RuneScape Developer 'Mod Jed' Sentenced for Stealing £400,000 of In-Game Gold

Andrew Lakeman, a former developer for Old School RuneScape, has been sentenced to community service and a suspended prison term after stealing nearly half a million pounds' worth of in-game gold from players. As 'Mod Jed,' Lakeman used his position to siphon off items from the player base and resell them on secondary markets, often through cryptocurrencies.

Lakeman was hired by Jagex, the creators of RuneScape, in 2015. He began secretly stealing items from players in 2018, with the company initially attributing the missing goods to a glitch. However, an internal investigation revealed Lakeman's scheme, and he was caught red-handed during a sting operation.

Lakeman denied the thefts at first but ultimately admitted to making nearly half a million pounds from his illicit activities. He had also boasted about his plan to target high-paying accounts in texts to his wife, who is not implicated in the crime.