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Armed Robbers Use Pokemon Go To Target 9 Players


Niantic's new augmented reality game Pokemon Go motivated a lot of players to get out of their homes to explore and "catch 'em all", but O'Fallon police are warning players to use caution as criminals are using the app to lure players in St. Louis to an isolated location so they could rob them using a handgun.

According to O'Fallon police, there have been similar armed robberies in St. Louis City, County, and St. Charles County MO over the last couple of days. A spokesperson from the O'Fallon Police Department told Gizmodo that eight or nine people have been robbed by four men over the past couple of days. The latest robbery happened on Sunday morning at around 2am by men in a black BMW, but thankfully, police were able to apprehend them.

Police say that the suspects set up a beacon to a Pokestop —virtual sites in the app that can be designated at any real word location— to lure players. They were using the Pokemon Go game to find people standing in the middle of parking lots and other isolated locations.

The four robbers apprehended range from 16 to 18 years-old.

Check out the full press release from O'Fallon police below:

While the game includes a warning asking people to watch their surroundings, last week, Australian police issued a warning to Pokemon Go players to remind them to look at the streets when crossing.

Read: This Guy May Have Ruined His Entire Career By Playing Pokemon Go At Work

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