( CNN ) -- The college student accused of hijacking the webcam of Miss Teen USA Cassidy Wolf and other young women is a former high school classmate of the pageant winner . Jared James Abrahams , 19 , was arrested Thursday for allegedly taking nude images of the women using their own webcams , and then blackmailing them to send more explicit material . 2011 : Hacker gets 6 years in prison for 'sextortion ' scheme . Wolf told CNN on Friday that she had no personal connection with Abrahams while they were in high school in Temecula , California . `` When I heard his name it did n't click right away what he looked like , '' she said . `` His name is familiar . When I looked at his yearbook picture , I recalled moments when I saw him in the hallways . '' The suspect is accused of taking nude pictures of Wolf while she changed clothes or walked into her room after a shower . Wolf , 19 , said her computer apparently was hacked months before receiving the first threatening e-mail on March 21 . At the time , she did not have her current pageant crown and was attending a college in Costa Mesa and lived in an apartment . `` When I got the first e-mail , I read the first three lines and I quickly scrolled through it and saw it was a long e-mail , '' she said . `` Two photos of me were attached . I literally threw my phone across the room and started screaming . It did not feel real , it was like a horror movie . '' Wolf said she believes the images were taken while she was in high school . A threat to Wolf allegedly read , `` Either you do one of the things listed below or I upload these pics and a lot more ( I have a LOT more and those are better quality ) on all your accounts for everybody to see and your dream of being a model will be transformed into a pornstar '' ( sic ) . Fears about such hacking are not misplaced . Last month , it was reported that some high-end televisions with built-in cameras could be turned on without the viewers knowing . Security cameras , lights , heating control systems and even door locks and windows are now increasingly coming with features that allow users to control them remotely . Without proper security controls , there 's little to stop hackers from invading users ' privacy , stealing personal information or spying on people . FTC cracks down on hacked video camera maker . Abrahams is a computer science student . His arrest came six months after Wolf alerted authorities to the `` sextortion '' scheme . Authorities executed a search warrant at Abrahams ' home on June 4 , at which time he `` voluntarily agreed to speak '' with a pair of FBI agents . Describing himself in that interview as a college freshman who was good with computers , a criminal complaint said , he admitted using malware and his expertise to `` watch his victims change their clothes and ... use the photographs against them . '' When he admitted what he 'd done , Abrahams said he had 30 to 40 `` slave computers '' -- or other people 's electronic devices he controlled -- and has had as many as 150 total , according to the complaint . Investigators also linked him to at least eight other young women , some of them , like Wolf , from Southern California . Others were from as far away as Moldova . Rutgers Freshman 's Suicide Shows Risks of Webcams . Wolf said she became aware of the hack after she got a Facebook alert that someone had tried to change her password . She then noticed other social media accounts were not `` acting the same . '' The pageant contestant , now attending school in New York , replied to a couple of e-mails that day in March . `` I asked him , 'Please do n't do this to me . ' '' Authorities advised her not to have further contact . The FBI used evidence from her computer and iPhone to build its case , Wolf said . `` It took them two to three months to figure out who this was . '' Wolf told CNN said has been on a `` roller coaster of emotions . '' `` It 's kind of hard to explain my emotions about him . One one hand I am upset . ... how he traumatized me , '' she said . `` I feel , on the other hand , sorry for him . He went to high school with me . '' Wolf says she is now on a campaign to raise awareness about the risks that technology can expose users to . She has spoken to students about steps they can take . `` It can happen to them because they are growing up in a generation where technology is so advanced . '' `` Be careful what you are doing on your computer , '' she advised . `` There are cameras on computers and iPhones . Be careful of what you are doing in front of your camera . '' Wolf said she used her computer responsibly but `` did not know how dangerous a computer can be in the hands of someone else . '' Other advice ? Change passwords on e-mail and social media accounts . Make them difficult . Delete cookies and browsing history . And , when not communicating with a loved one or friend , put a sticker over the computer webcam . Police : Naked scammers seduce , blackmail men on Web .
NEW : `` I started screaming , '' Miss Teen USA tells CNN . Cassidy Wolf recognizes her alleged tormenter as a former high school classmate . Jared James Abrahams is accused of hijacking webcams of young women . He allegedly made demands of them , threatening to release nude photos .