When he was 23, Charlie Evens was hired by Hunter Moore, a man who’s been dubbed the “king of revenge porn,” to hack into women’s email accounts.
He was able to steal nude photos and sold them Moore, who posted them on his website, IsAnybodyUp.com. The site has since been taken down. Both Moore and Evens face criminal charges; Evens is set to appear in court May 26.
In an exclusive interview, Evens told CNNMoney about his experience.
CNNMoney: Why did you hack?
Evens: The job would mean money. I was in a bad place. Just out of rehab. Staying at home for about eight months. I got fired from my job for drinking. And I did [the hacking] for like four months.
Why target women?
If you’re really asking, that’s what the market is for. I assume that’s where Hunter made his money. Millions of views everyday … ask them why. It was really shitty and really sick, and I felt horrible.
What was it like the first time you hacked into a woman’s Facebook or Twitter account or inbox?
It doesn’t feel real, when I’m in my room, lights off, door locked, drinking … you don’t feel the consequences. And then I’d go straight out and party with friends and try not to think about it. If I had to look somebody in the face to do that, it’d be a different story.
How easy was it for you to do this?
It’s not like I’m a genius or an evil hacker. I’m computer literate, I mean, I understand computers. But it was more just a little maneuvering and manipulating. Lying and using people.
Are there other people like you online?
I was never part of an [online] community. I had a great group of friends. I had a pretty good job. I was a good person. I volunteer. And this was my super, private secret that nobody knew about. It’s not like I was talking with other hackers. I didn’t even consider myself one of them. It was just my thing that I was going to take to my grave, and it sucked.
What can I do to protect myself from people like you?
I don’t know. Honestly, Google is doing a really good job. It’s kind of taking care of itself. I mean, I wouldn’t be able to do it anymore. They fixed the loophole three years ago.
What was the loophole?
I can’t talk about that. I’m sorry
How did you meet Hunter Moore?
I hacked him actually, not knowing who he was. And he contacted me saying that he’d pay me to do it for him.
How much did you make?
It was enough, I mean, not that anything is enough, but it’s just scary how quickly I would drop my morals for so little. How much those women were worth, it was like $500 a week, $100 a week. It was just pay. I mean it was really just my habit. Liked I needed to drink … I know nobody wants to hear that, but it was a really shitty time for me.
When you’re in these victims’ inboxes, do they feel human to you?
No, I wouldn’t be able to do it if I felt that way. You have to do all these mental gymnastics to be able to live with yourself.
If this is a demon you battle, how do you ensure that you’ll never do this again?
Everyday [I struggle with] what kind of man I want to be and I just do the work. I’m telling you all these clichés, but they’re clichés for a reason. I talk to my sponsor a lot. How I’m going to make amends to all these women. I’ve done a couple rough drafts of what I want to say.
What do you say to the victims?
Nothing I can say is going to be enough. I mean, when I’m out, I daydream a lot. And I’ve thought about, when I’m out [of prison], if I can meet some of them and look at them and it just terrifies me. It’s just disgust in myself.