Yahoo
Yahoo has been named in 2 documented digital harm incidents, including 2 involving minors. The most common harm domain is Child Safety, followed by Privacy & Surveillance.
Documented Incidents
2Male teenager from Western New York targeted in sextortion scheme via Snapchat and Yahoo account hack, resulting in FBI arrest of Ghanaian suspect
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.
University professor cyberstalked via AI chatbots and fake social media accounts for seven years
A Massachusetts man used AI chatbots to impersonate a university professor and lure strangers to her home for sex as part of a seven-year cyberstalking campaign. James Florence, 36, programmed chatbots on platforms like CrushOn.ai and JanitorAI to use the professor’s personal information—including her home address, family details, and stolen underwear—to engage users in sexual dialogue. The chatbots were designed to suggest, “Why don’t you come over?” leading to strangers parking outside the professor’s home. Florence also created fake social media accounts and websites to harass the professor and distribute manipulated images of her, and he stole and shared her personal information online. The stalking occurred between 2017 and 2024, during which the professor and her husband installed surveillance cameras, carried self-defense tools, and received over 60 harassing communications. Florence has agreed to plead guilty to seven counts of cyberstalking and one count of possession of child pornography.