By Allison Scarbrough, News Editor
HART — The Oceana County Sheriff’s Office investigated a sextortion case that has been turned over to the FBI.
The sheriff’s office was notified of the matter Wednesday, June 11, at 2 p.m., said Oceana County Sheriff Craig Mast.
The victim is an 18-year-old Hart man. “He was contacted via social media from a person who he recognized as a friend of his friends online,” said Sheriff Mast. “So, he thought this was a safe person to communicate with. That person then alleged that they were female and interested in him. That person then requested nude photos of him and requested video.”
After receiving the nude photos from the victim, demands of money were sent to the victim — as a form of blackmail so the photos wouldn’t be disseminated. “This person has now alleged that they are not a young lady — that they are threatening to embarrass by sharing his photos with all of his contacts.” The suspect demanded 1,500 euros — which equals over 1,700 US dollars — as payment.
The victim then told his parents, and the parents contacted the sheriff’s office. The victim did not send the suspect any money.
“We’ve been made aware of many similar incidents going on in our state and in our country. This is a popular type of scam, and it can be very dangerous. There was a case in Marquette, Michigan where a young man committed suicide over the pressures of this sextortion.
“We contacted the FBI, because the FBI deals with these cases very often because the suspects in these cases are not local — probably not even in the United States. They’re probably in a foreign country. Because there was no exchange of currency, their investigation is limited. They are very interested, because a person who does these kinds of scams doesn’t do it just once. They’re probably scamming dozens and dozens of unsuspecting people. They’ve got this scam down and know how to contact these young people online. They know how to infiltrate their contacts and how to pressure them into making poor decisions and then pressuring them into potentially paying them.
“People need to educate their kids if they’re approached in this manner. It is never a good idea to ever share any nude photos online or anywhere else. Some sort of blackmail or extortion will happen when they share these photos. Teenage youth are especially at risk of being victimized by this.”
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