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Man Buys $23,178 Worth Of Games & Returns Them With Blanks

postbulletin.com — During a nearly one-year period, Frank Buchanan allegedly made about 192 purchases on two credit cards at various stores. What was out of the ordinary, however, was that the 30-year-old Buchanan also allegedly had about 183 refunds on those cards.

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  • Jiggernaut82, on 04/27/2008, -4/+252Moral of the story..... Do everything through cash transactions and you may just get away with it
    • samy26, on 04/27/2008, -19/+2Looks like you know your ways...
    • SAOSiN, on 04/27/2008, -12/+3The perfect crime...
    • ChinezePanda, on 04/27/2008, -21/+6Kmart being the most easy target.

      Step 1: Plan camping Trip
      Step 2: Buy all your gear, tent, sleeping bag from K-Mart.. best one you can find.. MANSION-ish
      Step 3: Go Camping, have wild chick orgy in your Mansion Tent.
      Step 4: Profit?
      Step 5... Return everything you bought at Kmart 3 days after.... even if the sand is leaking out of the box.

      I have done this.
      • NotOptium, on 04/27/2008, -2/+38...With the exception of steps 3, 4, and 5.
      • Otnehs, on 04/27/2008, -6/+5So.... you're a chick?
        • DangerMouse9, on 04/27/2008, -10/+1why does it matter? Are you going to start hitting on him/her? I can see your message now "hey baby, I have a terabyte hard drive."
          • scbysnx, on 04/27/2008, -1/+5no idiot, he was pointing out that the person said "wild chick orgy" and that it would seem that there were exclusively chicks because saying "wild orgy" would have sufficed for an orgy with both sexes.
        • Frejesal, on 04/27/2008, -2/+3What diseased part of your brain formulated the thought that he was trying to hit on him?
          He said wild chick orgy, meaning an orgy consisting only of chicks, meaning he'd have to be one, which he's not.
          • ChinezePanda, on 04/27/2008, -2/+31 can always record said chick orgy.
      • edilclyde, on 04/27/2008, -3/+1people like you should be hanged in the balls. you cheap mother *****. im feel sorry for the next guy who will buy the equipment and see it all used and dirty... then tries to return but is rejected.
    • fani, on 04/27/2008, -6/+49Nope... it won't work in many places. Many places issue in-store credit for it. Not cash back.
      But yes, he's a fool for using a credit card....actually, he's a dirty felon. No sympathy for him. Its people like him that give others a hard time and then you'll hear the victim complain - "Best buy sold me a blank game and is not giving refund" etc.
      Put this guy in jail for a while to teach him a lesson.
      • wertach, on 04/27/2008, -11/+7I agree, but couldn't he use the in-store credit to buy another game?
      • daizaru, on 04/27/2008, -1/+14I have never had a problem with cash back if the package appears to be unopened. Article says he repackaged them.
        • BearinG, on 04/28/2008, -0/+1Yeah i was thinking the same thing.. if the box is unopened (or appears to be), they have a return policy at most stores.. although some are just 7-14 days.. its still "doable"
      • Ajajadude, on 04/27/2008, -0/+13I had a friend buy GTA: San Andreas at a Target and it turned out to be a burned copy. The person who made the switch went as far as to create a label for the disc and shrink wrap the case. Luckily Target didn't give him a hard time about him getting a new one.
    • liquidpele, on 04/27/2008, -11/+2Most places won't take it back if a game, DVD, or CD has been opened. I've tried to return DVD's before and been denied. I'm really surprised he was able to return them. Maybe he put the plastic back on the case too somehow?
      • Lunarbunny, on 04/27/2008, -0/+13RTFA, it said he had a heat-sealing packager.
    • winampman2, on 04/27/2008, -0/+2He could still get arrested if the employees learn to recognize him, and then stall him while the manager calls the cops. He would lose either way.
    • gadgetlust, on 04/28/2008, -0/+2Modchip?
  • Natetendo83, on 04/27/2008, -3/+206You have to be a complete idiot to think nobody will catch on to you if you're using a credit card.
    • screensnot, on 04/27/2008, -1/+18Even if you are paying in cash, you are going to get caught eventually.

      When the stores keep sending the bogus disks back to the manufacturer, the manufacturer will eventually educate the stores on how to spot this scam. Then, it's only a matter of time before you run into an observant store employee during one of your returns.
      • UncertainIntent, on 04/27/2008, -1/+5That would mean that the store would have to open and inspect every returned game, generating a lot of extra work the store is probably not willing to partake in let alone pay for; especially a bad idea when the customer would have to sit there frustrated while their legitimate return is evaluated. Unless there are discrepancies in the wrapping itself; noticeable external differences.
        • BearinG, on 04/28/2008, -0/+1Also, they probably wouldn't unpack a sealed package caus then its "open box".. or they would have to repackage it (which I doubt every store can do..).. and then they would also break the microsoft seal..

          I'm sure the guy took care to remove the stickers without damaging them ..
    • threemagic, on 04/27/2008, -19/+2This guy had enough time to play 180+ games in a year... so I'm guessing he is a complete idiot.
      • KSUdesigner, on 04/27/2008, -1/+5Who said he actually played the games? I'll bet anything he did not.
      • Frejesal, on 04/27/2008, -0/+9RTFA; HE SOLD THE GAMES.
        • threemagic, on 04/27/2008, -4/+1My bad:

          Buchanan's alleged scam consisted of buying video games from stores, repackaging the containers with blank replica game discs, returning the fraudulent games for a refund and selling the original games on eBay, an online-auction site. From October 2006 to January 2008, Buchanan auctioned off about 447 video games on eBay for roughly $19,562, the complaint says.

          He's still an idiot... :)
    • Faasnat, on 04/27/2008, -0/+3He is a complete idiot.

      "... and a journal listing Buchanan's purchases and returns with dates and stores..."

      If you're going to be doing criminal-type activity, make sure you keep a log of all your doings in case authorities ever want to check it out.
  • mark076h, on 04/27/2008, -6/+105seems like alot of work for not that much money?
    • MrWhite7, on 04/27/2008, -0/+43He lives with his mother...
      • Calabahn, on 04/27/2008, -0/+9And she's so proud of him that she joined the family business.
        • MrWhite7, on 04/27/2008, -0/+5It IS interesting to note that the article characterizes their living arrangement as "she lived with him"
    • Shinobi326, on 04/27/2008, -0/+9That's exactly what I was thinking when I read that story. It seems like he went through all of the trouble to figure out how to do this methodically but forgot one key component---USE CASH!
    • argonlightray, on 04/27/2008, -0/+3cash is king
    • GRIMREAPER187, on 04/28/2008, -0/+1if he were to make a hundred dollars a day it would seem worth it to him
      now he will be making zero with free room and board for a few years and he got his mom a vacation too

      my mathematics say not worth it at all
    • BearinG, on 04/28/2008, -0/+1Didn't seem like too much work..
  • mrzack, on 04/27/2008, -47/+4Were they violent first person video games he bought. IF it were, then he deserves his fate. This is a warning to us, don't use digital money. Stick with cash. Don't let big brother and the corporations track us.
    • PathDaemon, on 04/27/2008, -1/+21May I be the first to say, "WTF?"

      If all the games were third person pony riding games, he doesn't deserve punishment???
    • Mothrog, on 04/27/2008, -0/+5You might want to lay off the paint chips.
  • ee456544, on 04/27/2008, -20/+75real moral of the story is. don't scam people, eventually you will get caught.
    • cbartlett, on 04/27/2008, -18/+9Why are people digging ee456544 down? Diggers like scamming people too much to admit that it's wrong?
      • diggimator, on 04/27/2008, -1/+4Oh my gosh, what a travesty! That's so unfair!
      • DangerMouse9, on 04/27/2008, -0/+2Do you think some chick is going to give him her number if he gets "Sorry, loser, you needed 30 diggs to get my number"
    • opnickc, on 04/27/2008, -1/+5Has Comcast been caught yet? How about Best Buy?
      Real moral - If you're going to scam people, use lots of fine print and lawyers.
  • secrity, on 04/27/2008, -21/+3Their server is SLOW with only two Digg comments
    • Xalorous, on 04/27/2008, -2/+1Scientology ad on the page. They deserve to be slow. To have their page dugg down.
    • KSUdesigner, on 04/27/2008, -0/+5Digg comments ≠ site traffic
      Diggs ≠ site traffic
  • bernmeister, on 04/27/2008, -15/+5Dumbass.
  • charlestoN1, on 04/27/2008, -11/+2what a rebel
  • TheThirdLevel, on 04/27/2008, -14/+9Idea - 10
    Execution - 4

    Who the hell uses something that can be traced directly back to you?
    • Andysan, on 04/28/2008, -0/+2Having mom help says a lot this guy (and her).
  • samy26, on 04/27/2008, -18/+5So where can I get this heat-sealing packager?
    • adml_shake, on 04/27/2008, -0/+6Just about anywhere. They even sell stuff that unrolls like garbage bags, you just seal the ends with a special hot blade and use a heat gun to shrink it.
    • Andysan, on 04/28/2008, -0/+2On eBay -- there is this guy in MN who doesn't need his right now.
  • ThePerkins, on 04/27/2008, -69/+7Lets Show him not to ***** with video games! Francis G. Buchanan 475 Clifton Ct. Albert Lea, TX 51932 (282) 488- 7302 GET HIM DIGGERS!!!
    • Hoov, on 04/27/2008, -1/+33And what are you, the nerd crusader? What do you care? Has he somehow limited your supply of games? Posting personal information online (especially when it's not warranted) is reckless and stupid.
    • Tigergrape, on 04/27/2008, -0/+15i bet he'd ***** your ***** up in an instant.
    • smacksaw, on 04/27/2008, -0/+19Albert Lea is in Minnesota, not TX. RTFA??
    • MasterMO, on 04/27/2008, -1/+8Nice one. Maybe you can track down and post the mother's details too you good samaritan
      • Xalorous, on 04/27/2008, -13/+1He's no samaritan, Good Samaritan is a compliment you idjit. That was just plain griefin.
    • acdcfanbill, on 04/27/2008, -4/+1I used to live about 15 miles away from Albert Lea, don't recall knowing any Buchanan's though...
      • anizzle, on 05/16/2008, -0/+1Seriously...Seriously. Who are you the ***** postman, you really think you're going to know everyone there? I've been to Albert Lea, population from the 2000 census: 18,356.
    • Calcheesmo, on 04/27/2008, -1/+1It's not like he was selling the copies to the people, people were getting the real games, he was just sticking the shaft to the corporates...and then they effed him. Don't be a doosharoo
    • zyryx, on 04/27/2008, -0/+5wrong guy dumbass... RTFA
    • S5Z2, on 04/27/2008, -0/+3Save it for the people who really deserve it.
    • anizzle, on 04/27/2008, -0/+3You sir are in idiot, Texas , it ***** says Minnesota in the article *****. How about you read it before making yourself look like an ass.
  • samy26, on 04/27/2008, -16/+4So where can I get this heat-sealing packager?
  • BlackStar77, on 04/27/2008, -14/+2What kind of a name is Frank Buchanan?
  • boomernet, on 04/27/2008, -21/+2hasn't this guy heard of utorrent? and for that matter, haven't the people who bought software on ebay? I mean, if you're looking for a deal on software...
    • Xalorous, on 04/27/2008, -2/+5bittorrent, utorrent is a client
      • itsthebrod, on 04/27/2008, -3/+2Who cares? People talk about using "Kazaa" instead of saying "Haven't you heard of the FastTrack protocol?"
    • edilclyde, on 04/27/2008, -0/+1not everyone wants to download a game in bit torrent, esp when the game is big like the collection of sims 2.. or people who has slow connections doesnt want to wait a week or 2 to be able to download the game. they rather just buy it on ebay. like me,.
  • OJdidntdoIT, on 04/27/2008, -11/+80Not a math genius by any means, but 192 purchases of video games should not equal up to 23k.
    • DotProduct, on 04/27/2008, -2/+60It's not unreasonable. It adds up to be about $120 for each purchase, which could be about 2 or 3 games at each purchase.
    • MasterMO, on 04/27/2008, -20/+9you don't have to be a maths genius to figure out that maybe he bought multiple games in 1 purchase. But you do need to have some logic.
    • craigyjack, on 04/27/2008, -0/+4FTA: "From October 2006 to January 2008, Buchanan auctioned off about 447 video games on eBay for roughly $19,562, the complaint says." looks like 192 purchases and around 447 games total with those puchases.
  • ChinezePanda, on 04/27/2008, -10/+18Which is why when you pull any scam like this....

    YOU PAY WITH CASH!!!

    Who the hell pulls that kinda scam on a debit or credit card. It's only leaving oh.. ALL YOUR GODDAMN CONTACT INFORMATION right in there system AKA LAP.

    Or just dont do it all. Cheap bastard.
    • thesonofdarwin, on 04/27/2008, -1/+2What stupid store gives cash-back these days? You get store credit. The way this guy was doing it, the store credit paid back his credit card, and he got cash by selling on ebay. Only small ma-and-pa stores will even think about refunding anything but credit, and you'd get caught quite quickly doing it that way.
  • darkecho, on 04/27/2008, -4/+5FTA "law-enforcement officers from Austin, Albert Lea, Freeborn County, Mower County and the U.S. Postal Service used a search warrant"
    The U.S. Postal Service? Didn't know they got involved in warrants.
    • Joe11Blue, on 04/27/2008, -0/+4You realise the US Postal system is the reason the Federal Marshall system, and the state police system's were established right?
      • Xalorous, on 04/27/2008, -3/+1Marshals were established before the USPS. Never watched westerns? "Marshal" Dillon on gunsmoke? Yeah, fed.
        • MrWhite7, on 04/27/2008, -0/+5Congress shall have the authority to establish post offices and postal roads. ~Constitution, United States of America
    • gregnorc, on 04/27/2008, -0/+5He used the postal service (to mail the stolen disks he sold on ebay)

      The postal service has an investigative with real police officers, who carry guns, serve warrants etc. They mostly deal with white collar crime, but then again, so does the FBI, and I don't see a perception that the FBI isn't staffed by some very tough individuals.
      • Xalorous, on 04/27/2008, -1/+1The postal service doesn't have police officers, they have federal agents. Or used to. I thought the USPS was privatized...

        Using the mail in the comission of a crime makes it a federal offense.
    • daizaru, on 04/27/2008, -0/+4"I love the FedEx guy because he's a drug dealer and he doesn't even know it" - Mitch Hedberg

      Mail is still an outlet for crime, they have an internal system to try and prevent it.
    • TheMidnight, on 04/27/2008, -0/+1The postal service is a quasi-independent, quasi-government agency. The USPS Federal Inspection Service investigates both mail fraud by USPS employees (e.g. a mailroom worker taking cash out of birthday cards) and the use of the mail service for the commission of crimes (e.g. anthrax envelopes), and has powers of arrest and enforcement. Last I heard, they have a 98% conviction rate.
  • FatLoser, on 04/27/2008, -8/+41That's what you get for _gaming_ the system.
    • daizaru, on 04/27/2008, -9/+2Wow, that's like the worst pun I have ever heard in the entirety of my life. Congratulations to you sir.
      • Freeto114, on 04/27/2008, -0/+3it.. it burns my eyes... just to read your awful comment.
        kudos on destroying my well being
    • TheMidnight, on 04/27/2008, -0/+8I think I hear a snare and some cymbals falling down the stairs...
    • gglynn07, on 04/28/2008, -0/+2que the CSI Miami music!!!
  • ileftfark, on 04/27/2008, -3/+88FTA: "Buchanan's alleged scam consisted of buying video games from stores, repackaging the containers with blank replica game discs, returning the fraudulent games for a refund and selling the original games on eBay, an online-auction site."

    This "eBay" thing sounds interesting... I predict that it will become something big one day.
    • smacksaw, on 04/27/2008, -2/+115HAHA GREAT COMMENT A++++++++++++++++ WOULD LAUGH AT IT AGAIN
      • gcnaddict, on 04/27/2008, -26/+4CAPSLOCK IS CRUISE CONTROL FOR COOL
      • TheThirdLevel, on 04/27/2008, -3/+50BAD SELLER LAUGH TOOK TOO LONG TO SHIP WOULD NOT JOKE AT AGAIN
      • DeFex, on 04/27/2008, -2/+13SENT ME A JOKE ABOUT BLONDS WANTED A PREACHER JOKE
    • liljerk, on 04/27/2008, -5/+1i see what you did there
  • Cornrider, on 04/27/2008, -5/+14Maybe he would have gotten away with murder by actually cloning and burning each game on those discs before labeling them.
    • Natnie, on 04/27/2008, -0/+10Perhaps. Seems he couldn't though, 'cause if he could he could easily have sold the clones on eBay and replaced the proper ones when he returned them so there wouldn't have been as much evidence against him.
    • OrderedChaos, on 04/27/2008, -0/+15Because everyone clearly has a modded console that can play burnt games right? Oh wait...
      • AustinMeoang, on 04/27/2008, -1/+1pc games?
      • senatorpjt, on 04/27/2008, -0/+1He could have made a lot more money if he had the equipment to stamp out identical discs to the originals that would play without a modchip.
    • jc7012, on 04/27/2008, -0/+6I don't know if that would allow him to commit homicide and get away with it...
  • justice7, on 04/27/2008, -9/+3there are better ways of gaming the system .. which don't involve anything illegal.
    • OrderedChaos, on 04/27/2008, -0/+11Legal ways to game the system and make $20,000 with next to no effort? I'll sign up for your seminar.
      • MrESaulved, on 04/27/2008, -2/+2If you get paid for doing what you would otherwise be doing in your free or leisure time, you have "gamed the system." In that the "system" wants to keep you both poor and always occupied.

        /seminar over, no charge.
        //share
      • S5Z2, on 04/27/2008, -1/+1PIERATE BAIII ARRRG!!
    • Slimer, on 04/27/2008, -0/+8yeah like being his lawyer
  • ixach, on 04/27/2008, -5/+21This article allegedly alleges of a man's crime.
  • JJ2K1, on 04/27/2008, -10/+3Deserare times cause people to do desperate things. Stories like this will only get more common and more bizarre with the cost of living going through the roof with food and gasoline. People have got to make up the difference somewhere, and when hard times occur, the black market and its dealings soar.
    • lazyfanatic, on 04/27/2008, -3/+3people do stupid stuff in all times. your comment is absurd.
    • Xalorous, on 04/27/2008, -5/+3Umm, gasoline is not a necessity. If you are hungry to the point of desparation, and forced to consider stealing, don't you think you would steal FOOD?
      Also, this guy's not destitute.
      • GQJake81, on 04/27/2008, -0/+6You need to climb out from under the rock you are living under and get a clue. for a lot of people gasoline is a necessity. You probably live in a nice big city with tons of public transportation. I live in a rural area. GAS is a NECESSITY. so don't make a blanket statement. the world exists with conditions of living other than your own. the nearest store where i can buy things is 30 miles away. ride a bike? walk? ok....then how am i gonna bring the load of lumber i am purchasing home? get a clue.
        • georgetds, on 04/27/2008, -2/+1Or you could move. You would survive without your car, making it *not* an necessity. You choose (and you have every right to do so) to live where you need your car, but if you suddenly can't use it you would have choices you could make. Now, perhaps if your only skill for making enough money to survive was driving, then maybe gas would be a necessity, but I don't think that is the case here.
      • Coded1, on 04/27/2008, -0/+2If you have a job and you need a car to get to said job, would you steal / attempt to steal the gas and keep the job or just quit the job and steal food instead? Do you really think it is more honorable to steal the food instead of the gas? At least by stealing the gas he is still making money which is getting taxed which betters everything more then making no money and stealing a bit of food, getting caught and your government spending more money to prosecute and jail him. If he does steal enough gas to get over the slump he can still get over this 'hump' and possibly retain a bit of consistency. Either way this person is stealing and may get caught and punished for his crimes but saying that stealing food is in someway better than stealing gas is definitely wrong. If we were to take the old "greater good" thinking path then it would be better for you and our economy for someone to steal the gas because if the situation did improve the country would recover much quicker. Reason being companies would still be able to operate since they would still have workers to produce products. Dropping your job means that it may become difficult for the company to keep workers working meaning its more difficult to keep the company running. This in turn means when the economy starts to recover you have nothing but a bunch of empty buildings.
        I'm not sure how far you have your head up your ass but it seems you've done yourself a good job of getting it stuck.
    • fieramento, on 04/27/2008, -1/+2He lives with his mother, his cost of living is near zero.
      • GQJake81, on 04/27/2008, -1/+1just because he lives with her doesn't mean she pays all the bills. she's 68 IIRC, so i'm guessin he pays for most stuff. not defending him, just saying that you can't assume.
  • Natnie, on 04/27/2008, -22/+4Apparently no matter what anyone says they get dugg down.... so I'm going to say something that everybody should theoretically agree with... this guy's pretty stupid.
  • stonklit, on 04/27/2008, -16/+3Niiiice.

    I used to do this when I was a kid. I'd buy SNES games and replace the insides of the carts with something cheap from (then) Funcoland. Like a $1 copy of Mario World. Then re-shrink-wrap the box, return. Profit!

    Difference is I used cash.
    • MrWhite7, on 04/27/2008, -0/+7a kid with a shrink wrap machine... you little devil you.
    • stonklit, on 04/27/2008, -6/+1I dunno how I'm getting dugg down for that.

      It's actually a pretty genius idea.
    • kjm2664, on 04/27/2008, -0/+3you're getting dugg down because you're an asshat. It's all fun and games until someone pays $60 for a $1 copy of Mario World.


  • CMiYC, on 04/27/2008, -7/+2I was disappointed there was no picture of Frank (or his mother).
  • MLisa, on 04/27/2008, -15/+2Are these games really over $100 each? Honest question. I've never paid for one.
    • Hoogs, on 04/27/2008, -0/+2$60 usually, which is why I only buy new games every once in awhile.
  • FuckXboxx, on 04/27/2008, -18/+2Hmmm...maybe he's never heard of The Pirate Bay?

    What a tard...
    • nooath, on 04/27/2008, -0/+5Did you even read the article?
    • vivalagoat, on 04/27/2008, -0/+6lol, look at your username....

      what a tard....
    • OrderedChaos, on 04/27/2008, -0/+2He was reselling the games for profit.

      So are you the "tard" for not RTFA? Digg shall decide.
      • FuckXboxx, on 04/27/2008, -1/+1I did read the article...

        Why doesn't he just download games and burn them and sell them? Because he's a tard.
        • ssgOverlord, on 04/28/2008, -0/+1Because they would need a modded system.
  • llurker, on 04/27/2008, -3/+15How was he able to return it? I haven't successfully returned any software since the early 90s.

    • lazyfanatic, on 04/27/2008, -1/+11if it is unopened they will credit or cash it.

      its people like him who have made it that way.
    • irinotecan, on 04/27/2008, -0/+5Police seized a shrink wrapper which he used to make it look like the software was unopened.
  • barktwiggs, on 04/27/2008, -2/+15There's a special place reserved in gaming hell for this guy. I think it's where they show Uwe Boll movies all the time.
  • Xalorous, on 04/27/2008, -6/+11Scams like this give the marketing drones a reason to mark up the price just a bit more, driving the prices up at each step of the way. Which is one reason why prices are edging towards US$60 per game for new releases. That and piracy, which so many of you support. Which is stupid because it makes games more expensive.
    • georgetds, on 04/27/2008, -0/+2What do pirates care for the cost of a game on the market?
    • mxpx720, on 04/27/2008, -1/+2Incorrect, you can also throw out piracy as it's a pain in the ass with the xbox 360. What you can blame the price on is increased production costs, increased advertising for the games (remember the 2 assassins creed commercials during the super bowl). The only other thing to point blame at is the fact that you're willing to pay 500 dollars for a console and buy games at 60 dollars a piece like a robot.
    • S5Z2, on 04/27/2008, -1/+1Solution: Share your games and I'll share my games through the interwebs.
    • CrimsonBlur, on 04/28/2008, -1/+2Games are more expensive now because of the rising costs of production and promotion, not because of piracy. The amount of money it costs a studio to make a game in 2008 is orders of magnitude more than it was in 1998 or 1988 and there is far more competition (meaning more money spent on advertising).
  • nik4tech, on 04/27/2008, -4/+1I can't believe his mother would support his efforts, crazy!
  • MrESaulved, on 04/27/2008, -6/+3Before someone tries to claim downloading a file and what this guy did, swap physical media and profit from the conversion, is similar... this crook profited from his acts.

    The downloader would have to "steal" a disc, box and the assorted inclusions for it to be similar, and also profit from a sale. Never mind pre-paid owners downloading backups, or no-cd exe's, they have every right to non-crippled product. I ask you: would you prosecute someone looking over the fence at a drive-in movie? Would you require all people who did not purchase a ticket to block their ears at an outdoor concert?
    • OpaqueMurdock, on 04/27/2008, -1/+3Clearly it is not the same...
      If he had returned the disks but used a high speed duplicator to make a large number of copies and placed stacks of them in a publicly accessible place with a huge sign reading "free games take one & leave your stack if you like!" then yeah, it might be similar.

      So is your argument is that as long as you are only taking the information from the content creators its ok? And at the point were you rip off retailers it becomes a bad thing? I know all the logic behind the practice, but honestly this is were it falls down for me... people worked hard on those games and the 1's and 0's ARE their craft. That IS their product. as much as a table is a product of a master woodworker. The fact that the game/music/film CAN be copied doesn't mean it should, out of respect for the hard work of the people that made it.

      At some point in the future so many of us will have so little respect for these crafts people that the product will suffer. I hope you like Taco Bell ads in your mmorpg! I don't want big media companies to rule the world mind you... but that same lack of respect hurts small game developers, independent filmmakers and independent musicians.

      I am not advocating an end to file sharing, simply a return of respect for craftspeople.

      (screw the greedy suits btw, if you can find a piece of software that does the job from a small developer that you can directly support, a game you like that was written by two guys who sell it online or a good band that records on their own and shuns old school labels... support them. The best way to "stick it to the man" is not to steal from them but to replace them with something else.)


    • mspengler, on 04/27/2008, -1/+1Your logic is faulty. There is no good justification for theft. You are basically saying that it would be okay for me to steal a car off the production line as long as I use it myself and not sell it. But, if I steal the car from a dealership, I have crossed the line.

      As for the "have every right to..." argument. You have the rights agreed upon. If you agree to terms (of sale, of use, etc.) and then break them when they become inconvenient, you are dishonest and a thief.
      • OpaqueMurdock, on 04/28/2008, -0/+1Well, this is the other side of the problem... It IS different than stealing a car in the fact that a car can't be effortlessly duplicated. People who share files understand this difference perfectly and won't be swayed but such over simplification. They know they are not "stealing" a physical product. They are making a duplicate of it and in their eyes they don't see it as "taking" anything. What they don't see, or refuse to see is the other damage they are arguably doing to the value of digital art and entertainment as a whole. They think that what they do will ALWAYS be counter balanced by some other source of revenue. Unfortunately like in my example above they only apply this thinking to the largest and most established media publishers.

        You do have a very good point about breaking the terms that were agreed to, but I'm afraid thats a genie we may never get back in the bottle. File sharing people seem to be saying the laws are invalid since so many people are doing it... and honestly, they may eventually win on that point. My hope is that when the dust is cleared in 20 years, that they haven't burnt the creative community to the ground and are left with a hand full of pop stars, pointless 2 hour commercials passed of as movies and crappy games that lack any soul.

        What I feel we need to convince them of is that they are failing to support the livelihood of the very people that make the cool things they enjoy... maybe not all of them will be forced to stop, but many talented and hardworking people that don't deserve to be disrespected in this way will fall by the wayside if the products they produce become completely without value to more and more people. None of this will happen tomarrow... but we are on the path.

        Back to the car for a second. In a hundred years, they probably WILL be having this conversation about duplicating cars. Rapid prototyping is moving along pretty damned fast. Thank god I bill be retired/dead by then.

        Me, I'm building a wood shop in my garage. I may not be able to sell my photography or music for anything... but the frames for the images and shelves for the devices that play the musicstill sell for more than ever, Kinda sick ain't it? hehe.


  • 9bpm9, on 04/27/2008, -1/+35eBay, an online-auction site.

    It's 2008, do you REALLY still need to put that?
    • Biks, on 04/27/2008, -6/+1Wait...what year is it? You're not a taxpayer too, are ya? :-)
  • abaad, on 04/27/2008, -1/+21i wonder which 9 games were so good he couldn't give them up
    • cwshea, on 04/27/2008, -1/+12Probably whichever ones never let him down.
    • gfxl, on 04/27/2008, -0/+8The ones that never ran around and deserted him
    • brianara3, on 04/28/2008, -1/+0The ones the store wouldn't take back due to shoddy scam job?
  • ThaCapn, on 04/27/2008, -3/+6My home town newspaper. Dugg for first time I've seen it on Digg.
    • mxpx720, on 04/27/2008, -3/+1buried as there is nothing to do in southern minnesota besides go to mankato and drink at the bars. I would know... 23 years in that ***** hole
  • soapandfoam, on 04/27/2008, -3/+2Cash anyone?
  • Triplastic, on 04/27/2008, -0/+12My friend in Rochester, MN was a victom of this Scam. When he took the obviously fake disk back to Wal-Mart (Burnout Paradise)they really didn't ask many questions. At that point of the game Wal-Mart already had a box full of bogus CDs and a decent case building against this guy. I never expected to see this on DIGG, but I'm glad justice will be served.

    My friend was a bit upset about the whole thing and called me before taking the disk back to the store. He never thought Wal-Mart would believe his story. I asked him what other real choice did he have. Thankfully the truth prevailed and they exchanged the game for a new one. He opened it on site to make sure it wasn't another bad copy.

    All is well and my friend says Burnout Paradise is awesome.
    • Triplastic, on 04/27/2008, -0/+4Sorry, I can't spell... victim*
    • xhable, on 04/28/2008, -0/+0I'm glad they took it back. A simmaler thing happens to me very often at game (a uk store), but only because of stupid store clerks forgetting to put the game in the box.
  • bashturd, on 04/27/2008, -0/+4anyone else see the "get the facts" Scientology ad on the site?
  • Trilogy, on 04/27/2008, -6/+1Game stores should never take returns of unwrapped goods unless there's a technical problem with disc itself. Also people are known to steal cd-keys from PC games. :/
    • xexen, on 04/27/2008, -0/+3From the article it sounds like this guy had a shrink wrap machine.
    • mxpx720, on 04/27/2008, -1/+2you my friend can not only read, but look like a dumb ass now
  • Biks, on 04/27/2008, -1/+1As if you could do this hundreds of times and have no one notice that they just bought a shrink wrapped CD-R with a printed label stuck on it? And what was he selling on ebay? Just the original disk or did he have to fake the plastic case insert too?
    • georgetds, on 04/27/2008, -0/+3Well, I would think his sales would go along the lines of, lost case but CD is still good.
    • ScareCrow87, on 04/27/2008, -0/+0It wasn't a printed label 'stuck on it', but the disk itself printed. You can buy printers that can also print to PRINTABLE cd/dvds for $100/$50 on sale that do a great job. Honestly, if done right it would be tough to recognize from looking at them (especially if you get silver-bottom disks)
  • fluffyturtle, on 04/27/2008, -0/+5"returning the fraudulent games for a refund and selling the original games on eBay, an online-auction site."

    Well I was completely clueless until they clarified what Ebay was, thank goodness otherwise the article would have been lost on me. This E-Bay looks like a winner to me, there should be an article on Digg bringing attention to this awesome site!
  • mike23w, on 04/27/2008, -1/+10"video-game return scam done by Buchanan, with the help of his mother"

    Digger gone bad?
  • paulmer2003, on 04/27/2008, -2/+2What an idiot - why didn't he use cash.
  • Magee1205, on 04/27/2008, -4/+2Man buys $23,178 worth of games? wtf?!

    $60 x 192 purchases = $11,520 + 7.25% sales tax = $12,355.20

    Unless he bought a multiple rockband kits, that number seems a bit high.
    • Shrivel, on 04/27/2008, -0/+5Maybe he bought more than one game at a time?
    • raistlin0788, on 04/27/2008, -0/+1Or he bought two games each time...
    • edilclyde, on 04/27/2008, -0/+1he got ripped off! jokes on him.
    • ScareCrow87, on 04/27/2008, -0/+1Read the article, not just the headline. It was 192 TRANSACTIONS, for a total of at least 447 games (so he's buying 2-3 at a time.
    • alittleroy101, on 04/27/2008, -0/+1Read the comments that came well before you posted yours. Multiple people have already put forth this questions, and multiple people have answered that it is possible to buy more than one game at a time.
  • xxgigavirusxx, on 04/27/2008, -0/+4"On Feb. 27 law-enforcement officers from Austin, Albert Lea, Freeborn County, Mower County and the U.S. Postal Service ..."

    I love how the Postal Service was in there. When I read that I imaged a bunch of people in mail men uniforms going through a guys house.
  • CaviMike, on 04/27/2008, -1/+3"27 law-enforcement officers from Austin, Albert Lea, Freeborn County, Mower County and the U.S. Postal Service"

    Postal Service has police officers?
  • Creamzsoda, on 04/27/2008, -7/+4When I was poor and in school I used to do something like this with PC games..except it wasn't for profit and I put the original game back in the box. I just installed the game and got a No-CD crack or what have you. There wasn't any need to shrink wrap anything..just had to put a little piece of clear tape carefully over the original seal. It's harder to do with todays game boxes...

    Oh yeah and this was before torrents really...my early pirating days ;)
    • Creamzsoda, on 04/27/2008, -3/+0Lol...I thought a lot of diggers supported piracy. I wasn't doing it for profit you know...sure the developers weren't getting anything out of me but eh..i usually didnt keep the games longer than a demo worth of play time...I get bored quickly so it's hard to justify dropping $50 on a PC game when you can't rent them to see if you're even going to like it. I kept the ones I enjoyed.
      • FriedTurkey, on 04/27/2008, -0/+1It is not as cool to be a pirate as you thought. Don't worry thanks to piracy PC gaming will eventually die anyway.
  • jeweledmagic, on 04/27/2008, -3/+0Maybe the post office was involved if he mailed the auction winners the game they won? Federal crime then isn't it if you do bad stuff thru the mail system? I just envisioned a COPS show with mailmen/mailwomen bustin' down the criminals door with a battering ram...*sings* "Bad boys...bad boys, watcha gonna do, watcha gonna do when theyl go postal on you..."
  • simonsez21, on 04/27/2008, -0/+1I'm from Austin, and these are very small towns. The Post-bulletin is not the New York Times so who cares if they make grammatically errors? BTW I got my Wii at that Target.
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