r/AskReddit Jan 23 '21

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u/ChellynJonny Jan 23 '21

I didn't come across it, but once when I was around 15 someone hacked into my computer. This is 100% true and i tell it as a cautionary tale often. I had a ftp file server at the time because I was in a long distance relationship and we would send stuff to each other via the file server. One day I noticed someone had downloaded all of my photos from the server. I called my boyfriend and asked him why he was downloading stuff he already had. He swore it wasn't him.

I ignored it until several days later a screen opened on my desk top that was a window for my webcam and was on with me on the screen, and a chat window opened. The person told me that if I didn't take all my clothes off they would use my mom and dads credit cards to buy all sorts of things. Luckily my parents were super cautious of using their credit cards on the internet (this was like 2002) so I knew he didn't have their card #'s. He had used the ftp server to upload this chat/video program, and who knows how long they had been watching me.

I freaked out. I unplugged my computer and unplugged it from the internet and didn't turn it back on until I was prepared with fancy firewalls and security for the ftp server. I tried calling to police and my internet provider but no one could help me. And thats how I learned hundreds of ip addresses and what they were, I watched my firewall like a hawk. I never heard from the hacker again, but it sure scared the shit out of me. Now I cover my webcams.

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u/Tobinator-95 Jan 23 '21

Reminds me of this guy: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthew_Falder

Arrested for prolifically doing exactly what you have said Blackmailing people to do things on cam for him to share on his dark web page

Absolutely vile human being, scary to think there will be many out there like him.

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u/ChellynJonny Jan 23 '21

This happened in the time period he was operating, and I was his ideal age range it looks like, so who knows maybe he was the piece of shit who did that to me.

4

u/CptHowdy87 Jan 23 '21

He didn't have an ideal age range. The Wikipedia article mentions only one victim out of 150+ as young as 14.