Categories: SecurityWorkspace

FBI: ‘Sextortion’ Hacker Coerced 350 Women Into Stripping

A 27-year-old male has been arrested under suspicion of hacking people’s email and Facebook accounts, and blackmailing them into taking their clothes off as he watched over Skype.

Karen “Gary” Kazaryan, who was named in a 30-count indictment, was arrested by special agents with the FBI yesterday morning. It is believed he hacked into accounts, changed passwords and then got in touch with victims’ contacts, convincing them to strip on webcam.

He also allegedly searched emails for pictures of his victims in the nude, as well as additional passwords to break into other accounts.

FBI vs. naked ambition

According to the FBI, even after victims had cottoned on to what Kazaryan was doing, he extorted them again, using the photos he had obtained to coerce the victims to remove their clothing yet again.

“According to a search warrant executed in 2011 and unsealed today, Kazaryan repeatedly contacted victims to demand that they expose their breasts to him on Skype, and used their email and Facebook accounts to make contact with other victims,” the FBI said in a statement.

“Kazaryan allegedly posted nude photos of some victims on their Facebook pages when they failed to comply with his demands.”

It was claimed he convinced over 350 women to remove their garments. Authorities found approximately 3,000 pictures of nude or semi-nude women on Kazaryan’s computer, officials said.

He was charged with 15 counts of computer intrusion and 15 counts of aggravated identity theft, and now faces a maximum penalty of 105 years in jail.

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Thomas Brewster

Tom Brewster is TechWeek Europe's Security Correspondent. He has also been named BT Information Security Journalist of the Year in 2012 and 2013.

View Comments

  • There has to be more to this story. It seems to make no sense as told. Why would women do what he asked? Did they imagine that after they complied, he would then kindly leave them alone?

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