Man Arrested for Virtual Theft in RuneScape

It's always amusing to watch a virtual thief go down in flames. Such is the case of this week's not-quite-ready-for-prime-time alleged thief. TimesOnline is reporting that a man, who allegedly hacked into several accounts for the MMOG RuneScape to steal virtual characters and items, has been arrested by the British Police e-Crime Unit. It is believed he obtained the log in information of various accounts by using a phishing scam, tricking unsuspecting players into giving him their personal details. Mark Gerhard, chief executive of Jagex Games, the company that launched RuneScape, stated the company takes a zero tolerance approach to hackers and the company has worked with British police and the FBI in the United States to combat cyber crime.

In what experts believe is the first case of its kind in Britain, the man obtained log-in details for RuneScape, a web-based role playing game with more than ten million members, to steal their “virtual” characters.