Thunder Bay Police Investigate Cybercrime Involving Hacking and Distribution of Intimate Images
The Thunder Bay Police Service has revealed that a significant investigation into cybercrime could uncover even more victims. This investigation has led to 167 charges against a dozen individuals accused of hacking into the electronic devices of 117 victims, seeking to share intimate images without their consent or knowledge.
This week, police announced the results of a two-year investigation, which included serious charges such as distributing intimate images without consent, luring, extortion, and multiple counts involving child pornography.
One of the accused faces a staggering 90 counts of distribution of intimate images. The ages of the 12 accused individuals range from 28 to 38. Disturbingly, the youngest victim identified is only 12 years old.
Acting Detective-Inspector Robert Gombola explained that images were obtained through hacking victims' devices, with these images subsequently stored on various other devices, including phones, computers, and thumb drives. The accused shared these images in a chat forum on the Discord app, which is predominantly used by gamers.
Det. Gombola informed The Globe and Mail that both victims and accused individuals are connected to Thunder Bay, although not all parties currently reside in the city. Addressing social media speculation, he confirmed that no cellphone repair shops are implicated in this investigation.
He expressed concern that individuals who know the accused are coming forward, fearing they may also have been victimized without their awareness. "It hits close to home ... this can happen to anybody," he remarked.
