US tech giants duped into giving up data used to sexually extort minors
- The fraudulently obtained data was used to target specific women and minors, and in some cases to pressure them into creating and sharing sexually explicit material
- The problem of forged legal requests is prompting tech companies to think of new ways to verify legitimate legal requests, according to people familiar with the matter
Major technology companies have been duped into providing sensitive personal information about their customers in response to fraudulent legal requests, and the data has been used to harass and even sexually extort minors, according to four federal law enforcement officials and two industry investigators.
The companies that have complied with the bogus requests include Meta Platforms, Apple, Alphabet’s Google, Snap, Twitter and Discord, according to three of the people. All of the people requested anonymity to speak frankly about the devious new brand of online crime that involves underage victims.
The fraudulently obtained data has been used to target specific women and minors, and in some cases to pressure them into creating and sharing sexually explicit material and to retaliate against them if they refuse, according to the six people.
The tactic is considered by law enforcement and other investigators to be the newest criminal tool to obtain personally identifiable information that can be used not only for financial gain but to extort and harass innocent victims.
It is particularly unsettling since the attackers are successfully impersonating law enforcement officers. The tactic is impossible for victims to protect against, as the best way to avoid it would be to not have an account on the targeted service, according to the people.