While the new Pokemon Go game may be getting people out of their house and into the great outdoors, it’s also causing a fair bit of trouble.
People are getting so carried away with catching Pokemon that they’re causing road accidents, falling into ditches, and now, they’re getting robbed.
Missouri police say that four men have used the game to find players at a specific location, and then robbed them using a handgun.
Up to nine people have been robbed by these men over the past couple of days, a spokesperson from the O’Fallon Police Department told Gizmodo, with the latest robbery occurring on Sunday morning at around 2am.
The suspects apparently used the Pokemon Go game to find their victims through popular PokeStops – which, for those who don’t play Pokemon Go, are virtual sites in the game that can be designated to any real world location.
The four men who were apprehended all range in age from 16 to 18. What they stole from their victims has not yet been released, but we’d reckon phones and wallets were on the list. Considering Pokemon Go deliberately draws the player’s attention to their phone while at the same time encouraging them to walk, it’s safe to assume the victims wouldn’t be paying much attention to their pockets – or their surroundings.
But robbing people has consequences (big ones) and three of the four men have been charged with Robbery in the 1st Degree and Armed Criminal Action; a Class A Felony and an Unclassified Felony, Gizmodo reports. Bond was set at $100,000 cash only.
Moral of the story? Next time you’re out playing Pokemon Go, watch where you’re going.
