SiegedSec, the hacking group allegedly compromised of “gay furries,” claims to have breached a U.S.-based church and used its funds to purchase at least 100 inflatable sea lions.
The hack—which also resulted in the leak of roughly 15,000 user accounts from the ministry’s website, including detailed prayer requests—was aimed at the River Valley Church in Burnsville, Minnesota. In a post on Telegram, SiegedSec said it targeted the church after receiving “a report via email of a church pastor” making anti-transgender remarks.
The post specifically cites the church’s lead pastor Rob Ketterling as “causing problems with transgender individuals, as well as publicly posting transphobia.”
Screenshots shared by SiegedSec show some of the prayer requests made by the church’s members, as well as a link to access the data. Another screenshot shows what appears to be the church’s Amazon account and 100 inflatable sea lions being sent to its Minnesota address by SiegedSec, totaling $999.00.
“We hacked their accounts and spent thousands of dollars on inflatable sea lions (we couldn’t donate it), and we have leaked 15k+ user data :3,” the hackers wrote.
Analysis of the church’s social media footprint does not show any admission to the alleged hack thus far. An email sent by the Daily Dot to River Valley Church also went unanswered.
While it’s unclear what remarks sparked the hack, Ketterling on Saturday joined in on widespread complaints from conservatives after President Joe Biden declared March 31 as “Transgender Day of Visibility.” The date just so happened to align with Easter this year, a move that Ketterling saw as purposeful.
In a statement to the Daily Dot, a representative for SiegedSec claimed that the group spent a total of $6,200 on the inflatable sea lions and also used church funds to purchase thousands of dollars worth of business cards.
The hacking group also made headlines in January after doxing politicians in North Carolina who helped pass a new law requiring porn viewers to verify their age, which critics argue poses a “major privacy risk.”
Back in June, SiegedSec also targeted official government websites in five states for their stances on transgender issues.
This post has been updated with comment from SiegedSec.
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