Dutch teen arrested for stealing virtual furniture
by Scott Jon Siegel 
{ Nov 14th 2007 at 6:25PM }
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.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
manguy @ Nov 14th 2007 6:28PM
i knew that habbo was bad news when he entered the room
Dopple Boppler @ Nov 14th 2007 6:33PM
Pool's closed.
Wilson @ Nov 14th 2007 7:18PM
I was gonna say that as soon as I saw that Habbo pic XD
Epic Win
StrangeBum @ Nov 14th 2007 7:29PM
Pools closed due to AIDS!
Blast Processing Megadrive @ Nov 14th 2007 8:42PM
Pool's closed due to furniture theft.
The furniture was full of AIDS and he dumped them in the pool.
gonk @ Nov 14th 2007 6:36PM
sounds just like what the gold farmers do in wow
thethirdmoose @ Nov 14th 2007 6:37PM
You can't "steal" anything online. It's just 1's and 0's. It would have been way easier for Habbo if they had just given the people another copy of the furniture.
Andrew Fong @ Nov 14th 2007 6:43PM
If you go to a bank and ask for the original dollar bills you deposited, they probably can't help you. Odds are, the money's been shifted around somewhere else now. Instead, what they did was flip a bunch of bits in a computer somewhere to signal that you had deposited a certain amount of cash.
So in that sense, your money is made up of 1s and 0s, and if you can't steal money, what can you steal?
thethirdmoose @ Nov 14th 2007 7:16PM
Your analogy is flawed. It is easy and close to free to replicate virtual furniture. It is costly to replicate real furniture. Thus, rather than suing this kid, Habbo should have just given the victims another, close to free copy of the furniture. (Or maybe not, since they were stupid enough to fall for the scam)
quickshade @ Nov 14th 2007 10:15PM
LOL, you can steal anything you want online. If I crack a bank network and get everyone's SS numbers and use them to get money, or get bank account numbers and account info and withdraw money with it I'm stealing. the computer world may be just 1's and 0's but those 2 numbers can get you anything you want in the world now, Hence why network security is among the highest paid jobs in the world. It's also the toughest. Anyways for proof check out Die Hard 4, which sums up what hackers could do with no life and unlimited funds. BTW this reminds me of the sims online, which had people doing this all the time.
rv @ Nov 14th 2007 6:39PM
Why would anyone in their right mind spend 4000 euros on virtual furniture in the first place. You can play a different game that is entertaining that'll cost you only $60. Heck, if you really wanted to, you could download a shitload of games off of torrents for free for endless enjoyment. Wtf is wrong with people? Paying for fucking VIRTUAL furniture is not synonymous with fun for me at all.
gonk @ Nov 14th 2007 6:45PM
that's because you're "smart" :)
Vigi @ Nov 15th 2007 12:36AM
To be fair, it seems that it was stolen from several people. I hope that there isn't a person pathetic enough to buy 4,000 Euro in virtual furniture.
But 400 people spending 10 Euro each on digital furniture seems equally disheartening.
Lone Starr @ Nov 14th 2007 6:55PM
Do you think arrest will stop this brilliant criminal mind? For all we know, prison is just his next MMO.
Chris @ Nov 14th 2007 6:57PM
Nerds dont tend to live long in prison and im sure will do anything to stay out once they taste it, or they taste the nerd(s)
schatten529 @ Nov 14th 2007 6:59PM
That's hilarious!
Anyone buying virtual furniture with real money probably deserved to have this one coming, I can understand using virtual currency earned in-game.
What's the strength of the euro against Habbo coins right now anyway?
Mr Khan @ Nov 14th 2007 7:23PM
About the same as the ratio of Schrute Bucks to Stanley Nickels
civx @ Nov 14th 2007 7:12PM
He was arrested for phishing for peoples account information, not "stealing virtual furniture". What is this, Fox News?
gonk @ Nov 14th 2007 7:21PM
but is that illegal?
Einhanderkiller @ Nov 14th 2007 7:15PM
The Internet is serious business.
Sentry Gun (Jesus) @ Nov 14th 2007 7:23PM
the internet is for porn
Blast Processing Megadrive @ Nov 14th 2007 8:41PM
The Internet is for serious porn.
Patrick @ Nov 14th 2007 8:53PM
The business is for serious porn internet.
gonk @ Nov 14th 2007 10:52PM
business is givin you the business
up yo butt
and let me tell ya
business is boomin
you lookin to expand your business?
business is closed!
dan stabbingworth @ Nov 14th 2007 11:30PM
athf ftw!
Kye (NDF - Earth Ring) @ Nov 14th 2007 7:23PM
Wait, hold up...
He dreamed up a phishing scam - to steal fucking furniture?
Not to raid bank accounts or buy real stuff but to steal virtual, fucking coffee tables!?
Send his dumb ass to prison.
Gangsta Smurf @ Nov 15th 2007 9:50AM
My LOL of the day is yours, my friend.
Mr Khan @ Nov 14th 2007 7:25PM
4,000 Euros? (~$7000)?
Either that's one expensive MMO, or he spent a long time accumulating a lot of stuff
cybereality @ Nov 14th 2007 7:59PM
Yeah, whats up with the 4,000 Euros? That would buy one hell of a real-life living-room set, HDTV and everything. So if we are talking about virtual furniture it had better be a whole friggin' universe made only of LazyBoys. I mean, 4,000 Euros isn't exactly pocket change.
James @ Nov 14th 2007 8:12PM
Wonder if anyone will steal the furniture in Home? Since you have to pay for that.
ColossalHat @ Nov 14th 2007 8:23PM
I'm wondering if anyone will ever play/use home for more than 10 minutes.
James @ Nov 14th 2007 8:28PM
I can see it being quite big with the 2nd Life crowd.
soupbase @ Nov 14th 2007 11:05PM
Need blackup, over.
hydralisk456 @ Nov 14th 2007 11:10PM
/b/lackup on the way!
Grant @ Nov 14th 2007 11:56PM
Phishing = not cool.
Phishing to steal virtual furniture from people dumb enough to buy it from a gay looking MMO social networking game = awesome and ingenious.
i hope they give him a medal.
chances are if you are going to succumb to a phishing scam in the first place, someone else was probably just going to dupe you out of your money eventually...
I mean, they are already playing this sad excuse for a "game".
benjamin @ Nov 15th 2007 7:11AM
The people that tattled on him should stop being such bosnians.