I am currently in the Nation's Capitol for an Internet marketing conference and I am the victim of a crime, even a felony.
It happened while I slept. I was robbed and left for naked... and didn't even know it until late in the afternoon.
Amazingly, there isn't a bruise on my body. Nor have I lost any material possessions.
So what happened? Read on...
Late Friday night, I was enjoying a session of World of Warcraft in my hotel room. The conference had ended for the day and I connected my laptop to the wireless network for some fun before heading to bed.
I awoke Saturday morning and spent the day in the conference room and meeting with my associates.
I came back to my room around 5 pm EST and decided to login to my WoW account.
That's when I was stunned to find myself the victim of a terrible and heinous crime.
My primary character, Riathamus, had been robbed blind.
He was virtually naked.
All his armor and weaponry had been stripped from his body and sold, the gold undoubtedly in the hands of unscrupulous people.
His bank account had been wiped out, save those items which could not be sold, and over 1300 gold was removed from his person.
That was gold that would soon pay for the flying mount Ria would've attained at level 70, which was just hours within his grasp.
All gone.
A further glance revealed that my other characters had also been stripped of their goods and robbed of their bankroll.
All told, I had lost nearly 2000 gold in cash and items.
What happened?
Someone in the hotel must have been using a packet sniffer or keylogger to detect my login and password over the unsecured open network.
In the United States, it is a third-degree felony to login to another person's computer over a wireless network. And it is made worse by those who would seek to cause harm or damage to another person's data in such a way.
Now, don't get me wrong. I wasn't really mugged or beaten.
But I feel violated just the same.
I've enjoyed playing my character on World of Warcraft for several years. To have someone come along and steal from me really upset me.
I have contacted Blizzard's customer support team to see about recovering my stolen gold and items, though I don't know how they typically handle these types of things. I might just end up being naked and penniless for all I know.
Why should you care?
Because losing virtual stuff is one thing, but there are those who would seek to steal far more substantial things from people who use open wireless networks.
How does giving someone to your bank account or paypal account sound? Not so good, right?
It could happen if your computer isn't secured.
Do you use a wireless network at home? If you don't secure it, anyone can use your network and watch your critical data flow by.
Do you travel and use hotel networks? You can be victimized just as easily as I was, only the stolen goods might be far more sensitive material.
I am blogging this entry from my hotel room, but I've since purchased a virtual private network (VPN) service that protects me from further victimization.
Will Blizzard respond by restoring Riathamus and my other characters to their previous state? I don't know.
Regardless, I learned an important lesson about securing my computer. Since it could have been much worse, I think it was a small price to pay.
What do you think? Did I have it coming or are you sympathetic? Your kind words are always appreciated. And if you want to help me feel better, Comfort food always helps.
I will keep you updated on this saga...
It's Del.icio.us!
Furl It!
March 25, 2007 08:06 AM
Waaaaaaaaaa!
You should have complained to the FBI!!!!
I came here for the serious stuff, I am sad.
March 25, 2007 08:09 AM
Will SSH proxy protect us from the open network?
March 25, 2007 08:16 AM
Joel,
Oh my god, that's as bad as being robbed in the real world!
Well, let's hope that you get all your virtual stuffs back - the armor, weapons, gold.
If you're nearly at level 70, you must have gotten a whole bunch of special items, yeah?
I'm sure Blizzard will help you and hopefully shut down the account(s) of the thief.
Did the thief sell your stuffs and then 'post'/send the item to himself?
There must be some coding/ signature that can determine who took your things if the thief posted the stuffs to his own character.
I used to play WoW a couple of years back but have quit to do IM. Still missed it, though...
I'm very sorry for your loss.
Gal.
March 25, 2007 08:40 AM
Hi Joel.
Though it may be of little comfort to you now, it just goes to show,if this can catch YOU out, what chance the rest of us ?
Comiserations.
Ken.
March 25, 2007 09:08 AM
At least you look good in your underwear.
March 25, 2007 09:14 AM
That sucks big-time. I too, have lost important data because of poor net security. I should have known better. It is some small consolation that someone else who is as familiar with the web as you also lost something important.
March 25, 2007 09:57 AM
Hi Joel,
i too play WoW and their support is good with things like this..
All logins are recorded and stored for 7 days so they will have the persons IP address and will just have to simply cross check it against other accounts..
Hope you get your stuff back !
Im due to hit level 70 soon :)
All the best
Chris
March 25, 2007 10:11 AM
Wow, for an internet guru like you to be robbed beats my imagination and is quite unthinkable to me.It only shows that we all ought to be very concious of the security implication of all our investment online and seek the best protection against hackers,spammers and the like.Soory sha .
March 25, 2007 10:22 AM
I'm so surprised, you being robbed, but as long they didn't take away your tongue, they have got nothing!
March 25, 2007 10:43 AM
I have always been leary of wireless networks and even took my antenna off my hardwire/wireless router AND disabled the wireless aspect.
I have wondered about the security in the WiFi hotspots, as to what a person could do in accessing another persons computer and accounts.
Just like cellphones, where if you have the right equipment, you can listen in on others phone calls.
Kinda opens a can of worms with the security issues of cells/wireless internet/ and even the cellphone internet.
March 25, 2007 11:04 AM
Hey Joel, presley here I have been a subscriber to your newsletter for some time now collecting almost every piece of info that I could get my hands on while trying to learn this adsense game and trying to make an income. As an avid gamer myself I absolutely love Warcraft though I have not yet had a chance to get into the online version of the game,but I do know that I would be very @##$%&% off if someone hacked my character knowing what it takes to play games like that,think goodness it was only a game. with that being said I had something in that same nature happened to me just recently, nothing was stolen but some how I downloaded a very malicious virus to my hard drive while learning the adsense game. Since I started this little endeavor I have saved alot of valuable data to my pc that I refer back to freqeuntly to help me progress in learning this business. This particular virus somehow kept copying programs and kept my task manager always busy and my pc was always at 100% usage it would not let me backup any files or progams that I had purchased in this learning curve. I thought that I was going to have to start all over again, needless to say I freaked out!!! So with this little mishap I have been down for two weeks trying to get my computer back online and get back to work . well I have learned my lesson I hope you have too.I haven't really made any money yet but I am diligent and persistant I will get there sooner or later. I just can't understand why someone would make viruses or hack someone's personal info for their own gain or enjoyment. Well after reading your post I thought that I would share my experiences. Still learning, Deucedogg202@aol.com
majikmoney.com
monthlykash.com
March 25, 2007 11:08 AM
sorry to hear about your loss joel i am sure that this is blessing in disguise, from now on we have all learned to watch our top knot take care and thankyou for the insight , mike
March 25, 2007 11:35 AM
Joel:
Who cares? It's a freakin' game! You are in the nation's capitol, home of some of the most valuable museums,monuments and history of our country and you waste your time holed up in a hotel room playing games.
But the real reason that you sent out a newsletter for what could have been said clearly in a paragraph or two at most was to expose us to more adsense ads so that we, your loyal readers, would pay for your trip to D.C. For Shame!
March 25, 2007 12:26 PM
ok, you should be able to talk to a GM or something and get yr stuff back. eq and wow are different, but whenever someone gets "robbed blind" in eq, they can get their stuff back easy as pie.
March 25, 2007 01:15 PM
Joel, I'm sorry for loss. But it does help me, the other morning I woke up and my computer was on and the browser was up on a website I have never seen before. This is the 3rd time this has happened to me. At least I now know how it happemed. I hope you recover your stolen items, he looks cold.
March 25, 2007 01:22 PM
Hey Joel, it sucks when someone messes with your stuff! No one likes to be stolen from. But, it happens to us everyday here, it's institutionalized. It's called the IRS & Federal Reserve who steal from everyone without mercy and under a "law" that doesn't exist. Unless you are a non-resident alien, that is. Read this attorney's story at liefreezone.com and judge for yourself. So, whether it's an online game or in "real" life, it's always a painful experience.
March 25, 2007 01:26 PM
kia orana joel,
listen, stop being a big sook! and suck and ice cream. that will keep the kid in joel smiling and make us more money.
March 25, 2007 01:45 PM
Hey Joel, presley here I have been a subscriber to your newsletter for some time now collecting almost every piece of info that I could get my hands on while trying to learn this adsense game and trying to make an income. As an avid gamer myself I absolutely love Warcraft though I have not yet had a chance to get into the online version of the game,but I do know that I would be very @##$%&% off if someone hacked my character knowing what it takes to play games like that,think goodness it was only a game. with that being said I had something in that same nature happened to me just recently, nothing was stolen but some how I downloaded a very malicious virus to my hard drive while learning the adsense game. Since I started this little endeavor I have saved alot of valuable data to my pc that I refer back to freqeuntly to help me progress in learning this business. This particular virus somehow kept copying programs and kept my task manager always busy and my pc was always at 100% usage it would not let me backup any files or progams that I had purchased in this learning curve. I thought that I was going to have to start all over again, needless to say I freaked out!!! So with this little mishap I have been down for two weeks trying to get my computer back online and get back to work . well I have learned my lesson I hope you have too.I haven't really made any money yet but I am diligent and persistant I will get there sooner or later. I just can't understand why someone would make viruses or hack someone's personal info for their own gain or enjoyment. Well after reading your post I thought that I would share my experiences. Still learning, Deucedogg202@aol.com
magikmoney.com
monthlykash.com
March 25, 2007 03:17 PM
Joel, Get over it! Its just a game. Remember what
the Good Bard said;
"he who steals my purse steals trash, he who steals
my good name steals all I have"
March 25, 2007 03:20 PM
Joel, Get over it! Its just a game. Remember what
the Good Bard said;
"he who steals my purse steals trash, he who steals
my good name steals all I have"
March 25, 2007 04:17 PM
Sorry, Joel. Perhaps you may get replacements in a virtual pawn shop.
March 25, 2007 08:54 PM
Hi Mr.Joel,
I'm a reader your valuable newsletter and
i wish you have wix always, never lose.
I don't have URL still.
I'm follow your instruction
for to create profitable sites.
All the best,
Jose
March 26, 2007 07:45 AM
In an ideal world nobody steals but hey it's the real world we are living in it. If you lay your purse open on the table you will get robbed sooner or later. What I think? You are clever enough to not get robbed, this post is just a way to say "Look out when you are going on the net!" and of course some nice Kontera ads.
March 26, 2007 09:20 AM
Damn Joel...
That really sucks. I used to play Meridian 59 (years and years ago)and all we had to worry about then were PKers (Player Killers) killing you and looting your corpse. But now... What modern technology has wrought, huh? Well good luck getting your items restored.
Mike
March 28, 2007 05:17 AM
Check out the real whiners. The people telling you not to whine. It is not the fact that you lost a bunch of game stuff, it is the matter of a security issue that most people may not be aware of that may be dealt with before it happens to them. That is what I got out of this post. I will never figure out why a person would spend hours on end playing virtual games, but, to each his own. I suffered my 1/2 year playing gameboy for hours on end, and finally quit that. Now I am putting my hours of computer use towards a secure future. So, thanks for the security breach info to help better my future. As is said, often enough, Learn from others experiences. Obviously, those that are bashing you are not learning anything.
March 31, 2007 06:06 AM
A major lesson in security here, and for those who do not see the point of hardcore gaming? Check out fatal1ty in google and then tell me pc games are just for kids..That guy has made millions and has become a brand just from gaming. Plus its great fun.
April 2, 2007 11:55 AM
Really, Joel I feel bad for what happened to you. I will want to make an observation which should never in any case be seen as blaming you for what happened.
In this busines(I.M) you guys are at the top and like in the physical world, as an individual rises in possesion, achievement you find he becomes more prone to dispossession by criminals and attracts more attention from them. This could explain why such targeted people and institutions do spend more of their resources to protecting what they have.
Whether you like it or not, they will keep monitoring you and as soon as they see a security breach in your system they will strike. You now know the score and would not leave any gaps for them to take advantage of.
Regards,
Peter Mbakwe
January 16, 2008 11:11 AM
Hey,
I had the same thing happen to me on WOW. Did you ever get it resolved? Let me know.
February 19, 2008 04:58 PM
Hi there
Thanks for the warning. When I set up my wireless, the guy over the phone said that I didn't have to secure it because people could only use the connection to surf the net, not actually get into my stuff. I told him flatly "and you expect me to believe THAT?" I'm glad I listened to my gut response.
February 25, 2008 01:46 AM
Hmm... I thought Nation's Capitol for an Internet marketing conference was about something else than playing WoW ;)
---
Sorry to hear about this - I hope they'll resolve it.
March 13, 2008 01:22 PM
I chuckle every time I come across this post. I can just imagine your face the next morning. I use free WiFi often at local coffee shops and know that I'm at risk of Internet Deviants. Thanks for sharing.
Kristina
www.TucsonRichard.com
April 15, 2008 07:50 AM
Hahaha... what more can I say?
Maybe it's a blessing in disguise... a way to let you (and we all) to learn and not take things for granted...
Lucky it was only virtual money...
Hahaha... what? No Joel... I really feel sorry for your loss...
July 2, 2008 10:12 AM
Hi Joel,
Man that really bites! It is only a game, but you have to spend a lot of time and effort to secure things especially at that level. Give us an update. Did you get your stuff back?
July 2, 2008 01:39 PM
If it's any consolation to you, you don't look that bad in the outfit :)
July 2, 2008 01:42 PM
Jeeez, I will be devastated if this happened to me! Seems like a good idea to just play with my stocks!
July 4, 2008 10:44 AM
Man, that sucks! Although, like you said, it could have been FAR worse. I'm just glad that you didn't have all your money stolen in real life and that you've set up a VPN to protect against future hacking.
All The Best,
TheAndySan
www.theandysan.com
P.S: Happy 4th of July!!!!
July 15, 2008 11:21 AM
Joel,
As I read about this I was thinking to myself "I heard a guy in the restaurant last year at Yanniks underground that had the same problem". I checked the date, and, what do you know?
Still sucks! Did you start over w/ WOW or give up?
July 15, 2008 03:36 PM
Hey Joel
See what happens when you leave the Beautiful Rockies and surround yourself with Politicos!? I'm surprised [maybe not] by those who showed by their comments that they just 'Don't Get' your message about Security here. Special message for those Not Paying Attention: It Has NOTHING to DO with the Game! Secure yourself from Cyber Thugs!
Warmest regards :o)
July 20, 2008 09:59 AM
Did you kill yourself because you got hacked in wow?
September 24, 2008 10:00 AM
Joel,
I see you are having a bit of a hard day. Do you still have your woman? Did you have one. Hmmm... someone cute to look at while you are fighting off the bad guys -- prob a bad idea. Someone cute to come home to? Nah, someone to worry about while you are gone... anyway ;)
Poor guy... tell ya' what! You teach me ALL you know 'bout making money online and I will buy you 1000 level 70 characters :) in short order!
I don't play internet games and work my business 12 hrs / day (seems like 24/7 [wife says I don't sleep])... anyway, best game on the market is real life -- how to be arbonne, his aunt/uncle, 43 cousins... you get the pic'.
Maybe start up your OWN arbonne mlm or game shop and put yourself on level 100 beating everyone else back down to level 70 or so. Even go to the hotel and have the guy hack into your system and trounce him -- now there's a though! LOL
enjoy... my friend. adsensev4 was really good (towards the end)... lots of good ideas.
Will be on my first call today listening in at noon-cst.
September 24, 2008 10:03 AM
oops... certainly don't want to be arbonne
was supposed to be BEAT arbonne. where'd
that 'be' typo come from? well i did say
to start your own... who's freudian anyway?
September 24, 2008 11:09 AM
really funny. (sorry for that) but it's more than a scary story. I cant even imagine that my bank account or my paypal account goes empty.
Thanks for this post. I have to be carefull.
September 27, 2008 10:47 PM
QQ Moar Lawl!
L2Not Be noob Alliance!
For the Horde!
December 1, 2008 06:09 PM
Hi Joel!
I found your site while searching for blogging and adsense tips.
Well, I was shocked when reading this post at first and later on what you were talking was about the virtual world online game. But that's really brilliant of you. Blogging is all about content too, isn't it? Anything can be the content of a blog, including daily happenings. Thanks for any tips about blogging you share on the internet. So glad that I found your tutorial.