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The Japanese earned millions of yen on "tuning" rare characters.
In the course of an operation to combat illegal trade in gaming resources, the cyber police of Kochi Prefecture (Japan) detained 36-year-old Yoshihiro Yamakawa. He is suspected of hacking and editing the save files of the games Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet for the Nintendo Switch for profit.
The hacker used special online tools to change game data, creating and training rare characters, which were then sold on the Internet platform at a favorable price. One of his suggestions, "6 Pokemon for only $30", caught the attention of cyber patrol and became the reason for further investigation.
Yamakawa is charged with computer fraud, tampering with game save data, reselling characters online, and violating Japan's Outline of Unfair Competition Prevention Act.
Police found out that in the period from December 2022 to March 2023, the suspect sold rare Pokemon for about $85 apiece. The hacker himself pleaded guilty, explaining his actions as a desire to "earn a living". However, the investigation continues - according to preliminary estimates, the total income of the attacker amounted to millions of yen (from tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars).
Experts note that for several years now, Pokémon players have been making increasingly complex raids to capture exotic and hard-to-reach Pokemon for the purpose of training them and, in some cases, even breeding them. Gamblers are so hungry for rare Pokemon that they buy them on the black market.
Two years ago, Japanese law enforcement officers already arrested a 23-year-old hacker for similar fraud with the Sword and Shield games. After that incident, the Pokémon Company tightened control, but scammers are constantly looking for new loopholes.
In the course of an operation to combat illegal trade in gaming resources, the cyber police of Kochi Prefecture (Japan) detained 36-year-old Yoshihiro Yamakawa. He is suspected of hacking and editing the save files of the games Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet for the Nintendo Switch for profit.
The hacker used special online tools to change game data, creating and training rare characters, which were then sold on the Internet platform at a favorable price. One of his suggestions, "6 Pokemon for only $30", caught the attention of cyber patrol and became the reason for further investigation.
Yamakawa is charged with computer fraud, tampering with game save data, reselling characters online, and violating Japan's Outline of Unfair Competition Prevention Act.
Police found out that in the period from December 2022 to March 2023, the suspect sold rare Pokemon for about $85 apiece. The hacker himself pleaded guilty, explaining his actions as a desire to "earn a living". However, the investigation continues - according to preliminary estimates, the total income of the attacker amounted to millions of yen (from tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars).
Experts note that for several years now, Pokémon players have been making increasingly complex raids to capture exotic and hard-to-reach Pokemon for the purpose of training them and, in some cases, even breeding them. Gamblers are so hungry for rare Pokemon that they buy them on the black market.
Two years ago, Japanese law enforcement officers already arrested a 23-year-old hacker for similar fraud with the Sword and Shield games. After that incident, the Pokémon Company tightened control, but scammers are constantly looking for new loopholes.
