Michael C. Ford hacked hundreds of computers.
By Raif Karerat
WASHINGTON, DC: Federal agents arrested a State Department employee this week in Atlanta and charged him with running a “sextortion” scam in which he would steal sexually explicit photos of young women from their internet accounts and then blackmail them for further photos and videos.
Michael C. Ford, a 35-year-old father and husband, allegedly hacked into the computers of hundreds of women as young as 18 from his workstation at the U.S. Embassy in London. According to the Atlanta Journal Constitution, his only goal was to humiliate, torment and intimidate the women — often university sorority sisters — by threatening to post the photos online with their name and address, as described by a prosecutor.
In one instance, the Daily Mail reported Ford told an unidentified woman who complained of his hacking that he was innocent and would send out photos of her if she went to police, according to a criminal affidavit.
In an email to a different victim, he wrote: “I want you to video girls in the changing room [of your gym]. If you don’t, I send your details and pictures to everyone.”
The Daily Mail also revealed he would post their real names and addresses if they did not comply with his demands.
Ford now faces charges of cyberstalking and computer hacking. Authorities detained him last week at Atlanta’s Hartfield-Jackson international airport as he prepared to board a flight back to London with his wife and their son.
The Daily Mail further revealed that U.K. authorities had received a complaint in 2013 regarding an email stalking and harassment that they traced back to Ford’s London residence.
“He targeted women at U.S. colleges and universities and was looking for women who were members of sororities … and aspiring models,” said Senior Trial Attorney Mona Sedky of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section. “He is just relentless,” she continued per the Washington Times.
As of Monday, Ford is no longer employed with the embassy, State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf said during a Thursday press briefing as relayed via Politico.
Meanwhile, Pete Wellborn, a “cyber expert” and attorney, told the Daily Mail that Ford is a “despicable human if the charges turn out to be true.