Blackmail on Facebook

It is reported that an American teenager, Anthony Stancl (18) posed as a girl on Facebook and had male classmates send him naked photos. He has been charged with a number of offences after he blackmailed them into performing sex acts by telling them if they did not comply the photos or movies would be sent to friends or posted on the Internet. Stancl is alleged to have posed as a girl who persuaded more than 30 boys to send him compromising pictures.

The incidents came to light as a result of an investigation in to bomb threats. Police said the threats were sent via email from a computer that Mr Stancl was logged into at a public library. During the bomb threat investigation one of his alleged victims reported the incident to the police.

Facebook Snares Burglar

A criminal in New Zealand was captured with the help of a social networking site. New Zealand police posted pictures of the burglar on Facebook. He had removed his balaclava whilst breaking in to a safe and this was captured on a security camera and it was these pictures which helped lead to the arrest of the 21 year old in Queensland.

This is not the first time that Facebook has been used to track criminals. An Australian restaurant owner, Peter Leary, was left with an upaid bill of about £220 when five young diners left without paying their bill. Peter used Facebook to track them down when he remembered the diners had asked about a former waitress. She was contacted and suggested they check through some contacts on Facebook; Peter searched a few names and saw a picture of the diner with his girlfriend; as a result the diner was contacted and the bill settled.