1. A method for triggering scans of items in a virtual universe, the virtual universe having at least one avatar owned by a resident, at least one avatar having a virtual item and an item inventory, the method comprising: receiving tags from a plurality of users that a particular region of a virtual universe is potentially a source of malicious virtual items; compiling, based on the tags, historical data about the occurrences of malicious items in the particular region; detecting the virtual item of inventory belonging to the avatar being picked up by a user in the particular region; in response to the detecting, scanning, using a geometry scanner, the virtual item of inventory belonging to the avatar; determining if the scanned virtual item has a geometry that differs from a normal virtual item, and if so: triggering an item alert and blocking the scanned virtual item, checking attributes of the scanned virtual item against attributes of known malicious virtual items, and updating an inventory item safety summary accordingly.