EVANS, Ga. – There’s been an explosive increase in teenage boys being targeted online and extorted for money after being tricked into sending sexually explicit pictures – including in the CSRA.
The FBI on Monday reported the nationwide increase in sextortion scams, and it’s something the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office has been seeing for weeks.
This type of scam has been growing in the past few years, mostly targeting teenage boys, but also others looking for love on social media or dating sites. According to the Federal Trade Commission, reports of romance scams hit a record in 2021.
At least 3,000 children, mostly teenage boys, have been victims, Justice Department officials said.
One recent case in Columbia County includes a 15-year-old boy reported he’d been a victim of a scam on Nov. 2. He told deputies he began messaging a female through Snapchat and sent nude pictures of himself. The recipient said they’d ruin his life and post the pictures on Instagram if he didn’t fork over $500. The victim then told his dad, who called deputies.
Also targeted in Columbia County was a 19-year-old who said he was scammed Oct. 26 through an app called Purp. He sent explicit pictures to someone who threatened to send the pictures to all of his Instagram contacts and demanded money. The victim sent $40 through Cashapp, then called deputies.
Also in Columbia County, a 20-year-old man told deputies he recently began chatting through Snapchat, exchanging nude photos. When the suspect sent screenshots of his contacts and other photos he had never sent, threatened to send $300 or they would send it to everyone. The victim did not send money and reported the incident.
A 38-year-old male in Columbia County told deputies he’d met someone on the dating app Bumble. The subject texted him saying they were a minor, “Michael,” and to pay $1,500. Later, a contact who identified as “Officer Jackson with Columbia County Sheriff’s Department” told the victim to pay the money and requested more. After sending the money, the victim realized the scam and reported it to the sheriff’s office.
Many of the teenage victims think they are chatting online with kids around their age but are quickly manipulated into sending explicit pictures and then blackmailed for money with threats to release the images, according to the bureau.
Most victims are between 14 and 17, but kids as young as 10 have been targeted.
The Columbia County Sheriff’s Office states: “We know lots of people use the internet for flirting or dating, but it’s so important to not get swept up in the thrill of this and send potentially compromising content to strangers, especially if you’ve only recently begun talking to them and have not identified that person.”
Deputies tell people that if they have shared intimate images and find themselves being blackmailed as a result, report it immediately to law enforcement. Victims are also advised against paying up because there’s no guarantee that the offender will not post the pictures or recordings, and are more likely to come back with further demands.
“It’s also advised to stop communicating with the blackmailer. Replying indicates that you can be persuaded to pay up. Instead, keep all the evidence of what has happened to you and report it,” the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office states.
If you suspect a romance scam:
- Stop communicating with the person immediately.
- Talk to someone you trust. Do your friends or family say they’re concerned about your new love interest?
- Search online for the type of job the person has plus the word “scammer.” Have other people posted similar stories? For example, search for “oil rig scammer” or “US Army scammer.”
- Do a reverse image search of the person’s profile picture. Is it associated with another name or with details that don’t match up? Those are signs of a scam.
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