Sex Predator Broke Into PCs and Blackmailed Girls

The Federal Bureau of Investigation reported that a sexual predator belonging to North Carolina broke into the PCs of young girls in Florida to access their personal information and then use them to threaten those teenagers.

The hacker intruded the computers of a group of four teenage girls, all friends, three of them from Rockledge. One of them tried to threaten back the hacker but that resulted in even bad repercussions. According to the investigators, a young girl should never communicate with a hacker.

Ivory Dickenson first got in touch with a 15-year old girl via MySpace.com, the social networking site and asked her to send nude photos. When the girl said she would not, Dickenson threatened her by providing her address saying "he knew where she lived".

When the pressure continued, the girl surrendered and sent Dickenson nude images. But the predator persisted for more. According to the FBI, Dickenson blackmailed her with the first pictures asking her to send more. Then he created an account posing to be a teen, to trouble her friends for their nude photos.

The investigators on computer sex crimes said hackers stretch the fear factor to new heights, particularly with children.

FBI Task Force member, Steve McElyea said the entire incident is scary because the victim doesn't know where the person lives. He could just be the next-door neighbor. The victim also doesn't know how soon there could be another threat. Wftv published McElyea's statement on February 13, 2007.

The investigators found Carnival Cruise tickets in Dickenson's house and a videotape showing him drinking on some earlier cruise with 15-year old females. This was even more frightening. They also dug photos of child porn that showed a tied up and blindfolded child hanging from a noose on the ceiling. These evidences could result in more charges.

Dickenson is traveling to Florida to hear charges.

The case is the most current in a long list of methods that sexual predators use to obtain information from MySpace.com and draw young boys and girls into fearful situations. Although the site has adopted steps to prevent predators, there's no guarantee.

Related article: SEC Imposes Trading Ban on 35 Companies

» SPAMfighter News - 2/26/2007