Friday, June 10, 2011

Biola University student charged with installing spyware while working as computer tech

Posted By  CotoBlogzz






Investigation is ongoing public is asked to contact the OCDA's office with information 

Santa Ana, CA - 
Trevor Timothy Harwell, a computer science student was charged Tuesday with illegally installing "spyware" on six women's computers without their knowledge or consent to take and access live and still images of them for sexual gratification, according to the Orange County District Attorney's (OCDA) office,



Harwell, 20, Fullerton, was charged June 7, 2011, with 12 felony counts of computer access and fraud with sentencing enhancement allegations for committing a crime for sexual gratification. 

Beginning in June 2009, Harwell is accused of being enrolled as a computer science major at Biola University and working at a Brea-based computer technical services and repair shop. Harwell is accused of meeting six victims through friends and his church and gaining access to their computers under the pretense of providing computer technical services. 

Harwell is accused of illegally accessing the six victims' computers to install "CamCapture" software, which enabled him to record live and still images from a remote computer. Harwell is accused of setting up alerts to notify him to begin recording when a victim was using her computer. He is accused of recording videos and photographs of each of his victims in various states of undress without their knowledge for his sexual gratification. 

Two of the victims, who were sisters, observed that the computer camera was irregularly blinking and took it to be repaired. They were advised that the blinking was due to the installation of CamCapture. The sisters reported the fraudulently installed spyware to the Fullerton Police Department, who investigated this case and identified four additional victims.
 
The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with additional information or who believes they have been a victim is encouraged to contact Supervising District Attorney Investigator Anthony Sosnowski at (714) 347-8814. 


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