Former Old School RuneScape dev gets jail time for stealing $400,000 from players — virtual gold stolen and sold on the black market before Jagex caught the culprit using hidden firewall tweaks
A former Jagex employee stole over $400,000 worth of in-game items and virtual currency from OSRS players and sold them on the black market. He was eventually arrested and sentenced to a three-year prison sentence, with one investigator saying, "Just because it's virtual, doesn't mean he shouldn't face the full force of the law."
Andrew Lakeman, also known as Mod Jed, a former developer for Old School RuneScape (OSRS), has been sentenced to three years in prison and two years of probation for stealing over $400,000 worth of virtual gold and selling it on the black market. Lakeman, who worked on OSRS starting in 2015, was identified as a key player in the thefts by Jagex, the game's developer.
The OSRS economy operates similarly to real-world markets, allowing players to trade or sell items on the Grand Exchange. Jagex initially believed the thefts were due to a glitch but later discovered it was an inside job. The company responded by improving its account recovery process and firewall, which helped them track the criminal activity back to Lakeman.
Despite claiming he was the victim of a hack, Jagex terminated his employment and reported the incident to the police. Lakeman was arrested in July 2019 and pleaded guilty to the charges. He was sentenced to three years in prison, suspended for two years, plus 150 hours of community service and mandatory rehabilitation. Detective Constable Andrew McKeane of Cambridgeshire Constabulary emphasized that even though the stolen items were virtual, the theft was no less a crime.
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