(Dearborn County, IN) – Parents and guardians in Dearborn County are being warned about a recent increase in sextortion cases involving children and teens in the community.
Dearborn County Sheriff’s Office Detective Sergeant Derek Stevens, who is assigned to the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, has recently seen a significant uptick in these cases involving popular platforms such as Snapchat, TikTok, Discord, and Telegram.
These cases can involve children of different ages and both males and females. Parents are strongly encouraged to stay involved in their children’s social media and online activity and, most importantly, have conversations with them about the dangers they may encounter online.
SEXTORTION RED FLAGS
Persons committing sextortion can be extremely manipulative and may use several tactics to gain a child’s trust, including:
- Creating a fake identity and pretending to be another young person
- Developing a false friendship or romantic relationship
- Using multiple accounts or identities to contact a child
- Secretly recording explicit videos, images, or conversations
- Offering money, gift cards, gaming credits, or other incentives for pictures
- Accessing public social media profiles, friend lists, and personal information
- Threatening to share explicit images with family, friends, classmates, or others
- Demanding money or additional images to prevent the material from being released
WHAT SEXTORTION CAN LOOK LIKE
A predator may begin with something as simple as a friend request, compliment, or private message. They may spend time building trust before asking the child to move the conversation to another app or platform.
Once an explicit image or video is obtained, the situation can quickly turn into threats and demands. The offender may threaten to send the material to the victim’s friends, family, school, or social media contacts unless the victim sends money or additional images.
Parents: Talk to your children before this happens. Make sure they understand that people online are not always who they claim to be and that they should never feel too embarrassed or afraid to ask for help.
IF YOUR CHILD BECOMES A VICTIM:
- Do not pay the offender.
- Do not send additional images or videos.
- Do not delete the messages or accounts before preserving evidence. Save screenshots, usernames, messages, payment requests, and other information.
- Report the incident immediately.
- Most importantly, make sure your child knows they can come to you for help.
The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) operates the CyberTipline for reporting suspected online child sexual exploitation and provides resources to help victims and families.
The Dearborn County Sheriff’s Office is also available to assist with concerns, questions, or reports involving suspected sextortion or online exploitation.
“Please talk with your children about sextortion and online safety,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement. One conversation today could prevent a child from becoming a victim tomorrow.”
