At least 25 Louisville teens extorted by scammers over nude photos, LMPD warns

Krista Johnson, Louisville Courier Journal
·2 min read

Louisville parents are being warned about an extortion scam that is targeting teenagers on social media and forcing them into sending online predators money through mobile payment apps.

Louisville Metro Police shared a public service announcement Tuesday, followed up by a news conference, to explain how the scam works and what parents should look for.

Locally, online predators are reaching out to teenage boys on Instagram, pretending to be teenaged girls who want to become Snapchat friends, LMPD spokeswoman Beth Ruoff said. Once on Snapchat, the boys are urged to send explicit photos of themselves and after, are told to pay the scammers if they don't want the photos to be released to friends and family. The scammers also show that they have taken screenshots of the teen boys' Instagram friends list, indicating that's where the photos will be sent, Ruoff said.

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The scammers ask the payments to be made through Cash App or by gift cards - with the payments ranging from $50 to $1,000, Ruoff said. Additionally, even after initial payments are made, the scammers have continued to press the victims for more money and have still ultimately released the images.

LMPD and the FBI have learned of 25 cases locally involving teenage boys, but Ruoff said this is a national trend in which girls have become victims, too. The predators, she said, are believed to be from other countries, which makes prosecution difficult.

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"All kids under the age of 18 - their social media needs to be monitored," Ruoff said. "Parents need to be very vigilant because these situations are occurring. ... And once the images are sent, these images can never be removed and these people are not afraid" to make them public.

She also urged parents to monitor their children's payment applications.

If you have concerns your child was a victim of such a scam, contact the FBI tip line at 1-800-CALL-FBI or report it to https://tips.FBI.gov.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Louisville teens extorted by scammers over nude photos, LMPD warns