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Deborah Ann Calloutas, age 63, of Wolcott, is facing several felonies linked to the alleged faked harassment that went on for years, Connecticut State Police said.
Calloutas first reached out to police in 2021 to say she and her unnamed friend were the targets of hackers who were doctoring their photos, deleting or changing their social media profiles, and texting threats like a picture with a noose drawn around her neck, police said.
They would buy new phones and within days, the hackers would return sending photos altered using MS Paint, they told police.
She repeatedly contacted the police about the harassment. She once even contacted FBI agents, who declined to pick up the case. Calloutas told investigators that she believed a "highly professional" group was tracking her.
As an example, Calloutas claimed she once went out for a ride to clear her mind and received an anonymous text from the "hackers" asking why she was driving around in circles, police said.
She and her friend hired a private investigator to track down these hackers once and for all. However, the PI uncovered a video of Calloutas using the other person's phone, and that she created a second face ID so she could unlock their phone whenever she wanted to post videos, doctor images, or make threats, police said.
They later revealed to police they had spent $67,000 on legal fees, private investigator costs, phone purchases, etc, to end the harassment because they didn't believe Calloutas had orchestrated it, authorities said.
A forensic examination of Calloutas' iPad and phone found more evidence that showed she had been behind the messages and threats, authorities said.
Police arrested her on Wednesday, Oct. 23, and charged her with:
- Falsely reporting an incident concerning serious physical injury/death
- Unauthorized use of a computer/other computer offense over $2,500
- Tampering with or fabricating evidence
- Unlawful dissemination of an intimate image
- Computer Crimes
Calloutas was released after posting a $75,000 bond, authorities said.
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