Players of the new hit game phenomenon Pokémon Go need to be careful. Although the game can be Uber fun with it’s augmented reality features, criminals are using the popular app to easily target victims and rob them.

If you haven’t heard of this app, it is a type of Geo Caching game where you find and capture Pokemon characters at various locations. Police in Missouri are advising 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.

Authorities are investigating a series of armed robberies in St. Louis and St. Charles counties where players of the augmented reality app game became victims of armed robberies according to Police in O’ Fallon Missouri.

Detectives stated on the O’Fallon Missouri Police Department Facebook page, “The way we believe it was used to lure victims is you can add a beacon to a pokestop to lure more players. Apparently they were using the app to locate people standing around in the middle of a parking lot or whatever other location they were in.”

Although these armed robberies happened in Missouri, it could easily happen anywhere the game is played if these types of plots and criminals aren’t exposed. It’s a global app that friends of mine are already playing here in The Woodlands on a daily basis. Everyone playing this game or games like it (especially children) need to stay alert at all times and be careful who they disclose their location to.