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2012/08/13 12:22:43
Subject: Genius facing 15 years in prison for attempting to steal in-game money
RegalPhantom wrote: If your fluff doesn't fit, change your fluff until it does
The prefect example of someone missing the point.
Do not underestimate the Squats. They survived for millenia cut off from the Imperium and assailed on all sides. Their determination and resilience is an example to us all.
-Leman Russ, Meditations on Imperial Command book XVI (AKA the RT era White Dwarf Commpendium).
Its just a shame that they couldn't fight off Andy Chambers.
Warzone Plog
2012/08/13 12:31:15
Subject: Re:Genius facing 15 years in prison for attempting to steal in-game money
I thought it was serious until I clicked the link. I'm now not sure whether it is funny or just sad.
Copy paste for work blocked go.
RuneScape player faces up to 15 years in prison over currency theft
Comments 12 Rob Edwards at 11:30am August 13 2012
We’re passionate about games but this just takes the cake: A RuneScape enthusiast is facing up to 15 years in prison after an alleged attempt to force a fellow gamer to hand over 4.7 billion coins.
According to the New York Post, Humza Bajwa is accused of pulling a realistic-looking gun on David Emani in an attempt to force the transaction. Emani, who was acting as a representative for coin-owner Jonathan Dokler, met Bajwa in a Fordham University classroom and became suspicious when he noticed the $3,300 in cash that Bajwa had agreed to pay looked fake.
Over the phone, Emani advised Dokler to cancel the transaction, but Dokler was keen to continue so a second meeting was arranged for the following night. With a real $100 bill in hand for comparison, Emani accused Bajwa of using fake bills. It was then that Bajwa produced a realistic-looking BB gun. Emani says of the incident, “I couldn’t believe I was about to get shot over RuneScape! I was so scared I was about to die.”
Once the transaction was completed, Bajwa left Emani unharmed and still in possession of his $100.
Cops busted Bajwa on July 24 after talking to the victims and checking surveillance footage. Bajwa was charged with second-degree robbery and grand larceny and posted $20,000 bail. He faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted.
Friend of PC Gamer, Matt Lees also got strangely corrupted by Runescape’s currency many years ago. Read about his exploits here.
I think most of it would probably come from counterfeiting fake cash.
I like how the guy selling the gold had an intermediary. I can imagine anybody with that amount of Runescape gold must be housebound, in the sense that they can no longer fit through standard doorways.
The centre of a massive brood chamber, heaving and pulsating.
Aaaaaaaaand /respectforhumanity.
Squigsquasher, resident ban magnet, White Knight, and general fethwit.
buddha wrote: I've decided that these GW is dead/dying threads that pop up every-week must be followers and cultists of nurgle perpetuating the need for decay. I therefore declare that that such threads are heresy and subject to exterminatus. So says the Inquisition!
2012/08/13 21:01:19
Subject: Genius facing 15 years in prison for attempting to steal in-game money
Howard A Treesong wrote:I don't even get this. People are buying fictional money with real money?
Can't wait for this Warcraft type stuff to be used as a front for money laundering.
There isn't enough money in it. At most we are talking a few thousand.
RegalPhantom wrote: If your fluff doesn't fit, change your fluff until it does
The prefect example of someone missing the point.
Do not underestimate the Squats. They survived for millenia cut off from the Imperium and assailed on all sides. Their determination and resilience is an example to us all.
-Leman Russ, Meditations on Imperial Command book XVI (AKA the RT era White Dwarf Commpendium).
Its just a shame that they couldn't fight off Andy Chambers.
Warzone Plog
2012/08/13 21:19:29
Subject: Genius facing 15 years in prison for attempting to steal in-game money
worst title ever. The obvious things that hit me is the guy is getting charged with forgery of legal tender, assault with a weapon and probably theft.
15 successful trades as a buyer;
16 successful trades as a seller;
To glimpse the future, you must look to the past and understand it. Names may change, but human behavior repeats itself. Prophetic insight is nothing more than profound hindsight.
It doesn't matter how bloody far the apple falls from the tree. If the apple fell off of a Granny Smith, that apple is going to grow into a Granny bloody Smith. The only difference is whether that apple grows in the shade of the tree it fell from.
2012/08/13 21:38:59
Subject: Genius facing 15 years in prison for attempting to steal in-game money
azazel the cat wrote:In Brazil, people have been kidnapped and ransomed for their WoW accounts. This is not as interesting.
In South America, sometimes I wonder if they even need a reason to kidnap at times.
The people in the past who convinced themselves to do unspeakable things were no less human than you or I. They made their decisions; the only thing that prevents history from repeating itself is making different ones.
-- Adam Serwer
My blog
2012/08/13 22:10:53
Subject: Genius facing 15 years in prison for attempting to steal in-game money
I hear its how kids entertain themselves. You know. SInce there's no school to occupy them. Nothing kills an afternoon like snatching up tourists and making prank calls to the family about how you want
Europe has Soccer, NA has baseball/football, Aus has rugby, Africa has genocide, and SA has kidnapping.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2012/08/13 22:13:51
The people in the past who convinced themselves to do unspeakable things were no less human than you or I. They made their decisions; the only thing that prevents history from repeating itself is making different ones.
-- Adam Serwer
My blog
2012/08/13 22:23:29
Subject: Re:Genius facing 15 years in prison for attempting to steal in-game money
juraigamer wrote:Defiantly not up to par with some of the eve online scams.
Yea this has nothing on Eve. That's a hardcore game right there, I can only stand it for a few months at a time.
I heard a story where someone lost thousands(4, I think) of dollars in game time because a freighter was destroyed in 0.0 space.
Makes me kinda want to play again...
One guy created am in-game bank, and then embezzled over $100,000 worth of real money from it. ...well, embezzled is barely the right world. Whats it called when thebank manager empties the vault and flees to Belize?
2012/08/14 00:39:59
Subject: Genius facing 15 years in prison for attempting to steal in-game money
juraigamer wrote:Defiantly not up to par with some of the eve online scams.
Yea this has nothing on Eve. That's a hardcore game right there, I can only stand it for a few months at a time.
I heard a story where someone lost thousands(4, I think) of dollars in game time because a freighter was destroyed in 0.0 space.
Makes me kinda want to play again...
One guy created am in-game bank, and then embezzled over $100,000 worth of real money from it. ...well, embezzled is barely the right world. Whats it called when thebank manager empties the vault and flees to Belize?
Ahead of the curve.
2012/08/14 01:01:58
Subject: Genius facing 15 years in prison for attempting to steal in-game money
juraigamer wrote:Defiantly not up to par with some of the eve online scams.
Yea this has nothing on Eve. That's a hardcore game right there, I can only stand it for a few months at a time.
I heard a story where someone lost thousands(4, I think) of dollars in game time because a freighter was destroyed in 0.0 space.
Makes me kinda want to play again...
One guy created am in-game bank, and then embezzled over $100,000 worth of real money from it. ...well, embezzled is barely the right world. Whats it called when thebank manager empties the vault and flees to Belize?
Ahead of the curve.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2012/08/14 01:02:36
2012/08/14 01:07:34
Subject: Genius facing 15 years in prison for attempting to steal in-game money
Howard A Treesong wrote:I don't even get this. People are buying fictional money with real money?
Can't wait for this Warcraft type stuff to be used as a front for money laundering.
this guy spent $16000 on a sword for a computer game that hadn't even been released yet, and there was no company like kickstarter then, he just really needed that damn pretend sword
The centre of a massive brood chamber, heaving and pulsating.
I would try out EVE, but it seems to be so utterly filled with "I IS HARDCORE TROLOLOLOLOL!!!!!!11!1ONE!!!1111!" that I'm severely put off.
Squigsquasher, resident ban magnet, White Knight, and general fethwit.
buddha wrote: I've decided that these GW is dead/dying threads that pop up every-week must be followers and cultists of nurgle perpetuating the need for decay. I therefore declare that that such threads are heresy and subject to exterminatus. So says the Inquisition!
2012/08/15 21:58:00
Subject: Genius facing 15 years in prison for attempting to steal in-game money
at my FLGS there was a story about EVE.
the cashiers guild(or whatever they call them) Hired people based on the language they spoke, and then there was here two rival guilds met IRL at a hotel(they took planes there) and one sabatoged the other by cutting the internet to the whole hotel so they wouldnt be able to get into the game.
5000pts 6000pts 3000pts
2012/08/15 22:11:57
Subject: Genius facing 15 years in prison for attempting to steal in-game money
This thread actually makes me less guilty for dropping quite a bit of money on GW minis now knowing there are people out there who spends money to get pretend money.
2012/08/15 22:33:00
Subject: Genius facing 15 years in prison for attempting to steal in-game money
Fafnir wrote:Our economy runs on fiat currency. Everything of monetary value is essentially quantified in 1's and 0's.
The goods are usually somewhat more substantial than fake money.
You know, he's got a point. Real cash is only worth something because people agreed to it. So when people agree to virtual money having value, there's really not much of a difference there.
Your own dollar banknote was originally a substitute for gold and silver, and supposed to be convertable at the bank. This development was further enforced by Executive Order 6102, making possession of gold in value of excess of $100 a crime punishable by up to 10 years in prison - some people even suspect this was a panic reaction to people beginning to withdraw more gold than was available, which would have eventually crashed the currency as only 40% of bank notes were actually backed by real gold at that time. In essence, the government had printed banknotes that were worth not even half the value they were officially traded for.
Of course, nobody really cares about the gold standard anymore these days. The world has adapted to the idea of a fiat currency. Whether this is on paper or in some online game doesn't make a difference - as long as at least two people would be willing to trade one for another, it's as good a currency as the other. After all, it's just one additional step to a physical good or service.
Or not even that, as the mounted girl ... err, the girl with her mount has shown.
2012/08/15 22:49:34
Subject: Genius facing 15 years in prison for attempting to steal in-game money
MetalOxide wrote:This thread actually makes me less guilty for dropping quite a bit of money on GW minis now knowing there are people out there who spends money to get pretend money.
Aren't tangible goods great?
I beg of you sarge let me lead the charge when the battle lines are drawn
Lemme at least leave a good hoof beat they'll remember loud and long
Desert Hunters of Vior'la 
The Purge 
Iron Hands 
Adepts of Pestilence 
Tallaran Desert Raiders 
Grey Knight Teleport Assault Force
5000pts 
6000pts 
3000pts
3000+
Death Company, Converted Space Hulk Termies
