A computer analyst named Kerem Albayrak, 21, reportedly attempted to blackmail Apple Inc, the California-based multinational technology firm, for £115,000 (appr. $150,000) in bitcoin (BTC) and £800 (appr. $1,045) worth of iTunes vouchers.
According to the DailyMail, Albayrak had published a video on YouTube that showed him hacking into iCloud accounts. The analyst, who is a resident of Hornsey, North London, had allegedly demanded Apple a large payment in exchange for him not exploiting the private information of the accounts he claimed to have hacked.
Charged With “Unauthorized Acts”, Blackmailing
Shortly after, Albayrak was taken into police custody, after which he appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ court and was reportedly charged with “blackmail” and “unauthorized acts intending to hinder access to a computer”, the DailyMail wrote.
During the court hearing, it was determined that Albayrak first demanded that £50,000 (appr. $65,000) in BTC be transferred to a bitcoin address he provided. However, he later increased the amount to £115,000 (appr. $150,000), in addition to £840 (appr. $1,100) in iTunes gift cards.
The computer analyst had reportedly promised Apple that he would not sell the hacked personal information belonging to over 319 million Apple iCloud users if the giant tech firm paid the amount he had demanded.
The Westminster Magistrates court has now charged Albayrak with one count of blackmail and two counts of “unauthorized acts intending to hinder access to a computer.” At present, Albayrak has been released on “unconditional” bail and a plea hearing and trial preparation hearing have been scheduled for November 14th, 2018 at the Southwark Crown Court.
Prosecuting lawyer, Lorna Vincent, confirmed:
Mr. Karem Albayrak is accused of sending emails to Apple making financial demands for downloading database iCloud accounts and factory resetting those iCloud accounts. He entered into the accounts of the alleged victims and posted a video of his hack onto YouTube.
Bitcoin Blackmailing Scams
As CryptoGlobe reported in August, a new type of bitcoin blackmailing scam had surfaced that targeted “unfaithful” men. The scammers demanded that a $8,600 “confidentiality fee” be paid in BTC in exchange for them not disclosing “the secret [the victim had allegedly] been keeping from [their] wife.”
Earlier in July, another bitcoin blackmailing scam had attempted to extort $1,900 in the pseudonymous cryptocurrency from adult content watchers. The hackers had reportedly used malware to record people watching porn.
The victims were then sent emails in which they were told the hackers had access to all their email contacts, and that they would send recorded footage of them watching adult content to all their contacts. However, Cornell computer science professor Emin Gun Sirer had warned that it was most likely just a “bluff” and told everyone who received such emails to “never negotiate, never pay.”
