The FBI has launched an investigation into Miss Teen USA’s claims that a sextortionist hacked into her webcam to snap x-rated bedroom snaps of her.
Cassidy Wolf, 19, of California, was crowned as Miss Teen at the Atlantis Hotel in the Bahamas last weekend.
She alleges that prior to winning the competition she received an anonymous phonecall from someone who claimed to have taken nude photos of her via her webcam.
Wolf also claims that four months ago, Facebook notified her about somebody trying to access her account from another state.
The person under federal investigation, who has not been named, allegedly tried to extort her in exchange for keeping the photos from being made public.
The case reportedly involves a webcam that was hacked without the camera light coming on to indicate that it was recording.
Wolf said: "I wasn’t aware that somebody was watching me. The light didn’t even go on, so I had no idea."
Sophos senior security advisor Chester Wisniewski explained: "Some laptops allow you to turn the light on and off in software – others only work physically. I think it is certainly possible, if unlikely."
Wolf, who was named Miss California earlier this year, recently visited to schools to raise awareness about cybercrime among teens.
She said: "I had the same password for years. But now seeing that someone can hack into my stuff just by downloading an incorrect link, it’s very important to change your passwords – delete your cookies."
