A federal court has charged Kyle Svara, a 26-year-old from Oswego, Illinois, with multiple crimes, including aggravated identity theft and wire fraud, stemming from an alleged hacking scheme targeting Snapchat accounts of women. The charges, announced by the U.S. Attorney's Office in Massachusetts, detail how Svara purportedly gained access to the accounts of approximately 570 victims between May 2020 and February 2021 while he was a student at Colby College in Maine.
According to prosecutors, Svara used a method known as "social engineering" to trick victims into providing security codes sent by Snapchat. He allegedly posed as a company representative using anonymized phone numbers to obtain these codes, which enabled him to illegally access around 59 accounts. Once inside, he is accused of downloading nude or semi-nude images to sell or trade online.
Additionally, Svara was reportedly hired by Steve Waithe, a former track coach at Northeastern University, who has his own history of legal troubles, including a 2023 conviction for wire fraud and cyberstalking. If found guilty, Svara faces significant prison time and financial penalties for each charge, including up to 20 years for wire fraud.