The Carson City Sheriff’s Office received numerous calls in the past month in reference to an online dating and extortion scam.
Scammers are engaging in conversations with people online and on social media. The conversations escalate and the scammer and person end up exchanging compromising or intimate images.
The scammer notifies the person that they are a minor and a detective with Carson City Sheriff’s Office will contact them immediately. The scammer’s accomplice poses as an actual detective and leaves the person a message requesting a return call. The original scammer then threatens to pursue criminal charges unless they agree to send money.
The victims admitted to exchanging compromising or intimate images with the scammers, but did not know that they were underage.
The Carson City Sheriff’s Office is cautioning the public to be careful when engaging in conversations with people online that they have not met in person. We don’t recommend sharing compromising or intimate images with strangers, especially if you can’t verify their age or identity.
Contact the Carson City Sheriff’s Office or your local law enforcement agency if you are a victim of extortion or if you have any questions. The investigations division is available to provide presentations to the public.
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