merry christmas — 2 years ago(January 02, 2024 04:01 PM)

Criminals are getting lazy.
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/chinese-exchange-student-found-cold-scared-alone-tent-utah-mountains-c-rcna131840
Police, working with the FBI, the U.S. embassy in China and Chinese officials, learned of the criminal trend called cyber kidnapping — when foreign exchange students, in particular those from China, are threatened and a ransom is demanded, Riverdale police said.
The victims are ordered to isolate themselves and are monitored via FaceTime or Skype, forced to take photos of themselves that make it appear that they are being held captive and the photos are sent to their frightened parents. Though the kidnapping is conducted apparently remotely, victims often comply out of fear that their families will be harmed, and parents are extorted for fear that the kidnappers are actually with the victim and could harm them.
https://nypost.com/2024/01/02/news/police-investigating-first-case-of-virtual-rape-in-metaverse/
British police are investigating the alleged gang rape of a girl’s avatar in a virtual reality game, in what is believed to be the first probe of its kind involving the metaverse.
The alleged victim, identified only as a girl under 16, was wearing a virtual reality headset in an immersive game when her avatar, or animated representation of herself, was raped by those of several men, the Daily Mail first reported.
Although the accuser did not sustain any physical injuries, she may have suffered similar trauma as someone who’d been raped in real life, police sources told the outlet.
I kind of doubt whatever game she was playing makes it possible for avatars to be raped.