Hackers stealing the account of online gamers now

Software giant Microsoft Corp. on Monday said hackers have now set their sights on stealing the accounts of online gamers and then selling virtual items such as gold or weapons, for real world cash.
Dave Weistein of Microsoft said some of the accounts of online players engaged in massively multiplayer online role playing games or MMORPG, can be worth up to $10,000.
MMORPG allows players to assume control of a character in a virtual world where players from all-over were also engaged in the game.
He told Reuters, "The police are really good at understanding someone stole my credit card and ran up a lot of money. It's a lot harder to get them to buy into 'someone stole my magic sword'."
He said hackers use a malicious software such as malware to steal a player's account and information. A malware is a software designed to infiltrate a computer system.
Mikko Hypponen a security specialist at security firm F-secure adds they have already received complaints that some criminals were stealing information of online players.
He told BBC, "It might sound far-fetched but this is a real problem."
Popular online games include "World of Warcraft," "Ultima," and "Everquest." Players buy the game and then pay a monthly subscription to access the game online. In some countries, players buy pre-paid cards with limited game time.
Players acquire virtual objects such as weapons and other valuables while playing the game which can later be sold to other players for real cash.