Augmented reality gets sinister as Pokemon Go leads players to a real-life dead body and armed robbers – – from quartz.com by Olivia Goldhill

Excerpt:

Augmented reality game Pokemon Go has inadvertently led users down disturbing paths less than a week after its launch.

On July 8, a teenager in Wyoming was hunting for a Pokemon on a riverbank, but discovered a man’s corpse instead. Police have said the death “appears to be accidental” and the teenager, 19-year-old Shayla Wiggens, told CNN that she’ll continue to hunt for water Pokemon.

Two days later, on July 10, robbers reportedly used Pokemon Go to lure victims to a remote area and rob them at gunpoint.

Police in O’Fallon, Missouri, responded to a report of an armed robbery at 2am, according to an update on the police department’s Facebook page. Having found the suspects and their handgun, the police linked the suspects to a series of earlier robberies which they believe all used Pokemon Go to lure players into their trap.

The smartphone game, which lets players hunt for virtual items in the real world, allows players to meet up and form teams.

 

 


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