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Biggest EVE Online scam ever recorded nets over a trillion ISK
Of all the stories that come out of EVE Online's colossal sandbox, it's the tales of criminality and dirty dealings that grab our attention the most. Thefts and scams would be cause for account closure in most MMOs, but they form a legitimate and dark part of the EVE universe. The famous Guiding Hand Social Club heist of 2005, Ricdic's EBank scandal and last year's massive 800 billion ISK Titans4U scam are just a few of the most high-profile thefts and scams to hit the EVE community over the years. Today the biggest scam ever recorded hit thousands of EVE Online players like a brick in the face, netting a record one trillion ISK in final takings. Proving that old ideas still work, Eddie Lampert and Mordor Exuel pulled off a simple Ponzi scheme on a massive scale. Promising unprecedented returns of 5% per week on invested ISK, the duo convinced over 4,000 players to open accounts in their Phaser Inc. investment scheme. Many initially dubious players were eventually convinced to invest by real testimonials from their friends and corpmates. Over 1,831.67 billion ISK was invested, 345.18 billion of which was paid out as interest and 452.72 billion of which was withdrawn by wary investors. When the business closed up earlier today its owners collected the remaining 1,034 billion ISK. To put that massive number in perspective, it's enough to buy 2,953 30-day time codes worth a total of $51,677.50.
Apple Store security plan irks merchants, locals
Apple has a gorgeous retail store in the swanky community of Greenwich Connecticut. The beautiful facade and lovely arched windows may soon be adorned with a security gate and this addition is causing a stir in the small, upper-class community. Apple is installing the gate after a theft last year resulted in the loss of thousands of dollars in computers, phones and tablets. While Apple may be happy with the gate, its neighbors are not. Some elected city officials and nearby merchants are criticizing the nighttime security measure. Naysayers claim the gate is "ugly", "unsightly" and gives the impression the retail district is not safe. One even says it will make the area look like Lebanon. Regardless of what others think, Town Planner Diane Fox says her office has no control over interior modifications like the one Apple is planning. [Via ifoAppleStore]
Sprint's Assurant Advanced Protection Pack protects against theft and damage, not alliteration
What's the price of peace of mind, when it comes to the safety of your shiny new HTC EVO View 4G or Samsung Galaxy Tab? How does $13 a month sound? That price will get you a membership in Sprint's not-so-exclusive Assurant Advanced Protection Pack club. Included in the cost are a device locator, malware protection, remote log-in help, and a replacement or repair, should a qualified netbook, notebook, or tablet suffer from mechanical or electric problems. Sprint will also help out if you accidentally damage it (i.e., not what's happening in the image above), or get it lost or stolen -- the last three do involve a $100 deductible, however. No one ever said protection was going to be cheap.
EVE Evolved: Learning to let go
Bombarded by the epic stories emerging from EVE Online's colossal social sandbox, thousands of MMO addicts per month give in to temptation and pick up a free trial. Most drop the trial for one reason or another, but those who continue on to a full game subscription often fall into a common trap. Some enjoy the concept of the game enough to subscribe for a month, and a portion of those get invested enough in skill plans and the mission grind to stick about for two or three months. It's rare for a new or trial player to actually get into PvP or start creating the same epic sandbox stories that drew them to the game in the first place, but this is exactly what they should be doing right from day one. New players often spend their entire trial or first month of gameplay attempting to grapple with the enormity of EVE, absorbing as much information as they can in order to make informed decisions for themselves. It's easy to fall into the trap of thinking months of training skills and learning the basics of the game through reading or PvE will be required before you can PvP competitively or begin crafting your own epic story. I firmly believe that the real learning curve of EVE is in learning to let go of these ideas and to accept the loss of ships or items as part of the game. I believe new players need to discard their pre-conceived notions of death penalty, what skill points represent, and the idea of preparing for endgame. In this week's EVE Evolved, I look at how EVE is actually very forgiving for new players getting into PvP immediately, I challenge the learning curve myth, and I encourage new pilots to drop themselves into EVE at the deep end.
Tennessee bill broadens scope of 'theft,' wide enough to include web-based subscription services?
This week, Tennessee signed a bill that made waves across the web, with many sites claiming that sharing your log-in credentials for services such as Netflix could soon land you in the slammer. The actual story isn't that simple. The bill essentially adds onto laws pertaining to the theft of 'services' in the legal sense by covering more things that can be defined under the title. For instance, the original list included cable services, to keep folks from jacking free HBO -- now, stealing "entertainment subscription services" can make you a felon as well. Tennessee has always been a hotspot for the recording industry, so there's almost no question about what this bill was meant to fight; during a senate hearing for the bill, the RIAA itself explained that online music services could be pirated via password sharing. It also added, though, that users who share passwords "en-masse" are the focus, rather than individual cases like it had pursued in the past. However, this bill covers more than online services and could even extend to physical media such as magazines, another example vulnerable to this type of theft. Furthermore, while sharing passwords to these "entertainment services" may be illegal after its enactment on July 1st, that's not what this legislation is technically about; the RIAA would still need to prove that password sharing equates to theft in a court of law. You can check the links down below for more details.
Sony makes good, doles out identity protection activation codes for PSN and Qriocity users
Still feeling burned by Sony's record-breaking PlayStation Network outage? Fret not, promised reparations have arrived: a short form on the PlayStation website is now distributing activation codes for a free year of Debix AllClear ID Plus identity theft protection. The offer is good for all US PSN and Qriocity account holders who activate before June 28th, netting users up to $1 million in identity theft insurance coverage. Feel better? Hit the source link below to get your redemption code.
Xperia Play shipment to New Zealand stolen, Vodafone launch delayed (update: fake)
As if Sony Ericsson hasn't already had enough headaches with the Xperia Play. here comes Vodafone New Zealand with the announcement that its launch shipment of the gamer-friendly smartphone has been... stolen! We don't know how many Xperia Plays were in those crates, but it must take a pretty sophisticated operation to snatch up all of Voda's supply for an entire country. This slight hitch in transportation blatant lie follows an unexplained delay in shipments reaching the UK last month, and will compound shortages already caused by limited production capacity in Japan. Man, imagine how terrible this news might have been if the Play actually had any games worth playing. Update: It's all fake. Vodafone recently released some "security footage" of the "theft" in action, which only served to immediately incite outrage in viewers of the clip, and a Vodafone New Zealand spokesperson admitted to The Australian that the company made up the whole thing. For shame.
EVE Evolved: Emergence in the sandbox
We often hear about the amazing things players get up to in EVE Online, from full-scale political wars and massive heists to collaborative business ventures and high-profile kills. While we can all enjoy these tales of high-powered exploits from afar, they can be difficult to relate to the actual game experience. Most of us will never be the puppet master pulling the strings of alliance warfare or the mastermind of some great theft, but we don't have to be. Smaller examples of emergent and opportunistic gameplay exist all over EVE in the daily play of thousands of individuals. I've always thought of EVE less as a game and more as a giant social sandbox with spaceships -- a story about what people do when left alone in each other's company. Players naturally take on roles for which they have a strong aptitude, crafting completely new gameplay styles for themselves in the process. The entrepreneurs among us spy opportunities never imagined by the game's developers, tech-savvy individuals sell web-services, and artists craft propaganda for recruitment or a war on their enemy's morale. Countless players carve their own game out of the EVE universe, and there's no reason you can't be one of them. In this week's EVE Evolved, I look at some of the unique gameplay experiences players have engineered for themselves over the years and the community that makes EVE what it is.
Man uses Prey to track stolen MacBook Pro hundreds of miles, calls thief
Here's an incredible story of how author Sean Power retrieved his stolen 17" MacBook Pro from 800km away, using Prey and Twitter. Sean's bag containing his laptop, some money and other important items was stolen. Three days later, he received a report from Prey noting the computer's location and a picture of the alleged thief, which was taken by the MBP's camera. Soon the man in custody of the laptop launched Skype from a bar, and Sean was able to learn his name. Sean then took to Twitter, explaining the situation to his followers, who began to do a Google search on the name, determining that he was part owner of the bar. Sean then contacted the police while a Twitter follower volunteered to wait for them to arrive at the bar, posing as a woman who was waiting on a friend. The police never arrived, noting that Sean hadn't filed a stolen item report. In the meantime, Sean watched as the man checked his email and even his bank account. Eventually, Sean called the man's cell phone. The man freely gave up the laptop, bag and all of the stolen belongings to people in the bar. It's an incredible story, and one that could have gone very wrong (approaching an alleged thief is best left to police). Prey played no small role. This piece of software can take photos of a person using a computer as well as sceenshots, all undetected. It will use either GPS or Wi-Fi triangulation to note its location, and it can keep your data locked down. It's an incredible story, and we're glad it worked out. Congratulations to Sean and Prey.
Sony offers free Debix identify theft protection for PSN and Qriocity hack victims in US
Sony's "Welcome Back" package of free software and PlayStation Plus subscriptions was a nice gesture, but it won't help you if your credit card gets fraudulently charged in the aftermath of the PlayStation Network debacle. That, however, is exactly what Debix is for. Sony's announced that it will provide a complimentary one-year subscription to Debix's "AllClear ID Plus" identity theft protection service to all PlayStation Network and Qriocity account holders in the United States, which will attempt to protect your personal data from harm, by both monitoring known criminal activity for your private digits and providing up to $1 million in ID theft insurance coverage. We've never used Debix, so we can't vouch for its reliability, and this particular plan admittedly doesn't look quite as comprehensive as the one Debix offers regular customers for $10 a month. Still, some peace of mind is a heck of a lot better than none, so we think we might take Sony up on its offer and sign up by the June 18th deadline. If you'd like to join us, you should find an activation code in your inbox before long.
Sony responds to Congress: all 77 million PSN accounts compromised, finger pointed at Anonymous
We've heard Sony explain itself at length regarding the gigantic PlayStation Network breach, but this might be the most useful version of the story yet -- it's the one that Sony's Kaz Hirai is forwarding to US Congress members concerned about your personal information. The official PlayStation.Blog has the full English document up on Flickr for your perusal, and we'll warn you it's much the same tale -- Sony says all 77 million PSN and Qriocity accounts have had information stolen, but the company's still not sure exactly which pieces have gone missing, whether credit card numbers are compromised or not, or who could be behind the hack. Sony does say, however, that it had 12.3 million credit card numbers on file, and 5.6 million of them from the US, and that investigators found a file on one of the servers named "Anonymous" with the words "We are Legion" inside it. Hard to draw many conclusions from that. Update: Anonymous has apparently responded saying it "has never been known to have engaged in credit card theft."
Apple Store thieves descend from roof in San Francisco
ifoAppleStore.com is reporting that thieves broke into the Chestnut Street Apple Store in San Francisco last night, apparently entering the store through the roof straight into the inventory area in back of the store, and making off with an undisclosed amount of Apple devices. Unfortunately, I can't find any other reports of the crime online, but since it's apparently a recent happening, we'll have to take the blog's word for it. They also say that the building in San Francisco is surrounded by other buildings of the same height, so it wouldn't have been too hard for thieves to climb over and drop in on the Apple establishment. The police of course have access to a number of video cameras in the area, so hopefully they'll catch these thieves before long. Unfortunately, Apple Stores, full of expensive merchandise, have seen their share of crime lately. Earlier this month in San Diego, an attempted smash-and-grab robbery turned into a shooting, and we've heard about lots of other robberies at Apple retail stores as well. Fortunately, security is about as good as any other retail establishment, but you'll always have thieves trying to test the limits.
EVE Evolved: Three years of EVE Evolved
A few days shy of three years ago, I joined Massively and published the very first edition of this column. Since April 27th, 2008, EVE Online players have received their weekly dose of EVE Evolved every Sunday at 6 p.m. EDT. I still remember the first few articles as if they were published only a few months ago, and three years on I'm almost surprised that the column is still going strong. I often worry about running out of ideas, but as the column's name suggests, EVE is continually evolving and providing new things to discuss. The column now houses over 150 articles on a huge range of topics, from in-depth multi-part guides drawing from first-hand experience to expansion speculation, opinion pieces and even stories. As usual, I'm celebrating the anniversary of the column by running a competition for readers. With the column's readership having grown a lot over the years, I'll be expanding the prize pool this year by giving away three massive mystery prizes worth over 500 million ISK each to three lucky entrants. To enter, all you need to do is leave a comment stating what your favourite EVE Evolved article this year was, what topic you'd like to see covered in a future edition of the column, or what in-game player or organisation you'd like to see featured in an EVE Spotlight interview. You will need an active EVE account to claim the prize, but there's no need to post your character name here. The winners will be contacted via email and their names will be announced in this post on Sunday the 1st of May. UPDATE: Congratulations go to Uniqdragon, mdubs28 and Thorium88, who will be contacted via email to arrange receipt of their prizes. In this week's retrospective EVE Evolved, I look back at some of the highlights from the third year of the column.
Subway riders subject to iPhone thefts
The WSJ's Andrew Grossman reports (subscription required) that New York City's subway riders may be a bit too openhanded with their digital devices. According to NYPD statistics, grand larceny* incidents on the subway were up 18 percent year-over-year from January to March of 2011 (311 reports in total). Transit police brass attribute the spike in pilferage to increased theft of smartphones, and of course, the most popular choice for thieves is the iPhone 4. The article quotes NYPD transit chief Raymond Diaz on the increase: "We've been seeing an incredible trend of young people snatching these cellphones." Diaz also noted that thefts are likelier during the evening rush hour, and that several train lines (Manhattan's Lexington Avenue lines, Brooklyn's J and L trains, and Queens' M, R and 7 lines) seem to be 'hot spots' for thefts. The city's commuter rail lines have also seen a mild spike in thefts. While subway crime in New York remains at an extremely low level compared to historical norms, there are a few tips that Chief Diaz suggests to keep that ride trouble-free. Don't stand near the train doors while using your phone since that would streamline a thief's getaway; be sure to record your iPhone and iPad serial number in your personal records; and, of course, if you have Find My iPhone turned on, you might even get your device back. Police efforts to track down phone-grabbing perps meet with some success; they make arrests in 30 percent of incidents of phones being swiped from owners' hands, and in 56 percent of incidents where force was used in a phone robbery. * While the New York State legal definition of 'grand larceny' is generally perceived to cover property worth $1,000 or more (which is pricier than an iPhone or iPad, unless it's in a very nice case), the definition also applies to about 12 other conditions (i.e., if the theft involves secret scientific formulas, credit cards, cars, guns, religious items, phone phreaking gear or ammonia for making meth), including when the property in question is taken directly from the person who owns it, rather than stolen from an apartment or office when the owner is not present. These subway thefts match that part of the grand larceny law, making them a class E felony. Thanks to our friend in the NYC district attorney's office for clarifying the rules.
That hotel towel you're stealing might have an RFID chip in it
For many travelers, stealing hotel towels or bathrobes is more pastime than petty crime. Hotels, on the other hand, apparently take it more seriously. So seriously, in fact, that some have begun embedding specially crafted RFID tags within their linens, just to help us avoid "accidentally" stuffing them in our suitcases before heading to the check-out desk. The chips, designed by Miami-based Linen Technology Tracking, can be sewn directly into towels, bathrobes or bed sheets, and can reportedly withstand up to 300 wash cycles. If a tagged item ever leaves a hotel's premises, the RFID chip will trip an alarm that will instantly alert the staff, and comprehensively humiliate the guilty party. The system has already paid dividends for one Honolulu hotel, which claims to have saved about $15,000 worth of linens since adopting the system last summer. But small-time crooks needn't get too paranoid. In addition to the hotel in Hawaii, only two other establishments have begun tagging their towels -- one in Manhattan, and one in Miami. All three, however, have chosen to remain anonymous, so swipe at your own (minimal) risk.
iPhone theft results in a tragic death
We have often written feel-good stories about the quick recovery of stolen iPhones, usually with the assistance of Find My iPhone. Unfortunately, today's story of a theft turned horrifying and tragic when a Chicago woman died after a fleeing thief shoved her down a flight of stairs. According to the Chicago Breaking News, Sally Katona-King was standing at the Fullerton station platform on her way home from work during rush hour Monday afternoon when a thief stole the iPhone from another commuter and pushed Katona-King in his haste to flee the scene. Katona-King was hospitalized after falling down a set of stairs at the station and died Tuesday from what officials believe was a cerebral hemorrhage.
Hacker nets two years in jail after pilfering £7 million in virtual poker chips
Crime, it just doesn't pay. Well, actually it does, to the tune of £53,612, but then you get caught and you have to work off that salary with two years at Her Majesty's pleasure. One Ashley Mitchell, an enterprising 29-year old from Devon, England, managed to break into Farmville maker Zynga's mainframe, hijack the identities of two of its staffers, and procure for himself a cool £7 million ($11.4m) in virtual poker chips. He then proceeded to sell about a third of them for the above sum, while consuming a big chunk of the rest in satisfying his own gambling habit. Ashley already had a history of digital malfeasance, having previously hacked into the systems of Torbay Council, his former employer, and is now on the receiving end of a two-year prison term for his current crime plus the activation of a 30-week suspended sentence. There's a warning in this tale of woe for us all, however -- Monsieur Mitchell piggybacked on his neighbors' unsecured WiFi networks in order to do his dastardly deeds. Slap a password on that router, won't you?
Turbine upgrades LotRO's compromised account reimbursement policy
Account security is a worrysome topic in Lord of the Rings Online these days, especially following a reported rise in hacks and thefts among the playerbase. A couple months ago Codemasters implemented a stronger policy to help players recover lost property, a direction that Turbine followed yesterday when it revised its compromised account reimbursement policy. Sapience announced on the LotRO forums that this policy is significantly updated and expanded from the old one. Now when a player's account is hacked, Turbine gives a seven-day window to report the issue, during which the company can restore "most" of the lost items and compensate players for items that cannot be replaced. This, however, is not a true rollback and does not cover accounts compromised before February 24th. Turbine also reassured players that the studio is making it much tougher for unauthorized intruders to delete or sell rare items like raid gear, which should add another layer of protection from losing one's goods.
Find my iPad turns up English rugby legend's missing tablet
Former England rugby captain Will Carling has been reunited with his stolen iPad after tracking it down with Apple's free Find My iPhone app. The best part is that he live-tweeted his hunt for the thief. Carling noticed his iPad was missing after leaving it on a train. He then used Find My iPhone to pinpoint its location and was off. While the chase was no doubt a harrowing experience for Carling, some of his tweets are amusing in hindsight: "breaking news! My Ipad has moved! It is now at the station! This is like Enemy of the State !!" He eventually pushed a message to the iPad telling its handler that s/he was being tracked, "followed" it (virtually) to a police station and rejoiced at its recovery. Well done. This isn't the first time we've heard of a successful recovery via Find My iPhone, but it is the first time we've seen the victim live tweet the process. [Via Computer World]
Organized ring charged with using fake credit cards at Apple Stores
Prosecutors in New York City have charged 27 people with organizing and running a ring of credit card fraud that was used to rip off Apple Stores around the United States. The thieves were able to buy over $1 million of Apple gear by obtaining stolen credit card numbers and manufacturing IDs and credit cards to go along with them, which were then used to simply purchase computers and devices straight from Apple. Those devices were then sold through a fence in Brooklyn, NY. NPR also says that three guns, $300,000 in cash and various bank accounts were seized during the investigation, which apparently went on so long that even when the original ringleader was arrested and placed in jail, he passed messages to his girlfriend about how to keep the ring going. The charges filed involve incidents from June 2008 up to last December, so like a lot of other Apple-related thefts we've seen, the items "purchased" were likely iPhones, iPads and MacBooks. [via MacObserver]
