Miss USA and Miss Teen USA to present at the Shorty Awards!

Miss USA 2013 Erin Brady and Miss Teen USA 2013 Cassidy Wolf, presented New York Life’s #KeepGoodGoing award at the 6th Annual Shorty Awards this past Monday, April 7th in New York City.

Miss Teen USA hacker jailed for 18 months

Source: BBC News

An American teenager who blackmailed young women with compromising images grabbed by hacking their webcams has been jailed for 18 months.

Jared James Abrahams broke into about 150 online accounts over a two-year period to commit the crimes. More than two dozen women in the US, Ireland and other nations had their computers hacked by Abrahams.

One victim was Miss Teen USA 2013 beauty contest winner - Cassidy Wolf. Abrahams was arrested in early 2013 and pleaded guilty to one count of computer hacking and three of extortion in November.

In a statement about the sentencing, the US Department of Justice said Abrahams had targeted women he had known personally or found by hacking their Facebook pages. Abrahams took over email, social media accounts and computers and used this access to remotely turn on the machine and grab pictures when his victims were naked.

Abrahams had then extorted cash from victims by threatening to publicly post nude photos and videos, said the DoJ in a statement about the sentencing. "As digital devices, email accounts, and social media accounts now contain the most intimate details of the public's daily lives, the impact of this type of hacking and extortion becomes more pronounced, troubling, and far-reaching," wrote DoJ prosecutors in a document filed in advance of the sentencing hearing. "In some cases, this type of criminal behaviour can be life-changing for the victims - especially for vulnerable victims who may feel it is impossible to rebuild their tarnished reputations," said the document. 

People should be careful where they posted images and videos to avoid becoming a victim of extortion and escape the risk of compromising content being stolen, said the DoJ. In addition, it said, people should choose hard-to-guess passwords, keep security software updated and avoid opening unexpected attachments. Lastly, it said, people should keep webcams covered when they are not in use.

Miss Teen USA victim of sextortion case

(CNN) -- A college student was arrested Thursday for allegedly hijacking the webcams of young women -- among them reigning Miss Teen USA Cassidy Wolf -- taking nude images, then blackmailing his victims to send him more explicit material or else be exposed.

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Cassidy Wolf's First Fashion Shoot as Miss Teen USA 2013 | MISS TEEN USA

Newly crowned Miss Teen USA: "I was a victim of cybercrime"

by Scott Stump

Only months before California’s Cassidy Wolf was crowned Miss Teen USA 2013, she was a victim of a serious cybercrime that has triggered a federal investigation.

Wolf, 19, who was selected as this year’s winner at Saturday night’s pageant at the Atlantis hotel in the Bahamas, hopes to spread awareness of the dangers of online crime during her upcoming one-year reign.
“This all happened before I had a title,’’ Cassidy told TODAY.com. “I was just a normal girl in high school. This next year I’m just so excited to be able to share my story and raise awareness in young teens about what can happen.”

About four months ago, Wolf said she was notified through Facebook that someone had tried to log into her account from another state. She then received an anonymous e-mail from a stranger saying he was in possession of photos of her that were taken in her bedroom via the webcam on her computer after it was hacked. The person tried to extort her in return for ensuring the photos were not made public. She cannot divulge all the specific details because the incident is now under federal investigation.
“I wasn’t aware that somebody was watching me (on my webcam),’’ she said. “The light (on the camera) didn’t even go on, so I had no idea.”

After being named Miss California, Wolf traveled to local schools near her home in Temecula to speak with students about protecting themselves from potential cybercrime. She hopes to continue that work during her time outside of school, as the college freshman will be attending New York Film Academy in New York City starting in the fall. Her tips for protection against hackers include changing passwords frequently and making them unique by using symbols and different characters, deleting cookies and browsing history regularly, and putting a sticker over the computer’s webcam when you’re not using it.

Her campaign against cybercrime is just one of many causes Wolf has been active in. She also works with Best Buddies, which helps people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, as well as Project Sunshine, which provides programs for children with medical challenges.

She had only been competing in pageants for two years before wearing the crown on Saturday night.
“I was shocked and overwhelmed,’’ she said. “I don’t remember how I was feeling. I was crying, I was so happy.” Wolf edged out 51 other women to take the title. South Carolina’s Tori Sizemore was the first runner-up, followed by West Virginia’s Haley Holloway in third place.

Congratulations Cassidy Wolf, our new MISS TEEN USA!

Cassidy Wolf, 19, from California was crowned Miss Teen USA 2013 at Atlantis, Paradise Island, The Bahamas on Saturday, August 10, 2013. Congratulations and we look forward to the upcoming year.