Online handles have become valuable status symbols — and some cybercriminals are going to frightening lengths to bully, harass and extort users into giving them up.
Federal officials tell CBS News they are concerned about the rise in attempts to get innocent social media users to surrender their accounts.
Cybercriminals turn around and sell the ill-gotten usernames — from sites like Instagram, Minecraft, Twitter, and Snapchat — through online marketplaces to the highest bidder, according to the officials. A CBS News review of transactions saw handles apparently being sold for as much as $25,000. But victims often pay a high price.
CBS News found half a dozen instances where first responders arrived at the homes of innocent social media users or their families after cybercriminals called in a fake emergency--a tactic known as "swatting"--as part of an effort to extort victims for their usernames. Heavily armed police, or in one case, child protective services, often arrived late at night, surprising unsuspecting victims.
"The schemes are actually resulting in violence and loss of life," says Assistant Attorney General Kenneth Polite, who leads the criminal division at the Department of Justice. Polite says online extortion is a "growing issue" that "has the full attention of the department."
"The internet makes this type of criminality much easier to commit, but it also makes it much more difficult to investigate," Pilote said.
The grandfather
Mark Herring signed up for his...
Read Full Story: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/cybercriminals-social-media-accounts-harass-extort/
Your content is great. However, if any of the content contained herein violates any rights of yours, including those of copyright, please contact us immediately by e-mail at media[@]kissrpr.com.