Two Diablo 3 item hackers had a stroke of bad luck. Although they earned not a dime, they were pursued by the FBI, owe Blizzard a pretty penny, and are considered convicted.
In 2012, the world was also not in order. Blizzard came up with the idea to introduce a real-money auction house in their hack and slash epic “Diablo 3”. This led two hackers, Patrick Nepomuceno and Michael Stinger, to have some foolish thoughts, as reported by the US site Fusion.
According to Stinger’s account, Nepomuceno used a remote access tool with which they could access the computers of people who followed a link that supposedly contained a picture of a “rare item”. In reality, however, this link brought the victims’ computers under Nepomuceno’s control. He logged in the Diablo 3 heroes and took them out.
Stinger claims he wasn’t in it for the money. He didn’t even know what was happening exactly. He merely spread the link and enjoyed “free items” in Diablo 3. Nepomuceno remains silent about the accusations against Fusion.
A crime without victims?
They pulled off the stunt on nearly 30 people, it lasted for three months, they seized items worth $9,000, and put them up in the auction house. But Blizzard was quick: The two were banned, and Blizzard returned the stolen items to their owners. So, no one really got harmed, you could say. A crime without victims. All good, right? Well …
On a fine December morning at 6:00 AM, FBI agents came to Stinger with drawn weapons and charged him with a felony. Although no measurable damage had actually occurred to anyone, gaining access to other people’s computers through a tool is no minor offense.
“It’s just a computer game”
Although the two didn’t make any money from the action – Blizzard banned their accounts before they could sell their loot – the justice system assumed a value of “$8,000” and that catapulted the action into the category of serious crime. The trial, at which the two pleaded guilty, resulted in prison sentences of 2 and 3 years on probation. Additionally, they must pay $5,654.61 to Blizzard for investigative costs.
And perhaps the harshest consequence: They are now considered convicted. While Nepomuceno remains silent, 21-year-old Stinger complains that he is in college and that the black mark on his past will come up in job interviews: “They check my background, and it says that I gained unauthorized access to computers.” That will make it difficult to find a job: “I just wanted virtual items. It was just a computer game.”
