Miss Teen USA Cassidy Wolf and Victoria Kinney Hacking Victims - How to Protect Yourself

LOS ANGELES - June 21, 2014 - PRLog -- "I [was told by investigators] I must have opened an email with a link in it that allowed him to place malware, or malicious software, on my computer, which granted him complete access to my laptop. He was able to trace the keystrokes on my keyboard so he could learn my passwords and see what sites I was going to, and, creepiest of all, he was able to access my webcam 24/7." says Cassidy Wolf, Miss Teen USA.

FBI investigation led prosecturos to Jared Abrahams who had gained control of his victims' webcams, including that of Miss Teen USA, and took pictures of them while they were undressed in their rooms.

Abrahams then contacted the girls or women and threatened to post the pictures on their social media accounts unless they sent more, or undressed for him on Skype.

According to the criminal complaint, one victim told Abrahams that she was downloading Skype to comply with his demands of sending him naked video of themselves but asked him to “have a heart” because of her age.

He responded: “I'll tell you this right now! I do NOT have a heart!!!”

In addition to 12 girls listed in the criminal complaint, Abrahams also hacked into the computers of some 100 to 150 other people, prosecutors say.

The student pleaded guilty in November to extortion and computer hacking.

Victoria Kinney, former Miss Irvine, and the oldest of 7 adopted children, all of whom have been placed in battered childrens shelters by police prior, began a campaign to protect victims of sexual abuse in 2003.  She did this after working in Orphanages in Mexico where many of the children were exploited sexually.

In 2013 Kinney came in contact with a man whom she believed to be named Rylan Harborough, true name Sean Banks.

According to earlier reports by Craig Rivera of FOX news, Banks, a Naval computer technician, who claimed to be a hacker "was able to hack her phone and track her down. Eventually, she received a phone call from Banks in which he said he had been arrested for rape, denied his guilt, and then told her not to speak to investigators regarding his hacking or she would be prosecuted for obstruction of justice."

Kinney, knowing she needed to protect his other victims past and future, went to authorities immediately despite knowing she would suffer and knowing how intelligent and computer savvy Banks was.

According to FOX news, Kinney felt that Banks had been able to succesfully evade police since his first alleged rape in 2009  due to his computer abilities and self proclaimed hacking of phones and computers to eliminate evidence or change it.

According to FOX, shortly after, Kinney recieved texts claiming to be from police, with links in them for her to click however when Miss Kinney asked the police about them, they told her the texts were not from them and to bring her phone into them immediately, which she did.

According to ABC news, Sean Banks was placed in jail 3 times for violating bail and recent documents revealed San Diego County's Sexual Assault Felony Enforcement team (SAFE) did a compliance check in Carlsbad [2013] and found a MacBook Pro in his room. The computer was taken to a computer forensics lab, and Banks was arrested based on the findings, documents say.

According to Law Professor Fred Galves in an article for Criminal Justic Magazine " this technology is allowing criminals direct access to our lives, as no proverbial right or wrong side of the tracks exists to divide the safe from the unsafe in cyberspace."

Prosecutors for News Interntational, phone and computer hacking case, stated that many phone and computer hackers who are tried in court, are often able to hack the evidence prior...changing dates and statements in an effort to discredit witnesses.

According to prosecutors they do this because they know that the charges for hacking or tampering with evidence are far less than the charges for the additional crimes they are being tried for, which their hacking abilities have helped them get away with for so long.

In looking at Miss Wolfs and Miss Kinneys experience we see proven and consistent patterns in hackers as well as methods to protect ourselves:

1- Do not click on any link, on your phone or computer, even if it claims to come from police

2- Do report threats and cyber hacking activity despite threats you may recieve for doing so

3- Do educate children on the importance of cyber safety

4- Keep social media accounts private and hidden

5- Download anti-virus programs like AVG and phone anti-hacking programs like 'Safe Guard' to protect against hacking.

For Anti-Hacking and safety information contact info@stardustpr.com