American charged with hacking nearly 600 women’s Snapchat accounts and stealing intimate images

A US man from Illinois has been charged with hacking nearly 600 Snapchat accounts of women. He is said to have stolen private photos by posing as a Snap official and asking for login codes. The case has shocked many, as it affected a large number of women and used trickery to gain trust.

Court papers show 26-year-old Kyle Svara used lies to get email addresses, phone numbers, and Snapchat names between May 2020 and Feb 2021 and sent messages to over 4,500 people asking for codes.

He then used the codes to gain access to around 570 accounts. Some stolen photos were shared or sold online. Students at several colleges were also targeted.

Authorities said Svara did not act alone for profit. He sold his hacking work on sites like Reddit. He told clients he could hack girls’ Snapchat accounts and sell or swap their photos. One client, Steve Waithe, a former coach at Northeastern University, used Svara to hack accounts of women in sports teams. Waithe had been jailed in 2024 for crimes that included cyber abuse and sexual extortion of over 100 women.

Svara also hacked women in Plainfield, Illinois, and students at Colby College in Maine. Officials said his acts show a clear plan to target women and profit from stolen images. They called it one of the largest Snapchat hacks using lies and false trust in recent years.

Svara now faces several charges. These include identity theft, wire fraud, computer fraud, and false claims linked to child porn. He will appear in Boston federal court on Feb 4. If found guilty, he may face long prison terms. Identity theft carries at least two years. Wire fraud may bring up to 20 years. Computer fraud and false claims may add up to five or eight years.

Officials said the case shows the risk of online scams and hacking. They urged people to guard codes and personal info. The case also warns those who try to steal images that the law will act. Victims and groups have said the case shows why rules are needed to protect privacy and stop harm.