Japanese YouTuber's Pet Fish Commit Credit Card Fraud Against Owner While Playing Pokémon
Getty; Nintendo
A Japanese YouTuber fell victim to credit card fraud, and the culprit was his own pet fish.
The entire incident was caught on camera during a live stream on the Mutekimaru Channel on YouTube. The channel is famous for its clips of fish playing video games on the Nintendo Switch through motion detection tracking software, which can track fish as they swim through a tank and use the information to input commands on the video game system based on where the fish are positioned.
However, things went awry during a live stream of a group of fish playing Pokémon Scarlet and Violet after Mutekimaru stepped away. The video game crashed, but the gaming system continued to follow the fish's inputs leading to the Nintendo Store, where users can purchase games and other downloadable content.
The fish managed to swim in a way that allowed them access to the store before exiting and re-entering, after which they made a purchase.
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The fish eventually charged 500 Yen through the Nintendo Store – equivalent to about $3.85 – to a credit card already saved on the Switch account. Unbeknownst to the owner, the fish also exposed his credit card information to the public on the live stream during the purchase, per Techspot.
The swimmers also downloaded the N64 emulator and used the gold coins saved up from purchases through the owner's Nintendo shop to buy a golfing digital cosmetic from Nintendo Switch Sports, according to Kotaku.
After Mutekimaru discovered the incident, he contacted Nintendo, explained the situation, and requested a refund, which was eventually granted by the company, per Techspot.
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The Mutekimaru Channel has been successful in the past at having a group of fish complete a Pokémon game. In 2020, Mutekimaru's fish successfully finished Pokémon Sapphire in over 3,000 hours, according to Gizmodo.
The team of fish that plays video games in the tank is switched out every 12 hours for the fish's health, according to the YouTube channel.