GPU Swapping Spree Halted After Suspected Thieves Lose Power During Esports Hotel Heist
They would have gotten away with it, too, if it weren't for that meddling electrician.
The recent GPU swapping spree that targeted esports hotels in China has come to a halt after the suspected thieves were caught red-handed. The two men involved allegedly swapped high-performance Nvidia RTX 5080 GPUs with less powerful RTX 3060s, replacing them in the gaming PCs of various hotels, and then reselling the stolen units at a fraction of their original value.
However, on July 18th, their plans were thwarted when one of their rooms lost power, prompting an electrician to investigate. The electrician noticed pry marks on the room's gaming PC case, which led to the discovery of the missing GPUs. The hotel staff soon realized that the GPUs had been replaced in multiple rooms, leading to the arrest of the two suspects on July 20th.
They were found with two unsold stolen GPUs in their possession. According to local police, this was not the first time the suspects had carried out such a crime, with reports suggesting they had done it four other times as well. The total financial loss reported from this particular heist amounted to 80,000 Yuan, equivalent to nearly $12,000.
The suspects reportedly admitted to committing the same crime in other hotels, but their plan was foiled because the PCs continued to function normally, and customers were not aware of the swaps. This incident highlights the ongoing issue of supply chain challenges in the GPU market, as AI data center demand continues to drive up prices, making it difficult for buyers to find reasonably-priced GPUs.
Written by urgent.news from IGN's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
