Threat Management

World of Warcraft cyber crime ring busted by authorities in China

Ten men in China have received prison sentences for purchasing and profiting off of 11,500 compromised World of Warcraft accounts.

According to a report by Zhejiang Online, Chen, the ringleader, will serve two years behind bars and pay an $8,000 fine, while his cohorts will serve less than two years in jail and each pay a $1,000 fine.

The men did not perform the hijacking themselves, but instead purchased the login information in underground market websites for $1 per account. Once they had access, the miscreants profited by selling the gold and gaming accessories associated with each account for roughly $3 a piece.

The profit totaled at least $10,800, according to the report. With close to 7.6 million users, World of Warcraft is one of the most popular online role-playing games, according to a November earning report.

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