The Sheboygan Police Department is asking parents to be aware of a disturbing online activity that’s targeting teens. Known as “sextortion”, the activity could result in explicit images of those individuals being posted online and extracting cash as a result.
Officials say that it begins with an approach over a game, app, or social media account, often from outside the United States. The perpetrators, who frequently pose as someone of the same age in order to make the child complacent, manipulate their targets into producing an explicit video or image. After sending, the victim is then threatened with public exposure to friends and family unless money or more images are sent. Because of the fear and embarrassment that results, children often don’t tell anyone about the problem and try to resolve the situation on their own, sometimes resulting in the victim sending the money, or even harming themselves as they feel no way out of the ordeal.
Sheboygan Police are asking parents to educate their children on the dangers of sending explicit images or videos to people, and to assure their children that they can ask for help as these steps are the best way to avoid or end the stress of “sextortion”.
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