Illinois man arrested for cyber theft of intimate images from Snapchat users

Illinois Man Charged with Hacking Snapchat Accounts of Nearly 600 Women

An Illinois man has been charged by U.S. prosecutors for allegedly orchestrating a phishing scheme to hack the Snapchat accounts of almost 600 women. The operation involved stealing private photos and selling them online.

During the period between May 2020 and February 2021, 26-year-old Kyle Svara reportedly utilized social engineering tactics to acquire victims’ emails, phone numbers, and Snapchat usernames.

By impersonating Snap representatives and sending text messages to over 4,500 targets, Svara was able to obtain access codes and credentials from approximately 570 victims, allowing him to compromise their Snapchat accounts.

Allegedly, Svara accessed at least 59 accounts without authorization and downloaded sensitive images. He then advertised his hacking services on various platforms, including Reddit, offering to hack Snap accounts for clients or trade stolen content.

According to court documents, Svara directed potential co-conspirators to communicate through secure channels like the encrypted messaging app Kik.

One of Svara’s clients was Steve Waithe, a former track and field coach at Northeastern University. Waithe hired Svara to hack the Snapchat accounts of students and members of the university’s sports teams.

Waithe was sentenced in March 2024 to five years in prison for offenses including sextortion, cyberstalking, and cyber fraud, after targeting over 128 women.

In addition to paid hacking jobs, Svara allegedly targeted students at Colby College in Maine and women in Plainfield, Illinois.

Svara faces charges of aggravated identity theft, wire fraud, computer fraud, and making false statements related to child pornography. He is scheduled to appear in federal court in Boston on February 4th.

The charges against Svara carry severe penalties, with aggravated identity theft requiring a minimum two-year sentence and wire fraud allowing up to 20 years in prison. Computer fraud and conspiracy charges carry maximum five-year sentences, while false statements charge carries a maximum of eight years.

Federal investigators are urging potential victims and individuals with additional information to contact the FBI through an online form.

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