Pokemon Go, a new augmented reality game for smartphones, was reportedly used to lure victims in a string of armed robberies in O’Fallon, Missouri.
Four teens, ages 16 to 18, were arrested after reports of armed robbery Sunday,
USA Today reported. They are suspected of using the app to bait victims who use the game to hunt digital Pokemon on their smartphones.
The O'Fallon Police Department posted about the robberies on its Facebook page.
"If you use this app (or other similar type apps) or have children that do we ask you to please use caution when alerting strangers of your future location," the post said.
Three of the suspects — Shane Michael Baker, 18; Brett William Miller, 17; and Jamine James D. Warner, 18 — were transferred to St. Charles County Department of Corrections with bond set at $100,000, according to police. The fourth was transferred to the St. Charles County Juvenile Justice Center.
The Pokemon Go game was released Wednesday and quickly became the No. 1 grossing app by Thursday,
The Washington Post reported.
The game has also turned up trouble elsewhere. One person stumbled across a dead body in the Wind River in Riverton, Wyoming, on Friday while playing the game,
KTVQ-TV reported.
Shayla Wiggins said she was searching for a Pokemon in a natural water setting when she noticed the body.
"I was walking towards the bridge along the shore when I saw something in the water," Wiggins told the station. "I had to take a second look and I realized it was a body."
In Massachusetts, a private home was marked as a Pokémon gym, attracting many random game players.
"Over the weekend, gamers have been hanging out in his garden and a constant flow of cars has been blocking his driveway,"
CNN reported.
Only available in Australia and the U.S., the Pokemon app is already more popular than Tinder and on a pace to outstrip Twitter, CNN said.
Twitter users seemed exasperated by the news.
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