EVE Online player scammed 850 billion ISK (in-game currency)

**Raz** · 09-05-2010, 13:21

Roughly equal to $45 000 USD.

I'm not sure if this belongs here or in the Arena (or some stickied thread somewhere), or whether or not anyone actually plays the game or is remotely interested. I don't play it but I found this highly intriguing.

People were investing their ISK into a guy's corporation so he could spend it on stuff to give his investors a profit on return. Eventually he just stopped everything and took all the assets and money for himself.

I suppose it could be likened to a MMO in-game pyramid scheme. Hilarious!

Source:
http://www.eveonline.com/ingameboard...readID=1378711

**Ronin** · 09-05-2010, 14:39

don´t hate the player...hate the game! :P

**Monk** · 09-06-2010, 17:57

The double-edged sword of the pure sandbox style of EVE. If i recall, the official stance on scams of this nature from the developers: "Sucks to be you."

**Beskar** · 09-06-2010, 18:01

Originally Posted by Monk

The double-edged sword of the pure sandbox style of EVE. If i recall, the official stance on scams of this nature from the developers: "Sucks to be you."

It is because the rest of the game has no substance, so they hope the drama keeps people interested and involved.

**Shibumi** · 09-13-2010, 09:41

IIRC, isn't stuff like this the whole point of the game?

I kind of like the fact that the game reflects the real world, and offers the same moral decisions we all have to make.

**Beskar** · 09-13-2010, 14:28

Originally Posted by Shibumi

I kind of like the fact that the game reflects the real world, and offers the same moral decisions we all have to make.

Actually, it isn't. There is no consequence for your actions.

If you get killed, you end up in some clone body.
If you pull off a massive scam like this, you just hand over items/etc to your alternative character.

You don't really have 'revenge' against single players

**Shibumi** · 09-13-2010, 17:56

Beskar, you are right and wrong.

Sure, it is not the same life and death situations as in the real world... However, pull of a scam like that and you risk losing friends in the online world.

He must have played for quite some time to be able to pull it off, built up relations, made friends... Some of these friends will frown on such behavior, I am sure. But then, maybe he does not care.

I wouldnt pull of a scam like that as my contacts are worth more than eventual financial gain, real money or game money.

**Beskar** · 09-13-2010, 18:10

Majority of "online" friends aren't worth the salt after you leave the game, they are only worth anything whilst in the environment, unless you make close friends with them outside of it.

So with Eve, you only really ever talked was about Eve, perhaps some sidebanter, but Eve is the melting pot. Once you leave, you quickly end up losing 'contacts' mainly because you got nothing to talk about (so no more eve melting pot), or they are so focused on Eve, they don't have the time for a 'non-Eve' friend.

Sort of how when you change jobs, or move to a new town/city, you will lose your contacts and friends from the old job/location, only keeping in touch with one or two.

This guy just made $45,000. He isn't going to care too much about some faceless people and especially after doing that, he is going to find the game itself boring.

There was that incident where some one murdered some one else over ingame stuff though, but I think that was in South Korea...

**Sasaki Kojiro** · 09-13-2010, 18:10

That's pretty sleazy.

**Meneldil** · 09-13-2010, 18:37

I've read a few pages of this thread. Apparently the guy is doing it just for the kicks. He said he intends to make an even bigger scam in the future and that this money will be used to fund it.

Eve Online seems to be worse than WoW when it comes to e-peen. This dude is being a jerk just to become a celebrity.

**Shibumi** · 09-13-2010, 19:23

Originally Posted by Meneldil

This dude is being a jerk just to become a celebrity.

See, just like in real life ;)

Beskar, I have kept some friends from online games (quite a few). Regardless though, given he invested loads of energy into the game, he probably appreciate those loose "friends". But then, yeah, 43k usd is a good reason to scam for some people :)

As a sidenote; anyone trusting a character called "Bad Bobby" representing "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels" kind of have themselves to blame, amirite?

**ArpeggiateTHIS** · 09-16-2010, 10:05

Originally Posted by Beskar

You don't really have 'revenge' against single players

Not sure about that; (should my ";" be there?) there does come a point where being constantly harassed and abused would get to you and I'm sure that you'd get utterly decimated whenever you stepped out of the security zone. You'd be forced into an alt account, but that guy should know when to quit since he's one of the only people to have come out of a MMORPG with equal/more than they put in!

Originally Posted by Shibumi

As a sidenote; anyone trusting a character called "Bad Bobby" representing "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels" kind of have themselves to blame, amirite?

Definitely, he should just laugh in their faces.

EDIT: Wow, they don't even sound that angry!

**Crazed Rabbit** · 09-18-2010, 05:30

Originally Posted by Beskar

Actually, it isn't. There is no consequence for your actions.

If you get killed, you end up in some clone body.
If you pull off a massive scam like this, you just hand over items/etc to your alternative character.

You don't really have 'revenge' against single players

That seems like a big problem.

If you cheated some real life people out of millions or hundreds of millions, and merrily skipped away from law enforcement, one of them would be likely to hire someone to go after you and 'take care' of you.

But in the game, you just laugh, transfer the funds to a new account, and go on scamming with a perfectly new identity. The risk, even in just the game world, has been severely reduced.

CR