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vikingpower
Stranger
Registered: 12/29/08
Posts: 125
Last seen: 13 years, 11 months
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Warcraft helps catch a crook
#11768717 - 01/05/10 05:37 AM (14 years, 4 months ago) |
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http://videogames.yahoo.com/events/plugged-in/warcraft-helps-catch-a-crook/1383804
Criminals can run, but they can't hide. Especially if they play World of Warcraft.
Just ask Alfred Hightower. Having successfully left the country to avoid being nabbed for dealing drugs, the fugitive figured he was home free. But thanks to his insistence on keeping up with his World of Warcraft habit, Hightower was tracked down by authorities and is now in custody, reports The Kokomo Perspective.
The saga begins in 2007, when Indiana's Howard County Sheriff's Department issued a warrant for Hightower's arrest on charges of dealing in multiple controlled substances. U.S. Marshals were unable to locate the suspect, although a tip placed him in Canada.
According to Howard County deputy Matt Roberson, authorities came upon the Warcraft connection during their investigation into Hightower's background.
“We received information that this guy was a regular player of an online game, which was referred to as ‘some warlock and witches’ game,” he told The Perspective. “None of that information was sound enough to pursue on its own, but putting everything we had together gave me enough evidence to send a subpoena to Blizzard Entertainment. I knew exactly what he was playing — World of Warcraft. I used to play it. It’s one of the largest online games in the world.”
Blizzard played ball, giving up Hightower's account history, IP address, screen name, billing address and preferred game server. One Google Earth search later, and Canadian authorities had apprehended Hightower in Ottowa, Ontario.
“You hear stories about you can’t get someone through the Internet,” said Roberson. “Guess what??You can. I just did. Here you are, playing World of Warcraft, and you never know who you’re playing with.”
Warcraft is just the latest ally in gaming's war against crime. Several weeks ago, police tracked down a New York thief by tracing his online gaming on a stolen Xbox. Federal officials have even begun using Sony's Playstation 3 to crack passwords used by child pornographers.
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numonkei
Back! From thedigestive tractof dave theiguana!

Registered: 04/12/06
Posts: 2,500
Loc: A Tree
Last seen: 7 years, 2 months
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Re: Warcraft helps catch a crook [Re: vikingpower]
#11775621 - 01/06/10 09:57 AM (14 years, 4 months ago) |
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Yup, saw this coming about a decade point five away.
You really got to read those policies that you sign to and keep them in mind, even if they are forty pages, those are usually the ones with provisions to fuck you.
On that note, fuck Blizzard. They've sucked since the second Warcraft and Diablo games. When was the last time Bethesda ever got anyone arrested?
~Monk
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Asante
Omnicyclion prophet


Registered: 02/06/02
Posts: 87,643
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Re: Warcraft helps catch a crook [Re: vikingpower]
#11775783 - 01/06/10 10:32 AM (14 years, 4 months ago) |
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Definitely Alliance.
-------------------- Omnicyclion.org higher knowledge starts here
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Spiderwort
Stranger

Registered: 03/20/09
Posts: 184
Last seen: 12 years, 5 months
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Re: Warcraft helps catch a crook [Re: Asante]
#11787637 - 01/08/10 01:45 AM (14 years, 4 months ago) |
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Quote:
Wiccan_Seeker said:
Definitely Alliance.

Fuck Alliance. /end
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Heffy
BrauMeister



Registered: 08/30/04
Posts: 3,262
Loc: International Traveller
Last seen: 6 years, 2 days
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Re: Warcraft helps catch a crook [Re: Spiderwort]
#11788203 - 01/08/10 07:45 AM (14 years, 4 months ago) |
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If you were a drug dealer on the run I would assume you would be paranoid enough to buy a new copy of the game, and create an account that wasn't registered to your real name.
-------------------- I am the king of Rome, and above grammar! - Emperor Sigismund
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NobodyImportant
Stranger


Registered: 05/04/08
Posts: 1,016
Loc: Jawjuh.
Last seen: 11 years, 9 months
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Re: Warcraft helps catch a crook [Re: Heffy]
#11790462 - 01/08/10 03:38 PM (14 years, 4 months ago) |
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"Federal officials have even begun using Sony's Playstation 3 to crack passwords used by child pornographers. "
LMAO, They have just discovered the power of the playstation, do they really not have any more powerful computing system
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