DUNEDIN HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS TARGETED IN EXTORTION SCAM
Dunedin police are investigating reports somebody has been attempting to extort local high school students online.
They say it is a warning to parents and guardians to talk to young people about being proactive about online safety.
Detective Sergeant Reece Munro said a person has reportedly been posing as someone else online during the extortion attempts.
Munro did not provide specifics about the incidents police are investigating but said online child exploitation and sextortion generally begins with offenders contacting victims privately on social media.
"They are then asked to continue chatting on a different app, and gradually the conversation becomes sexualised, although in some cases not obvious to our high school aged children," Munro said.
The victim is then coerced into sharing photos and videos of themselves, their school friends or their family with the offender, who may take compromising screen shots or doctor the images to make the victim look evening more compromising.
They will then use the images as blackmail - threatening to post them online or share them with people the victim knows.
Police said victims of sextortion should take the following actions:
- Avoid sending anymore images or videos – even if they are threatening you.
- Remember – once you have complied with their demands there is nothing preventing them targeting you again.
- Save all the online chat, immediately take screenshots/screen recordings.
- This is important for making a report to the Police, we need all the evidence that you can gather.
- Block the profile.
- Report the content to the platform i.e. the social media or website they contacted you on, or the content has been sent or posted on and request the content is removed.
- To report this type of offending, please contact Police on 105, or an online report through Netsafe at netsafe.org.nz/report.