FBI probe alleged ‘sextortion’ scheme
TEMECULA, Calif. — The FBI is investigating allegations that the newly crowned Miss Teen USA was the victim of someone who hacked into a webcam in her Southern California bedroom several months ago in an attempt to extort nude photographs from her.
Agents believe they have identified the person behind the alleged “sextortion” scheme, FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller said Friday. No arrest has been made.
Cassidy Wolf, a 19-year-old graduate of Great Oak High School in Temecula, won the Miss Teen USA crown last Saturday.
Wolf has said she would use her fame to highlight cybercrime, and earlier this week told the website of NBC’s Today show that several months ago she received an anonymous email in which the sender claimed to have stolen images from the camera on her home computer.
The emailer threatened to go public with images captured from Wolf ’s webcam unless she would provide nude pictures of herself, Eimiller said. Instead, Wolf went to the authorities.
“Many victims are embarrassed or keep it to themselves,” Eimiller said. “Coming forward is key to stopping the criminal activity.”
Based on an investigation launched in March the FBI believes there are more than a dozen victims in all — from Riverside County, where Temecula is located, and beyond, Eimiller said.
Wolf’s mother told the Riverside Press-Enterprise that her daughter was in New York, where she will attend the New York Film Academy. A phone message left Friday by The Associated Press for the mother was not immediately returned.