Eve Online Heist of the Century

[Aerothas]

This gave me a few laughs.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8132547.stm

Billions stolen in online robbery
Space trading game Eve Online has suffered a virtual version of the credit crunch.

One of the game's biggest financial institutions lost a significant chunk of its deposits as a huge theft started a run on the bank.

One of the bank's controllers stole about 200bn kredits and swapped them for real world cash of £3,115.

As news of the theft spread, many of the bank's customers rushed to remove their virtual cash.

Space scandal

The theft from EBank took place in early June but only now have details emerged about the amount of money stolen and why it was taken.

The theft was carried out by EBank's chief executive, a player known as Ricdic, now known to be a 27-year-old Australian who works in the technology industry. His full identity has not been revealed save that his first name is Richard.

The stolen kredits amounted to 8% of the 2.6tn that Ebank had in its virtual vaults.

"Basically this character was one of the people who had been running EBank for a while. He took a bunch of (virtual) money out of the bank, and traded it away for real money," Ned Coker, of Icelandic company CCP which runs Eve, told the Reuters news agency.

Eve Online has about 300,000 players all of whom inhabit the same online universe. The game revolves around trade, mining asteroids and the efforts of different player-controlled corporations to take control of swathes of virtual space.

It has now emerged that Ricdic used the cash to put down a deposit on a house and to pay medical bills.

"I'm not proud of it at all, that's why I didn't brag about it," Ricdic told Reuters. "But you know, if I had to do it again, I probably would've chosen the same path based on the same situation."

Ricdic has now been thrown out of the game as trading in-game cash for real money is against Eve Online's terms and conditions.

The rules governing play within Eve would not have sanctioned Ricdic if he had simply stolen the cash and used it in the game, nor if he had bought kredits with real dollars.

The scandal is not the first to play out in Eve Online. In early 2009 one of the game's biggest corporations, called Band of Brothers, was brought down by industrial espionage.

[Domathoine]

I liked the part where it was legal to use real money to BUY the in-game cash, but not to sell it.

I also like the part where they wouldn't have done anything if he used it in-game.

Makes me lol.

[Aerothas]

I liked the part where it was legal to use real money to BUY the in-game cash, but not to sell it.

I also like the part where they wouldn't have done anything if he used it in-game.

Makes me lol.

Ever hear of Jonathan Yantis? I know someone who met him at the EverQuest Las Vegas Fanfaire (Happy Birthday Grabbit). Way back when online currency was worth a lot; even more than what this article describes.

All I can say is,
Kudos to Ricdic.

[Lonskils]

mysuperstore.com right?

[Aerothas]

mysuperstore.com right?

mysupersales.com but yeah, that's him. He sold it to IGE for god knows how much. Enough money to have the balls to wear the 'Yantis' name tag at the EQ Vegas Fanfaire and have a suite in Vegas during said Fanfaire.

[Lonskils]

He pretty much invented gold selling heh or took it to a level that they've yet to really do better than today.

[Domathoine]

He and whatever his main competition are the sole reason that gold selling is where it is today. Without him, it wouldn't be anywhere near the industry its become.

[Andriana Duskrose]

If I remember the number tossed around correctly, Yantis sold it to IGE for around $10 million.

[Stosh]

Sadly, reading about the drama in Eve Online is infinitely more entertaining than actually playing the game.

[Andaas]

I guess the original story is interesting and all, but it was valued at ~$3000 US? I mean, call me crazy, but there has been more theft from individual guilds in a single event than that.

[Aerothas]

I guess the original story is interesting and all, but it was valued at ~$3000 US? I mean, call me crazy, but there has been more theft from individual guilds in a single event than that.

'

It was enough to make BBC news? Regardless of the amount, I still find it funny.

[Stosh]

I guess the original story is interesting and all, but it was valued at ~$3000 US? I mean, call me crazy, but there has been more theft from individual guilds in a single event than that.

The thing I find interesting is that he administered a player run bank and that hundreds of players willingly gave him their money. Picture the reaction to somebody in Ironforge spamming trade chat asking people to invest their gold...

[Sabertootth]

i would do that!

[Aindayen]

If I remember the number tossed around correctly, Yantis sold it to IGE for around $10 million.

Aye I believe this to be correct, as I couldn't believe the number at the time.

Ain

[Aerothas]

In January 2004, IGE acquired its major competitor, Yantis Enterprises, run by another controversial secondary market figure, Jonathan Yantis for $2.4 million and 37% of the company. He later sold his shares back to the company in exchange for 22 monthly payments of $1 million

That's a bit more than $10 million... Although it does explain the parties in Vegas.

PS. The 'smiley' for money blows.... It should be:

[Lonskils]

That's just some insane amount of real money for a company that sells nothing but pixels of gold on the backs of slave labor.

[Lonskils]

http://www.facebook.com/people/Jonat...tis/1498472586

[Aerothas]

http://www.facebook.com/people/Jonat...tis/1498472586

I don't think that's him, I've seen a picture of him. Trying to find it but the Township Rebellion website is down.

[Berae]

I also like the part where they wouldn't have done anything if he used it in-game.

Makes me lol.

In Eve Online, the GMs take the stance of "if you are scammed, you're an idiot, it's your fault". Really cuts down on the tickets