I talk about cyber crimes a lot. That’s because they go on a lot. There’s hacking, ID theft, stealing, sextortion. But what about kidnapping. That also goes on, as it did in this deep web kidnapping case.
But first, let’s talk about what deep web is. It’s a website network search engines can’t find. They use encryption to hide their true nature. Most of their true nature isn’t good: drugs, human trafficking, selling IDs, trading weapons, even terrorism. So let’s go to the crime. Some guys lured 20-year-old British model Chloe Ayling to Milan, Italy. They acted like professional photographers and promised her the big break.
But instead, they drugged her. Then they beat her, threw her in a suitcase like luggage, and locked her in a car trunk. Furthermore, they drove her to a rural small home in near Turin, Italy. They held the woman hostage for six days. Then, they extorted Ayling’s authentic model agency to give them $300,000. If they didn’t, then the kidnappers would sell her into sexual slavery. However, one of the kidnappers must have had a change of heart. Because on day 6, July 17, he released Ayling and took her to the British embassy. This kidnapper is?Lukasz Herba, a fellow Brit. He got arrested for kidnapping and extortion. They still look for Herba’s accomplishes.
Yes, there is good on the Internet. But there is also unspeakable evil. I don’t know what prompted Herba to end Ayling’s ordeal. I’m glad he took the high road and did. Oh, he should still do time for this crime, but at least he freed Ayling. Apparently, Herba and his guys belonged to a deep web group called Black Death. They named this dark web group after the 14th century plague that nearly wiped out Europe. That’s telling. But please, be careful of who you associate with over the web, and other places. I’m definitely not blaming the victim here. But the rest of us need to learn a lesson from Chloe Ayling’s near tragedy. What can those of us in computer repair do keep ourselves and loved ones safe?