Public Safety Announcement
(Houghton County, MI) The Houghton County Sheriff's Office has had several members of the community reporting possible “sextortion” schemes on social media and through text messaging services.
Some of the messages received locally have started with simple conversation and turned in to the perpetrator including images to the conversation, some of which are lewd. These perpetrators will ask for lewd photos to be sent to them. These perpetrators then will pressure a potential victim to pay money in lieu of the perpetrator disseminating the images to friends and or family. If you don’t know the person sending the messages do not open them and do not respond to them.
According to the FBI, “Sextortion can start on any site, app, or game where people meet and communicate. In some cases, the first contact from the criminal will be a threat. The person may claim they already have a revealing picture or video of a child that they will share if the victim does not send more pictures. More often, however, this crime starts when young people believe they are communicating with someone their own age who is interested in a relationship or with someone who is offering something of value. The adult will use threats, gifts, money, flattery, lies, or other methods to get a young person to produce an image.
After the criminal has one or more videos or pictures, they threaten to share publish that content, or they threaten violence, to get the victim to produce more images. The shame, fear, and confusion children feel when they are caught in this cycle often prevents them from asking for help or reporting the abuse. Caregivers and young people should understand how the crime occurs and openly discuss online safety.”
Please be careful with what information you share online. Parents, please talk with your children about the signs of these of scenarios and the danger of sharing personal information and images online.
Call your local sheriff’s office or local law enforcement agency with any questions, or to report any cases of potential exploitation or victimization by schemes such as this.