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[Twin-Skies]

One of the better uses for Xbox Live: crime-busting

When his Xbox 360, Apple PowerBook and flat-screen TV were stolen in a recent break-in, Jesse McPherson (left) had no inkling that gamers from around the world would band together to hunt down the thieves.

Frustrated by what he said was a lack of police response, McPherson began a bit of his own sleuthing and found that someone had tried to sell his PowerBook at a nearby pawn shop. As the Philadelphia Daily News reports, the big break in the case came after McPherson’s coworkers chipped in to buy him a new 360. When he logged on to Xbox Live, one of the thieves began taunting him and even left voice messages offering to sell the stolen console back to McPherson.

When McPherson posted the story of the brazen - but not especially clever - thief on Digg, the gaming community too notice and swung into action. Armed with the crook’s Xbox Live GamerTag, they found his online photo collection, his self-made rap video on YouTube and even his real name, address and phone number.

Pwned.