A 17-year-old from Detroit, Michigan, was allegedly blackmailed by hackers, whose identities remain unknown.
The cybercriminals installed a remote access trojan (RAT) on his computer, which allowed them to take control of his camera. They then recorded a revealing video of the young man and blackmailed him into not releasing it.
Security experts often warn users that they should not give in to online extortion, as there is no guarantee that hackers will honor the agreement and not continue to demand more and more money.
The victim of the attack , Hector Hernandez, however, gave in to the blackmail. The hackers initially demanded $300 (€220) from the 17-year-old, then another $1,100 (€800), and then another $300, threatening that if he did not comply, they would send the video to his friends and then publish it on his school's website.
To pay the ransom and without telling anyone, Hernandez pawned his family's jewelry. However, the pawnshop only gave him $1,500 (€1,100) for jewelry worth about $100,000 (€75,000).
The young man then sent the money to the Philippines via Western Union. Such payments are almost impossible to trace, so the user can be compensated.
Now, Hernandez's family is trying to recover the jewelry from the pawn shop. Under current law, the minor should not have been allowed to sell the jewelry.
The pawn shop clerk said customers often use fake IDs and it's impossible to verify their legitimacy. However, Hernandez claims he didn't use a fake ID and the shop took the jewelry knowing he was 17.
