John Pospisil

A couple of New York teenagers have been taken into custody after attempting to extort $US150,000 from MySpace.com.

According to a report in the Sydney Morning Herald the teenagers were thrown off MySpace for hacking into other users’ accounts. The pair then threatened to distribute information about how to hack into MySpace if they were not paid the money by MySpace.com.

The pair were taken into custody by undercover police officers posing as MySpace employees. They were each charged with sending a threatening letter, attempted extortion, and illegal computer access. Bail was set at $US35,000.

The pair are face up to four years in prison if convicted.