Male teenager from Western New York targeted in sextortion scheme via Snapchat and Yahoo account hack, resulting in FBI arrest of Ghanaian suspect
Summary
A male teenager from Western New York was targeted in a sextortion case in 2022, in which nude pictures of him and a friend were sent to his Snapchat contacts, along with demands for money through a CashApp account. The victim’s Yahoo account was also hacked, and images were distributed through a separate account. The FBI traced the messages to 21-year-old Cross Abu Cole, a Ghanaian citizen, who was arrested upon arriving in the United States and is now detained in the area. Cole faces a charge of interstate communications with intent to extort. The FBI warns against paying extortion demands and urges victims to report incidents immediately. The case is part of a growing trend in sextortion cases, with the majority of victims now being boys aged 14 to 17.
Incident Details
Harms involving the exploitation, abuse, or endangerment of minors, including CSAM and grooming.
Sources
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