clipped from: www.guardian.co.uk Police in the Netherlands have arrested a teenager suspected of stealing virtual objects inside a popular social networking site, it has emerged.
The 17-year-old, who has not been named, is alleged to have tricked players of 3D cartoon world Habbo Hotel before removing a number of virtual items they had bought. It is believed to be the first time European officers have arrested someone for stealing virtual property.
"The accused lured victims into handing over their Habbo passwords by creating fake Habbo websites," said a spokesman for Sulake, the Finnish company that runs Habbo. "As in many other virtual worlds, scamming for other people's personal information such as user names has been problematic for quite a while."
Police in Amsterdam confirmed that five other teenagers were being questioned over the theft, which is believed to have netted items worth around €4,000 (£2,800).