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From Gaming to Crime: Man Arrested for Exploiting Loophole in Account Trading Platform

By Xueyang
Mar. 10, 2023 updated 11:30

In a case that proves the old adage "if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is,"  a man named Zhou in Shanghai was arrested for exploiting a loophole in a gaming account trading platform to make large profits. The platform requires buyers to pay 5% of the account price as a deposit, which is refunded if the seller fails to respond within 12 hours. However, due to a programming error, the refund amount was several times higher than the deposit. The man took advantage of this error and made over 200,000 CNY (31,000 USD) in less than a month.

Gaming account trading platform screenshotGaming account trading platform screenshot

The police were alerted by the platform and traced the transactions to over 60 accounts, five of which were found to have been used to exploit the loophole. The man was eventually caught and confessed to his crime. He had initially stumbled upon the loophole and made small profits, but became more greedy and even used his relatives' identities to continue the scheme. The platform has since fixed the programming error and all the money has been recovered. The man is currently under criminal investigation.

Zhou getting arrestedZhou getting arrested

While the man's scheme may have seemed clever at first, it ultimately led to his downfall. It just goes to show that crime doesn't pay, especially when you're up against a team of tech-savvy gaming platform developers. Perhaps the man should have stuck to playing the games instead of trying to game the system. In any case, it's safe to say that he won't be quitting his day job to become a professional hacker anytime soon.