A Czech player was cheated out of selling a weapon skin in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. He was deprived of around 1,000 euros. The police in Pilsen have started an investigation.
What happened? Some skins in CS:GO can be really valuable. In January, a rare weapon skin was sold for $150,000.
A Czech player, on the other hand, found the rare knife skin Talon Knife | Fade. He agreed with the buyer on a price of 30,000 Czech crowns, which is equivalent to 1,163 euros.
However, the sale went wrong, and the buyer kept a large part of the money. The police are now investigating and have issued an official statement on the matter.
Sale went wrong, police warns against online purchases
How did the sale happen? According to the police in Pilsen, the buyer and seller had agreed in advance that 4,000 crowns, about 155 euros, would be transferred upfront. Afterwards, the skin was to be sent, and the remaining money transferred.
But the second part of the transfer did not happen. The buyer kept the remaining 1,008 euros and did not get back in touch.
What exactly is the police doing? In a statement, the police announced that they have initiated criminal proceedings on suspicion of fraud and will continue to investigate the case (via policie.cz).
The fraudster could even face a prison sentence. Fraud against the property of another can, according to the Legislationonline website, be punished in the Czech Republic with up to 2 years of imprisonment.
The police also warns in the statement against buying or selling things online from strangers.
Why is this so interesting? The internet is seen by some users as a lawless space. Insults and fraud are a problem in online games and should be reported just like other crimes.
What can be done against crime in online games has been discussed by MeinMMO editor-in-chief Leya Jankowski with cyber criminologist Thomas-Gabriel Rüdiger in a podcast:
Crime in online games – What can be done about it? Find out in the MeinMMO podcast
