A sixteen year old boy from Liverpool is accused of taking control of an Instagram account and then trying to blackmail the owner with a ransom.

Police also believe the boy was behind the hacking of an online shopping account, which resulted in electronic goods being re-directed and stolen.

Titan, the Northwest’s regional organized crime unit, seized computer equipment and other electronic devices from the boys residence.

Detective Chief Superintendent Chris Green, the head of Titan, said: “At Titan we have the capabilities and expertise to investigate this kind of crime in conjunction with other law enforcement agencies and my message to cybercriminals is that you may think you can hide on the Internet and remain anonymous but the reality is that you can’t.”

The sixteen year old is still in police custody.

“This investigation shows the importance of people making sure they take the right precautions to protect themselves while using the Internet,” Green said. “People sometimes don’t use strong passwords or don’t change them as regularly as they should which makes it easier for cyber-criminals to gain access to accounts.”

Source: Info Security