Despite being repeatedly told that people were using his product to spy on others without their consent, Fleming helped them with technical support.
A government researcher even opened an affiliate marketing account for pcTattletale, and Fleming reached out to offer ready-made banner ads with text like “pcTattletale Cheating Husband? #1 catch a cheater spy tracker” and “pcTattletale Husband Cheating? Best Catch a Cheater Spy App.”
Fleming noted in an email that pcTattletale was more successful when marketed to women because “there are many more women who want to catch their man than [sic] the other way around.” Financial records showed that Fleming sold about 1,200 pcTattletale subscriptions per year for somewhere between $99 and $300.
Based on all this, the government obtained a search warrant and raided the Bruce Township home where Fleming lived in late 2022.
In 2024, TechCrunch reported that pcTattletale had been hacked and much of its data leaked. Apparently, hackers had gained access to the company's private keys for the Amazon Web Services account, where most of the video data created by the app was stored. Fleming claimed at the time that his company was “bankrupt and completely bankrupt” after the breach.
The FBI ultimately charged Fleming with selling a product while “knowing or having reason to know” that the software was “particularly useful for the surreptitious interception of wired, oral, or electronic communications.” This week, Fleming pleaded guilty in California to a single charge and was released on his own recognizance pending sentencing.
One piece of stalkerware is off the market; Unfortunately, there are many more, and their owners and operators are often harder to find.
