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Illinois man charged in Snapchat hacking scheme targeting Colby College students

Wgme • January 8, 2026

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WATERVILLE, Maine (WGME) -- An Illinois man is accused of hacking into hundreds of Snapchat accounts, stealing nude photos, then keeping, selling, or trading them online.

According to the U.S. Attorney's Office in Massachusetts, students at Colby College in Waterville were among those targeted.

26-year old Kyle Svara faces a number of charges, including aggravated identity theft and false statements related to child pornography.

Investigators accuse Svara of using social engineering and other resources to collect victim's personal information, then posing as a representative of Snapchat in order to text victims for access codes, allowing him into their accounts.

He's accused of accessing at least 59 accounts without permission, downloading images to be sold or traded.

Charging documents say he even advertised the ability to "get into girl's Snap accounts" on .

The FBI has a form online for people who believe they may be victims to fill out here.

The full story

This article is one source in a clustered incident — the cluster page carries the summary, timeline and every other outlet covering it.

Illinois Man Charged in Snapchat Hacking Scheme Targeting Women Kyle Svara, a 26-year-old from Oswego, Illinois, has been charged with hacking into nearly 600 Snapchat accounts to steal and sell nude photos. The U.S. Attorney's Office in Massachusetts reported that among the victims were students from Colby College, and Svara faces multiple charges including aggravated identity theft and conspiracy to commit computer fraud. 8 sources 32

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Colby College Snapchat