Cassidy Wolf: Miss Teen USA 'Sextortion Victim'
Cassidy Wolf: Miss Teen USA 'Sextortion Victim, The FBI is investigating after the Miss Teen USA pageant winner was apparently the victim of a cyber hacker and 'sextortion' plot.
Cassidy Wolf, 19, said someone emailed her several months ago claiming to have photos of her taken in her bedroom after a computer webcam was hacked.
Ms Wolf, from Temecula, California, said the person tried to extort her in return for ensuring the pictures were not made public.
An FBI spokeswoman said a suspect had demanded nude photos of Ms Wolf - in a so-called 'sextortion' case.Ms Wolf told today.com: "I wasn't aware that somebody was watching me (on my webcam). The light (on the camera) didn’t even go on, so I had no idea."
She added: "This all happened before I had a title. I was just a normal girl in high school."
Laura Eimiller, spokeswoman for the FBI’s Los Angeles office, told the Riverside Press-Enterprise that more than a dozen victims were involved.
She said: "We do believe we've identified the source of the (illegal) activity" and would not reveal what photos the suspect had.
She added the activity had stopped and the teenager's actions were key to the case.
"Ms Wolf coming forward was absolutely instrumental," she said.
"It's a great lesson for any girl victimised in this way. They shouldn’t keep that to themselves, no matter how embarrassing it may be. They should contact law enforcement."
Ms Wolf, who won her title earlier this month in the Bahamas, hopes to spread awareness of the dangers of online crime during her upcoming one-year reign.
"This next year I’m just so excited to be able to share my story and raise awareness in young teens about what can happen."
Her tips for protection against hackers include changing passwords frequently and making them unique by using symbols and different characters.
People should also delete cookies and browsing history regularly, and put a sticker over the computer’s webcam when they are not using it, she said.
The revelation of the sextortion case has not overshadowed the excitement of winning the pageant, her mother Mary Wolf noted.
"I thought she would do well, but never, never, never did I expect for her to win it and she did," she said. "It's a forever moment and it will change her life forever."
Cassidy Wolf, 19, said someone emailed her several months ago claiming to have photos of her taken in her bedroom after a computer webcam was hacked.
Ms Wolf, from Temecula, California, said the person tried to extort her in return for ensuring the pictures were not made public.
An FBI spokeswoman said a suspect had demanded nude photos of Ms Wolf - in a so-called 'sextortion' case.Ms Wolf told today.com: "I wasn't aware that somebody was watching me (on my webcam). The light (on the camera) didn’t even go on, so I had no idea."
She added: "This all happened before I had a title. I was just a normal girl in high school."
Laura Eimiller, spokeswoman for the FBI’s Los Angeles office, told the Riverside Press-Enterprise that more than a dozen victims were involved.
She said: "We do believe we've identified the source of the (illegal) activity" and would not reveal what photos the suspect had.
She added the activity had stopped and the teenager's actions were key to the case.
"Ms Wolf coming forward was absolutely instrumental," she said.
"It's a great lesson for any girl victimised in this way. They shouldn’t keep that to themselves, no matter how embarrassing it may be. They should contact law enforcement."
Ms Wolf, who won her title earlier this month in the Bahamas, hopes to spread awareness of the dangers of online crime during her upcoming one-year reign.
"This next year I’m just so excited to be able to share my story and raise awareness in young teens about what can happen."
Her tips for protection against hackers include changing passwords frequently and making them unique by using symbols and different characters.
People should also delete cookies and browsing history regularly, and put a sticker over the computer’s webcam when they are not using it, she said.
The revelation of the sextortion case has not overshadowed the excitement of winning the pageant, her mother Mary Wolf noted.
"I thought she would do well, but never, never, never did I expect for her to win it and she did," she said. "It's a forever moment and it will change her life forever."
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