Picture this: a convicted money launderer and his brother are sitting in their cell, bored out of their minds. They’ve already completed their daily quota of Open University courses, and they’ve exhausted every possible conversation topic. Suddenly, one of them has a lightbulb moment: “Hey, what if we accessed TikTok using the school internet network?”
At first, they’re skeptical. Surely the network is locked down for a reason, right? But they can’t resist the temptation of scrolling mindlessly through short-form videos and laughing at silly memes. They decide to take the risk.
Little did they know, they were about to become cybercriminal masterminds. They manage to bypass the network’s heavy restrictions and access TikTok. Their first reaction? “This is better than winning the lottery!” Dancing commenced.
But their excitement is short-lived. As they scroll through their “For You” page, they realize that they’re not the only ones using the platform. They’re sharing the same space with millions of teenagers and influencers. “This is not the kind of crowd we want to be associated with,” they think to themselves.
“This is not the kind of crowd we want to be associated with”
– Prisoners Referencing Kids On TikTok
So, they decide to take matters into their own hands and create their own content. They spend hours brainstorming ideas for viral TikTok challenges, but nothing seems to stick. “Maybe we should just post videos of us counting our dirty money,” suggests the money launderer.
“Maybe we should just post videos of us counting our dirty money”
Money Launderer
As they’re about to hit “post” on their first TikTok, they hear a knock on their cell door. It’s the prison guards. “You two, come with us,” they say sternly.
“You two, come with us”
Prison Guards
The brothers’ hearts sink as they realize they’ve been caught. They try to play it cool, but they know they’re in deep trouble. The guards lead them to a room where a group of officials is waiting for them. “We need to talk about your recent internet activity,” says one of them.
The brothers are sweating bullets as they try to come up with a plausible explanation. “We were just trying to be social media influencers,” says the money launderer with a smirk.
The officials are not amused. “Do you realize how serious this is? You could have passed information to other criminals and put everyone in danger,” says one of them.
The brothers hang their heads in shame as they realize the severity of their actions. They know they messed up, and they’ll have to face the consequences.
As they’re escorted back to their cell, they can’t help but think about the missed opportunity. “We could have been the first inmates to go viral on TikTok,” says the money launderer with a sigh.
“We could have been the first inmates to go viral on TikTok”
Money Launderer
This story has caused a lot of amusement among social media users who can’t believe that a money launderer in prison managed to go viral on TikTok. Many social media users are joking that the money launderer should have become a social media influencer instead of a criminal. Some are even calling for the money launderer to be released from prison so that he can pursue his social media career.
If you believed any of this so far, I am sorry. What was believable?
For real, the brothers were likely able to access TikTok simply because of an uncensored site linking to TikTok. Authorities do not think the prisoners posted any material.
One line of investigation is that they may have done so by clicking through to the site indirectly on a link attached to a third-party website.
“It’s not a case of anyone having removed the restriction on accessing social media or anything like that,” a separate source said.
“What is believed to have happened is that they somehow managed to get to the TikTok by clicking on a link displayed on a website that was not restricted…
“It shouldn’t have been possible and the investigation will examine how it occurred.”
A second strand of the probe is seeking to identify what, if any, material, the brothers posted.
“At the moment, there is nothing to suggest they posted any material,” the source said. A spokesperson for the Irish Prison Service said it could not comment on ongoing investigations.
https://m.sundayworld.com/crime/irish-crime/money-launderer-used-portlaoise-prisons-e-learning-network-to-go-on-tiktok/a453817623.html
You can real the real details about this story, which is just as interesting, at the link below.
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