The internet is a public space, and criminal charges can result
Many people in Arizona and throughout the country lose sight of the fact that they are in a public space when communicating on the internet. The fact is that any activity on the web is the same thing as being on public property. When people interact with others in a manner that can be deemed illegal, criminal charges can easily be the result. Many issues arise from hacking into private accounts or working in a manner that coordinates an attack, such as the reported hacking of Twitter accounts by two Florida residents and a U.K. associate.
The event began with one particular individual contacting Twitter employees and convincing them to provide information regarding certain accounts of four specific people. The initial fraudulent act was calling the Twitter offices and convincing employees that the caller was a Twitter IT representative. This resulted in divulging certain account information that was then used to take control of the accounts. According to the warrant, the perpetrators then published Twitter posts supposedly made by two prominent politicians and two wealthy financiers regarding campaign donation matches.
Reports allege that the scheme was a “sophisticated attack” that was actually conducted by a 17-year-old Florida resident as the “mastermind” enlisting the help of two other friends. While most people would recognize these Twitter posts as fraudulent, the hackers were still able to convince over 400 individuals to contribute $117,000 before the scam could be stopped.
The law authorities issued some sensational claims in reporting the arrests, all of which could be questioned at trial by a criminal law attorney representing the case. White-collar crime is a specific area of criminal defense that requires legal representation from a legal counselor who understands how cases are built, and technicalities of the cases are always significant when establishing reasonable doubt.