A 22-year-old North Carolina man who went by the online names “Hacker R Us” and “WantedbyFeds” is headed to federal prison for the next 8 years.
Timothy Dalton Vaughn admitted to taking part in a series of cyber hoaxes sending fake threats of school shootings and bombings to schools in both the U.S. and U.K.
Last year, Vaughn pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to convey threats to injure, convey false information concerning the use of an explosive device, and intentionally damage a computer; one count of computer hacking; and one count of possession of child pornography.
He was part of a group of hackers known as the “Apophis Squad.” The international group of hackers that specializes in making fake calls to police, sending bogus reports of violent school attacks via email, and launching distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks on websites.
The scammers sent threats to 86 school districts threatening shootings, bomb detonations, grenade attacks, and more. They also called in a fake hijacking report.