Mac Tech Cuffed for Rigging Webcams, Peeping on Women
An Orange County, Calif. Mac technician allegedly rigged women's laptop webcams to allow him to spy on them while they showered and undressed in their homes.
An Orange County, Calif. Mac technician who allegedly rigged women's computer webcams to allow him to spy on them while showering and undressing in their homes was arrested Wednesday in Fullerton.
Trevor Harwell, an employee of La Habra, Calif.-based managed service provider Rezitech, was arrested on suspicion of installing software on a number of women's laptops that gave him the ability to photograph and video them. Fullerton police said they had seized hundreds of thousands of still images and videos from Harwell's computer, including many of women undressing or changing clothes, according to the Associated Press.
It wasn't clear if Harwell conducting his alleged crimes while carrying out his duties for Rezitech. The company said Wednesday that to its knowledge, "Harwell did not commit any of the alleged offenses while performing work on behalf of Rezitech or while working on Rezitech computers or the computers of Rezitech customers." (Full Rezitech statement below.)
Harwell, 20, was perhaps as clever as he was creepy in carrying out his alleged crimes. Police said he installed software on his alleged female victims' Macs that would send error pop-ups that instructed them to "fix their internal sensor soon," and "try putting your laptop near hot steam for several minutes to clean the sensor."
Some of the alleged victims would take their laptops in to the bathroom while they showered as a result, authorities said.
The messages did catch the attention of one of the alleged victim's father, however. Police said they began investigating Harwell when the Fullerton resident brought those suspicious messages to their attention.
"Once he had access, he would take photographs of the users, usually women," Fullerton police Sgt. Andrew Goodrich told reporters. "Often, the female victims were undressed or changing clothes. Harwell then stored the photos on a remote server, and eventually downloaded them on his own computer."
Many of the alleged victims attended Biola University in La Mirada, Calif., where Harwell was a former student. Investigators said Harwell may have exploited computers on the Biola University network to carry out his alleged crimes.
Harwell has been charged in Orange County Superior Court with 12 felony counts of computer access and fraud.
Rezitech spokesman Travis Austin sent PCMag the following statement about Hrwell's arrest Wednesday evening:
"Upon learning of the alleged actions of Mr. Harwell, Rezitech took immediate and aggressive action to ensure that Mr. Harwell's access to all customer systems and data was eliminated. Rezitech has fully cooperated and will continue to cooperate with law enforcement in an effort to assist them in their investigation of this matter.
"To Rezitech's knowledge, Mr. Harwell did not commit any of the alleged offenses while performing work on behalf of Rezitech or while working on Rezitech computers or the computers of Rezitech customers. Rezitech fully understands the gravity of the charges brought against Mr. Harwell and greatly sympathizes with those who Mr. Harwell is alleged to have victimized."
The Harwell arrest came on the same day that it was revealed that a Pennsylvania school district has again been sued for spying on students on school-issued Mac laptops without their consent.
This story was updated at 9:20 p.m., Wednesday, June 8, 2011.