TULSA, Okla. — The Tulsa Police Department said their Police Sexual Predator/Digital Evidence Recovery Unit (SPDR) has become aware of a new scam targeting children who use social media.
They said the scam is used by criminals that make fake profiles to pretend to be teenagers interested in an online relationship.
After in the “relationship,” the scammer tries to get the victim to send nude or other compromising photos of themselves, then the scammer will threaten to send the photos to the victim’s friends, family, and school unless they are paid money.
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TPD said sometimes an adult male has made voice calls to the victim using their social media account and made additional threats and demands of payment.
They also said the goal of the widespread scam appears to be financial gain and appears to be primarily perpetrated by people who are not in the United States.
The SPDR Unit is asking parents and guardians to educate children and teens about the existence of this threat and the dangers involved with taking nude photos of themselves for any reason.
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They said once a photo is sent via the internet or an app, it can never be recovered and could be seen by people the sender does not intend.
Tulsa police are encouraging Parents and guardians to be aware of what apps and services are being used, what the capabilities of the apps are, and who children and teens are communicating with.
Parents and guardians may wish to consider minimizing or eliminating the threat that the use of social media poses to the safety and mental health of the children they care for.
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