A British teenager was one of three hackers named by US officials as being responsible for the attack on Twitter last month.
On July 15, several prominent Twitter users – including Barack Obama, Jeff Bezos and Kanye West – had their accounts hacked to promote a bitcoin scam.
Mason Sheppard, who used the alias ‘Chaewon,’ from Bognor Regis, was named alongside Graham Ivan Clark and Nima Fazelli, both from Florida, in a criminal complaint in the Northern District of California last Friday
Sheppard, 19, was charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and the intentional access of a protected computer.
He now faces an extradition hearing which could see him sent to the US to face trial. Police have yet to release his mugshot.
According to Twitter itself, the attackers used a spear phishing attack to compromise on of its employees into giving up access to its internal systems.
‘As alleged in the complaints, the scam bitcoin account received more than 400 transfers worth more than 100,000 US dollars (£76,000).
‘The defendants are alleged to have victimised the Twitter VIP users whose accounts were hacked.
‘The defendants are alleged to have victimised the people who sent bitcoin in response to the scam solicitations.’
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