Police Arrest Teenager Over Virtual Theft

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."

The website, which has around 6 million users each month, is popular among teenagers and younger web surfers around the world. Users of the site are able to create and dress characters, or decorate their virtual hotel rooms with items and furniture bought using real money.

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).

The sale of virtual goods for internet games and online worlds is a boom industry, with the market currently valued at around £750m a year. Despite the popularity of virtual environments such as World of War craft and Second Life, virtual property laws remain untested in most parts of the world.

Police in China have been tackling cases of virtual theft for years, including instances of organized gangs engaging in online robbery. Last year officers in the southern city of Shenzhen arrested more than 40 suspects who were accused of stealing up to 700,000 yuan (£45,500) worth of virtual items from users of one popular website, QQ.