VIRTUAL REALITY – A NEW DIMENSION OF THREATS

In November, in the Lipsko district (Poland) a computer gamer decided to track down a ‘fellow gamer’ in the real world in a bid to seize his valuable in-game equipment. He reached him through image photos shared by the player and information from chat conversations.

Computer games are not only about pure rivalry between players, but also about the possibility of improving one’s equipment by acquiring so-called “skins”. Skins may be obtained in-game or purchased, and the value of such a skin may even reach several thousand zlotys. The equipment of an avid gamer can therefore be worth a lot. It is therefore no surprise that thieves have also appeared in the virtual world.

The loss of equipment in a game can be associated with real property loss. The player suffers property damage consisting of the loss of items which, although not material, have a value that can be easily expressed in money.

One player in Poland was tempted to make a quick profit when, while playing a popular computer game, he met a player who had skins on his account which were valuable and rare. The victim, a 19-year-old resident of the Lipsk district, shared a real-life photo of himself on his profile and admitted in chat conversations which school he attended. This allowed the perpetrator to reach the player and, under threat of bodily harm, force him to send the acquired skins in the game. Fortunately, no tragedy occurred this time, but let’s be mindful of what information we provide online and for what purpose it can be used.

We live in a time where technology is developing at a dizzying pace and security in the digital world is becoming increasingly complicated, so police officers are appealing for sensible and safe use of the web.

Link(s)

Wirtualna rzeczywistość – nowy wymiar zagrożeń – Aktualności – Policja Mazowiecka

Keywords: virtual reality, threats in virtual reality, safe in internet, security in digital world

Author(s): Central Office for Combating Cybercrime, Masovian Police