Police warning over computer gaming hackers targeting children

POLICE have issued a warning about popular kids’ computer game Minecraft after an Avalon family was hacked by a person living overseas.

Leonie Smith of Cyber Safety Lady.

POLICE have issued a warning about popular kids’ computer game Minecraft after an Avalon family was hacked by a person living overseas.

The family’s 13-year-old son had been playing the game with a person in New Zealand for 12 months but the pair fell out, police said.

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The NZ gamer then accessed the teen’s passwords, his parent’s credit card and identities before posting the highly sensitive details plus their home address and telephone on the web.

As a result, the distraught family had to cancel credit cards, change their phone number and all computer passwords.

Northern Beaches Police crime manager Inspector Craig Wonders

Northern Beaches Police crime manager Inspector Craig Wonders said that the overseas hacker used one card to buy a new $60 Minecraft account and even called the boy’s home several times via Skype, causing alarm for the family.

Thankfully none of the information the gamer posted online has been used by any other person to steal money from the family and all financial and phone details posted are now invalid.

Minecraft is ranked the third most popular kids’ computer game globally and involves digging holes to collect blocks in a virtual landscape. It has been claimed there are 36 million users worldwide.

Police quizzed the family, who are unsure exactly how the hacker obtained the information.

Insp Wonders said the incident was a disturbing reminder of the potential dangers of internet use.

He said that gamers and internet users needed to be vigilant when interacting online with strangers and to never assume the other person was telling the truth.

“Games like Minecraft are a gateway into a person’s computer and into their homes,” Insp Wonders said.

“This appears to be a one-off but it’s important to realise that while computer games can be a good form of entertainment when used correctly, they do come with potential risks.”

Leonie Smith of Cyber Safety Lady.

IT expert Leonie Smith, of Cyber Safety Lady, which gives presentations at schools on the northern beaches, said Minecraft was “massively popular” but childrens’ involvement needed to be monitored.

“Stay off public servers and only play against the computer or play with people you know on a private server,” she said.

“An issue with games is that adults only think of other adults being a risk, but other kids can also do damage to a computer system.”