14 DAY TRIAL // A few weeks ago, we learned that Anonymous members launched a counter campaign against the Church of Scientology’s efforts to recruit new members through ads posted on Craigslist.
The hacktivists have told the Daily Dot that they’re winning the battle against Scientology.
Initially, Anonymous complained that Craigslist was ignoring their requests to have the Church of Scientology’s ads removed because of terms of service violations. After the story was picked up by the press, Craigslist started taking action, but without making any public statements on the matter.
The ads posted by Scientology members are still present on the classified advertisements website. However, Anonymous says some of the church’s accounts have been banned and the ones that remain have been “knocked down to minimal accounts,” allowing the hacktivists to easily flag them.
In the meantime, the controversial organization is not happy about Anonymous’ efforts. The heads of the church have reportedly informed the Office of Special Affairs, which is Scientology’s investigation service, of the operation.
The Church of Scientology is also said to have tried to convince Craigslist to block the counter-ads posted by the hacktivists, arguing that they represent hate speech.
Finally, Anonymous believes that the organization has started targeting the individuals who have posted counter-ads on Craigslist.
An email apparently signed by Jenna Hill, a well-known critic of Scientology, is making the rounds. Links contained in these emails lure recipients to phishing websites that ask users to hand over their Craigslist credentials.
“Nice writing to you, a few minutes ago I read your post on craigslist and it attracted me, right now I have some work need you if you have time, for the details please read [link] which I post with descriptions. If you have any questions feel free to shoot me an email,” the emails apparently signed by Hill read.
The hacktivists say they’re not certain that the church is behind these messages, but they believe it’s highly possible, considering that the name of Jenna Hill is used.