Teenager stole nude photos for blackmail on Snapchat

A TEENAGE blackmailer has been jailed after hacking into women’s Snapchat accounts and threatening to send stolen nude pictures to their friends unless he was sent money, police have said.

Jasin Bushi, 18, infiltrated the accounts of at least seven women on the instant messaging app and changed their login details so the victims could not regain access.

He then posed as the women and messaged their friends to ask for money.

Initially, the messages said the individual was facing eviction and needed money to cover rent, usually between £200 to £300, Scotland Yard said.

Some of the victim’s friends were suspicious of the pleas and challenged them, after which Bushi threaten to post nude pictures of the woman if money was not sent to a Paypal account.

Scotland Yard said intimate pictures and videos of victims from the Snapchat accounts “were posted on a number of occasions”, but a judge was said to have accepted Bushi’s denials that it was not done by him.

The teenager, of Camden, London carried out the hacking spree between December 2020 and February last year. Police said they launched an investigation in May last year and seven identified victims, aged between 17 and 35, agreed to provide statements.

Bushi was known to one of his victims, while the remaining six women were strangers, Scotland Yard said.

The force said there were “many more victims who were unwilling to support a police investigation”.

Bushi was eventually linked to the fake Paypal accounts he had set up to receive stolen money through two mobile numbers he had used.

He pleaded guilty to unauthorised access to a computer to facilitate the commission of an offence, fraud by false representation, possession of articles used in fraud and three counts of blackmail, according to police.

He pleaded not guilty to three counts of disclosing private sexual photographs or films, with intent to cause distress, these charges were left on file.

On Monday, Bushi was jailed for two years at Wood Green Crown Court, Scotland Yard said.

Det Con Ed Sehmer, the investigating officer, said: “Bushi completely violated the victims’ privacy all in an attempt to make a quick bit of cash.”