He accessed their accounts by posing as a Snapchat representative and convincing users to reset their passwords and send him the verification codes. — Unsplash
A Pennsylvania man was sentenced to prison after officials say he hacked into dozens of Snapchat accounts to steal then sell the victims’ nude photos.
It happened between February 2020 and February 2022, according to a Jan 19 news release from the US Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania.
The man accessed the computers of dozens of women, obtained their nude photos and sold them, officials said.
Additionally, he was paid to hack into women’s Snapchat accounts and steal nude photos, according to officials. He accessed their accounts by posing as a Snapchat representative and convincing users to reset their passwords and send him the verification codes.
“This allowed him to then access the otherwise private sections of the accounts. (He) acknowledged earning between US$50,000 (RM236,600) and US$60,000 (RM283,920) from this activity,” officials said.
Some of the people who paid the man would use the photos to extort the women and cyberstalk them, according to officials.
“(He) regrets his actions immensely and is atoning for them. He ceased his conduct in February 2022, more than a year before police intervened. He apologises to all affected, including the victims, his family, and friends,” the man’s lawyer told McClatchy News in an email.
A judge sentenced the man to 18 months in prison and two years of supervised release, officials said. He pleaded guilty in September to one count of obtaining information from protected computers, officials said. – The Charlotte Observer/Tribune News Service
