 2D graphics and blocky, pixelated avatars interacting in a series of inter-connected, isometric rooms. At the heart of Habbo is the collection of furniture and accessories, which are acquired with the in-game currency, which is in turn acquired by forking over real cash for its equivalent amount in Habbo Coins.

Still with us? Good. The 17-year-old in question reportedly used a phishing scam to obtain the passwords of various Habbo Hotel players. Once logged in as those characters, the teenager -- along with five 15-year-old accomplices -- were able to steal the victims' furniture by moving the pieces from the owners' rooms to the suspect's. The accomplices were questioned, but the only arrest made so far was for the 17-year-old. Crime just doesn't pay, kiddies. Even when it's adorable.
Click to expand...

Quoted from Joystiq
http://www.joystiq.com/2007/11/14/dutch-teen-arrested-for-stealing-virtual-furniture/

This is rediculous.
 
[quote name='help1']Whats so ridiculous about it? If I went to your house and many other peoples houses and stole $8000 worth of stuff, I am sure that it wouldn't be seen as adorable.[/quote]

I mean that he wasn't just banned...

Usually the stuff is returned and a user gets banned, not arrested
 
[quote name='JokerCard']Time for a raid.....[/QUOTE]

THE POOL IS CLOSED.

/hates self for knowing what this is
 
So he was arrested for running a phishing scam, which is an actual crime, not stealing some virtual crap.

He stole account logins and passwords, that was the crime.
 
The thing to keep in mind is that people payed for their furniture with real money, so he was actually stealing something they paid for.

It's not "rediculous" at all.
 
[quote name='cochesecochese']Agreed. /b is gay and that was the beginning of the end.[/QUOTE]


don't tell me you missed the Tom Greene show pranks.
 
[quote name='linkpwns']This is rediculous.[/QUOTE]

ridiculous. fuck, between "ridiculous" and "definitely," I don't think I've seen those words spelled properly once on the fucking interbutts, and they're not words that people intentionally misspell to come off as clever (like "teh").

Why is it ridiculous? It's a crime, isn't it? Property with a monetary value had been taken? If I were to steal your real world furniture, and, say, easily apprehended by the police, they wouldn't merely give you back your furniture and hand me an...erm...seven-day suspension or something. I'd be charged. At 4000 Euros (where the tits is that "Euro" key anyway? My computer's less than a year old!), that's a fairly steep haul as well. Well over felony status in the US, but god knows what it would be for der Nederlander.

As technology changes, the laws must change to respond. Crimes like this happen quite frequently. Laws need to be modified, international relations strengthened for the economy's sake, and laws need to be enforced. This is a violation of the law, quite clearly, despite the digital nature of the property that was stolen.

What don't you get about this? Alternately, can I have your address? ;)
 
[quote name='cochesecochese']And how. What happened?[/QUOTE]


Tom Greene had an internet show you could call in to. /b/ caught on to this and basically raided the show with calls, hilarity ensues. there are a bunch of videos of the shows on youtube. After that and spengbab, I stopped browsing /b/ :)
 
[quote name='dave17']how is virtual furniture worth 4000e? my REAL furniture doesnt come close to that much.[/QUOTE]

The same way swords and shit are worth tons of money in WoW, FFXI, and whatever the hell else people are playing these days. Economics, simply put.
 
[quote name='Apossum']Tom Greene had an internet show you could call in to. /b/ caught on to this and basically raided the show with calls, hilarity ensues. there are a bunch of videos of the shows on youtube. After that and spengbab, I stopped browsing /b/ :)[/quote]

That shit gets older every year and so do I.

Uh...I'm not really sure what I was attempting there but it came out terrible. I'll let it stand. I'm trying to improve my douchebaggery not cower away and hide from it.
 
[quote name='mykevermin']ridiculous. fuck, between "ridiculous" and "definitely," I don't think I've seen those words spelled properly once on the fucking interbutts, and they're not words that people intentionally misspell to come off as clever (like "teh").[/QUOTE]Don't forget "irregardless" and "retart." :roll:
 
[quote name='cochesecochese']That shit gets older every year and so do I.

Uh...I'm not really sure what I was attempting there but it came out terrible. I'll let it stand. I'm trying to improve my douchebaggery not cower away and hide from it.[/QUOTE]


did you mean over the top depravity and /b/ getting old? yeah, I agree to an extent. the place is still very interesting to me on a psycho/social level and I'm hoping I get to write a paper about it at some point in my academic career. Maybe for my dissertation on shit that's fucking nuts.
 
It's not ridiculous, the stuff was paid for with real cash. I'd be pissed if someone managed to steal my XBLA games, or VC games.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
bread's done
Back
Top