Largo Man Hacked Over 350 Email Accounts, Posted Private Images of Victims on Facebook

Detectives arrested 24 year-old Joseph B. Campbell of Largo for allegedly hacking into the personal email accounts of four victims, posting private images of them on their Facebook accounts.

Once in custody, Campbell admitted to detectives that he accessed between 350 and 500 email accounts.

Campbell’s victims became aware of the intrusion when personal pictures showed up as their profile pictures on their Facebook pages, according to Belleair Police.

Private photos of the victims also showed up on accounts linked to other websites that showed the pictures with the victims names, the high school they attended and year of graduation, officials said.

According to Belleair police, the photos were private in nature and were mostly found in the sent folder of their email accounts.

One of the victims, a Belleair resident, came forward after she received text messages from friends about the inappropriate photos posted on her Facebook account in early January.

Over the course of five months the Belleair Police Department, the United States Secret Service and the investigated Campbell’s computer hacking.

Detectives found 22 victims and anticipate more. Several victims came forward to the sheriff's office, said Bellair Chief of Police Tom Edwards.

Investigators and the Secret Service executed a search warrant today (June 2). They sought Campbell's personal computer which they believe will help them track his online activity and possibly lead them to more victims who could be unaware their accounts were hacked.

Edwards said that it appears Campbell worked alone. Detectives found that Campbell and almost all of the victims went to high school in Pinellas County and ran in the same circle of friends.  

The Secret Service, a federal agency that specializes in computer hacking cases, got involved with the investigation because several of the victims now live outside Florida.

According to the investigation Campbell continued to break into email accounts as recent as May of this year.

“People really need to be careful what they put on the computer. Some people put way too much information on the computer,” Edwards said, “Sometimes you will have something that is between you and your boyfriend and the next thing you know its everywhere.”

Campbell obtained one female's email password by pursuing her Facebook page.  To obtain her email address he sent an electronic greeting card, which directed the woman to what she thought was her email provider.

When the woman's email address appeared on the screen and she was directed to enter her password. Campbell used a program to capture the password she entered.  Once he had the password officials said Campbell accessed the victim's email account and obtained personal information including pictures, which he later posted on a website.  

After photos were online, Campbell asked online visitors for money to view other personal pictures of females.

“People will start fishing and gathering information on Facebook and Twitter…personal information that you didn’t want public all of a sudden becomes public,” Edwards said. 

Officials said Campbell used several computer techniques to attempt to conceal his identity.  

Campbell was charged with four counts of computer hacking each with a bond of $10,000. Additional state and federal charges are pending. (UPDATE) Campbell bonded out of the Pinellas County Jail on June 3.

“If there’s one thing to come of all this its to tell young people in middle school, high school that information you put out there in the computer can be hacked,” Edwards said.