Snapchat hacker stole hundreds of nude images, FBI seeking victims
An Illinois man is charged with running a massive phishing expedition to hack into the Snapchat accounts of hundreds of women to steal nude images, and now the FBI is seeking potential victims to help prosecute the case.
Federal prosecutors say 26-year-old Kyle Svara of Illinois ran an elaborate scheme to phish the six-digit Snapchat access codes from women across the US to hack their accounts and steal their personal photos from May 2020 through March 2021, and possibly outside those dates.
Once the defendant obtained the “nude or semi-nude photos of victims,” Svara allegedly sold or traded them on internet forums or exchanged them with others who had hired him to hack the accounts.
Svara is now facing a slew of charges, including aggravated identity theft, wire fraud, computer fraud, conspiracy to commit computer fraud, and making false statements related to child pornography.
What’s more, Svara’s co-conspirator, a 31-year-old former track and field coach at several top universities, paid Svara to hack into the accounts of women he either coached or had other relationships with, court filings show.
The former coach, Steve Waithe of Chicago, was convicted in Boston on multiple charges, including cyberstalking, in November 2023 and is currently serving a five-year sentence, followed by three years of supervised release.
Waithe previously worked at Northeastern University, Penn State University, Illinois Institute of Technology, University of Tennessee, and Concordia University Chicago.
In addition to the women allegedly targeted at Waithe’s request, prosecutors say Svara also targeted women who lived in or around Plainfield, Illinois, as well as students at Colby College in Waterville, Maine.
Snapchat phishing for codes
Prosecutors say Svara advertised his services on online platforms, including Reddit, offering to “get into girls snap accounts” and provide content “for you or trade.” His victims were said to be of all ages.
According to court documents, Svara used social engineering techniques to collect victims’ email addresses, phone numbers, and Snapchat usernames. He then used that information to text more than 4,500 women.
Using “anonymized phone numbers,” Svara would send victims a text message from the “Snapchat Support Team” informing them of suspicious login activity on their Snapchat accounts.
To secure the accounts, victims were told to reply to a text message with a six-digit security code they would receive separately from Snapchat.
Around 570 women provided the codes, allowing Svara to access at least 59 Snapchat accounts and download the sensitive images or videos without permission.
The FBI says the victims “were likely logged out of their Snapchat accounts for a period of time while these unauthorized intrusions were taking place.”
Providing a list of the spoofed numbers and IP addressed used by Svara, the FBI is now asking members of the public who believe they may be victims of the scheme to come forward. Law enforcement is currently notifying known victims by email.
Potential victims who wish to submit information through the FBI intake form can access it here.
If convicted on all counts, Svara could spend up to 35 years in federal prison.
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