Feds Partner with Game Industry on Piracy Bust (Part 3 - Idaho)

The game piracy business has not been especially lucrative for this Twin Falls, Idaho resident. The suspect, raided along with 31 others earlier this week, possessed but a single mod chip when the feds came calling.

A message posted on the Console Tech forums includes scans of what appear to be a federal agent’s search warrant application as well as an inventory of items seized in Wednesday’s sweep, which targeted game piracy suspects in 16 U.S. states. The inventory list includes:

6 Xboxes, an Xbox 360, an (unspecified) Nintendo console, 38 Nintendo games, a computer, a mod chip, various circuit boards, hard rives, discs, manuals, etc.

It would seem that the unnamed resident of the Idaho Falls home must have provided the scanned documents after receiving a copy from the agents who conducted the search. Not shown is the probable cause affidavit, which would have explained the government’s basis for the search. That document apparenly remains sealed by a federal court.

"LGC's house was raided at 8 this moring by the FBI, they took everything from his computer and xbox's, to his super nintendo. They were apparently looking for mod chips, and burnt games. He is not in jail, but he now has no computer at his house.

I have spent most of the day, on and off of the phone with him. He has the worst luck ever.

Also, they took

2 xbox 360's belonging to ATOMIC and MAYHEM.

1 double shot controller MINE

1 xbox case, that belonged to xxxLUCKYxxx


this is not a joke or a scam. As they examin the things, and deem them not to contain mod chips (my controller doesn't count) they will be given back to him, and he will ship them asap

also, i will be closing down xboxcustomz.com until LGC can get back"

Feds Partner with Game Industry on Piracy Bust (Part 2 - Ohio)

An Ohio man was reduced to sleeping in his car following this Wednesdays’s mod chip raid by agents of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

As reported by Xbox Scene, the suspect, who goes by the screen name FallsInc, penned a first-person account of what happened when the feds came calling:

When ICE hit me, they had a warrant for my grandma’s house where I had all my packages sent… They took anything that was related to gaming… They showed me the list of modchips that they collected, and asked me if I ever imported modchips from Canada…

They took my laptop, and desktop, and the soldering iron (which was one of their main things to find for some reason)… Now I can’t mod, and I can’t even sell anything off to pay for bills either since it has all been confiscated due to a ludicrous interpretation of the DMCA…

Because of what happened I’m not allowed to see my girlfriend and our 4 month old daughter, and last night, I slept in my car… They took my life away. I would like to formally thank Microsoft and Nintendo for cracking down on the little guy with a soldering iron in his garage, rather than going after the people that are responsible for the bootlegs being available.

Feds Partner with Game Industry on Piracy Bust (Part 1)

On Wednesday, agents of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) executed 32 search warrants in 16 states. The feds were seeking illegal mod chips, pirated game software and related items. From the ICE press release:

This investigation represents the largest national enforcement action of its kind targeting this type of illegal activity.

The search warrants were executed at businesses, storefronts, and residences… at locations associated with subjects who are allegedly involved in the direct importation, installation, sale, and distribution of the devices that are of foreign manufacture and smuggled into the United States.

Said Julie L. Myers, Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security for Immigration and Customs Enforcement:

Illicit devices like the ones targeted today are created with one purpose in mind, subverting copyright protections. These crimes cost legitimate businesses billions of dollars annually and facilitate multiple other layers of criminality, such as smuggling, software piracy and money laundering.

While ICE did not release specifics on those targeted, it said the investigation was initiated by the agency’s Cleveland, Ohio office.

Meanwhile, video game industry officials lauded the bust. ESA president Mike Gallagher said via press release:

Plain and simple, selling and distributing products to illegally bypass game consoles’ piracy protections is a crime with real-life consequences. This is not a game; we’re talking jail time. Enforcement initiatives of this scope send a clear message to both the public and pirate community that this illegal activity will not be tolerated.

World of Warcraft - Terrorist Haven ?

Blizzard MMO can be used be terrorists to carry out attack reconnaissance, says (slightly mental) Aussie security chief.

The frontline of the war on terror is about to move... to Azeroth.

According to Kevin Zuccato, head of the Australian High Tech Crime Centre, terrorists are being trained in games such as World of Warcraft to scout out simulated real-world environments, and train in weapons that are "identical to real-world armaments."

Zuccato told an Australian Security Industry Association conference that terrorists no longer have to travel to the target they want to attack to carry out reconnaissance, but create a virtual replica and rehearse an entire attack online. Bad news if you live the Tower of Azora then.

"We need to start thinking about living, working and protecting two worlds and two realities," Zuccato said.

MET police - there's your tip off then. Look out for religious extremists on flying mounts coming our way.



More info: http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,22161037-28737,00.html