Jailed for Internet Harassment

(U.K.) A man who used social networking sites to mount a year-long harassment campaign against his girlfriend has been sentenced to four months in jail. Shane Webber, 23, from Nottingham, posted sexually explicit images of his then girlfriend Ruth Jeffery, 22, to her family and friends.

District Judge Anthony Callaway said the offence was a "gross violation of Miss Jeffery's privacy". Outside Southampton Magistrates' Court, Ms Jeffery said the sentence "will never make up for the hurt he has put me through".

The criminal campaign began in April 2010 when Miss Jeffery aborted their child and he became angry. He posted 10 to 12 images of a nude or sexual nature of his girlfriend and also of himself with her on to sites such as Facebook, MySpace, Tumblr and Google Picasa, the court heard.

One set of pictures was called 'Nude Jeffery' and was sent to many close friends and family of the computing science student at Loughborough university.

Webber tried to implicate one of his friends, Lee Evans, by putting the posts in an email address bearing Mr Evans's name, leading to his arrest. Speaking after the case, Detective Constable Michael Connelly said Webber had even called police to check on how the investigation to find the stalker was going. On one occasion he shouted at DC Connelly that it "needed a proper officer" looking into it. He was only found out when Miss Jeffery's family made their own inquiries and the emails were traced back to him.

In a victim impact statement which was read out, Miss Jeffery said: "I have been absolutely devastated by the fact the person I shared everything with caused me so much hurt and harm."

The court was told the harassment has caused her to be depressed and lacking in confidence and had forced her not to trust anyone. She said she had been "intentionally controlled, belittled and harmed" by Webber, and that Webber's behaviour was "cruel and calculated".

Miss Jeffery's family were very suspicious that Webber was behind the harassment, causing friction in the family as she defended him. Eventually her father, Gordon, made his own investigation and traced the postings to a site registered to Webber and he was arrested and interviewed by police.

The defence told the court that Webber had Asperger's syndrome and he and his family had suffered from abuse including his parents' house having the words "sicko" and "psycho" daubed on it.

"He has been having a nasty time since this hit the tabloid press," his legal team said. "He seems to have realised he has received a dose of his own medicine. He realises, for the first time, the devastating impact this has had on Ruth and her family."

As well as the jail term, Webber was handed a five-year restraining order and was told not to contact Miss Jeffery or post images of her online. Outside court, Miss Jeffery said: "I am extremely pleased with the outcome. "The maximum sentence in a magistrates' court will never make up for the hurt he had put me through but I am pleased I can now put it behind me. I was absolutely devastated when I found out it was him. I could not believe it was Shane. I did not want to believe it."

Webber admitted one count of harassment at an earlier hearing.


original article found here

Threats + Nude Photo on the Net = Arrest

(Texas) David Keith Clark may have said and done too much. At least, that's what an arrest warrant alleges about the San Antonio man. According to San Antonio police, he attacked a woman he used to live with, threatened her through text messages, and posted a nude photograph of her on the Internet.

The 32-year-old has been arrested on assault and telephone harassment charges. He remains in the Bexar County Detention Center trying to make bonds that total nearly $20,000.

Police said the initial physical attack happened on Nov. 13 in the 9200 block of Ridge Branch. The warrant said he strangled a woman he used to be romantically involved with until she could not breathe. The victim reportedly managed to free herself and scream for help. Investigators said Clark ran from the scene.

Another arrest warrant said the suspect started sending the victim threatening and harassing text messages following the attack. The victim claims the texts were even being posted on a computer website.

The arrest document describes the texts as derogatory and repeatedly threatening. In fact, the suspect even said he'd be waiting in bushes to jump out and slash the victim's throat police said.

Investigators said Clark went so far as to post a topless picture on the Internet of his ex. Then, police said he attached a berating phrase to the picture.

The victim filed a complaint with SAPD. Clark was arrested.

original article here

Couple Uses Online Dating to Extort Money

At least 7 people were victims of extortion by a couple from Toledo through online dating phone service scam.

Kevin Zunk and Tonya Blaze were able to extort money of more than $10,000 by luring their victims to send sexual photos and messages to a phone number. They then told their victims that those messages were received by an 11 year old child and this is when the extortion happens. The victims would then paid the couple a large sum of money in order for them not to call the police.

One of their victims from Florida called the FBI after he sent money to Kevin and Tonya. The couple is now facing federal extortion charges.

original article here

Online Harassment Getting Serious Legal Attention

2 Chicago men are charged in separate cases of online harassment
by Steve Schmadekeb

A Chicago man accused of posting a fake Craigslist ad that said his sister was giving away all her possessions is facing misdemeanor charges after bargain-hunters descended on the woman's Joliet home looking to cart away her belongings.

And a married Chicago computer consultant is being accused of posting nude photos of his California ex-girlfriend having intercourse on two Web sites, as well as posting the woman's phone number and the home addresses of her and her mother.

The unrelated incidents are examples of cases that prosecutors are bringing against people who allegedly use the Internet to harass someone.

ORIGINAL ARTICLE HERE

"He Put Nude Photos of Me on MySpace!"

By Diana Hefley

(U.S.A.)An Eastern Washington man accused of firing off nearly 100 harassing text messages to a Stanwood teen and posting naked pictures of the girl on MySpace is now charged with a felony.

Prosecutors charged the Selah man, 18, earlier this week with cyberstalking after a 15-year-old girl complained that the man sent her threatening text messages after she broke off their long-distance relationship.

Police also learned that the man created a MySpace page and posted nude photographs of the girl on the site. The girl had sent the photographs to him from her cell phone — a practice referred to as “sexting.”

“There is no such thing as privacy over the airwaves or Internet. If you send it, you lose all control over what someone does with it later,” said Snohomish County deputy prosecutor Mark Roe, who leads the special assault unit.

Photographs a person sends to a current love interest can easily be distributed to someone else, he said.

Prosecutors have seen an increase in people using text messages to harass victims, including sending sexually explicit images.

State legislators five years ago enacted a law against cyberstalking to address harassment, intimidation and public embarrassment using electronic devices, such as e-mail and cell phones. Lawmakers were moved to action after learning of a Seattle woman whose ex-boyfriend relentlessly sent e-mails loaded with lies about her to her friends and co-workers.

Federal anti-cyberstalking laws were enacted in 2006.

Arlington police began investigating the Selah man in March. The teen told investigators the man was someone she was friends with in grade-school and they began communicating on MySpace. A few months later the girl told the man she didn’t want to be his girlfriend because he lived too far away.

The man began barraging the girl with threatening text messages. court papers said. He threatened to hunt the girl down and told her he had dreams of killing her.

He sent about 90 text messages over five days, Snohomish County deputy prosecutor Laura Twitchell wrote. Police later viewed the MySpace page he created that featured nude photos of the girl.

The man allegedly told investigators he sent the girl naked pictures of himself. He also told police he had naked pictures of at least three other minors on his computer, Twitchell wrote.

He also told investigators he sent text messages to scare the girl, court papers said.

SOURCE

I'm "Ruined for Life"

A Seattle, WA college student says a stalker got into her home and took nude photos of her using her computer's web camera.

It all started when the victim started talking with her alleged cyberstalker in a chat room on the internet.

She says that initial contact turned into cyberstalking.

"And it hurts to know that your privacy is taken away, especially for a young girl," she said. "To have sleepless nights and to be scared that there's a stalker out there."

The young woman told police the person hacked into her webcam which is in her bedroom. Then, he got pictures of her naked.

"And then from that I'm assuming they just saw me on webcam and they decoded it to see me while I was changing."

She says the cyberstalker sent those pictures to her boyfriend and only then did she find out she was being watched.

Fellow students are stunned.

"That's just scary that people can hack in from other computers into someone else's computer," said one woman.

Web cameras look so innocent you almost forget they're there. But with technology the way it is, and hackers the way they are, when you least expect it someone may be watching.

We've seen these cameras used as spycams before. A Bothell family suspected someone was in their house while they were away. They activated their webcam from across the country and caught a burglar in the act.

Then, there are wireless cameras designed for your own private use. But as KOMO 4 News showed you they transmit pictures for anyone to see if they have the right spying technology.

Computer safety expert Ryan O'Hagan says he's seen this invasion of privacy before. "It's like they're sitting right here."

But, simple safeguards can keep crooks out of your web cam.

"I think just basically having a firewall, anti-virus, a strong password on your machine can keep these thieves out and can keep them from getting into your computer, and watching you at home," said O'Hagan.

KOMO 4 News asked the victim in this case if she will ever use a webcam again. "Never, it has ruined me for life," she said.

She hopes by speaking out others will be protected against cyberstalkers.

ORIGINAL

Dan Jacoby used webcam shots taken of his victim, photoshopped them and set up a website (no removed) to extort her into silence as well as to give "selective" information to the FBI!