JEFFERSON COUNTY, Colo — As students head back to school, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office is warning parents about sextortion crimes targeting pre-teens.
“We probably get one to two sextortion cases a week now,” Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office Sergeant Michael Harris with the Child Sex Offenders Internet Investigations Unit (Cheezo) said.
Harris said criminals use this scheme to target pre-teen boys the most.
“They receive a message from a young girl, a young woman, and then it becomes very sexual. the person sends an inappropriate picture of themselves, and they say, ‘hey, I'll send you more, how about you send some?’ And then when they get that picture, they say, ‘Hey, now you have to go and get a money card, or you have to send me money, or give me a credit card number. Otherwise, I'm going to send these photos that you just sent of yourself naked to your friends, your family,’” Harris said.
Criminals are targeting younger victims, according to Harris.
“The youngest sextortion victim we've seen is 10. I had a young boy that was 12, went to a Christian school, made the mistake of getting caught up in this. He sent his pictures, and when he wouldn't comply with the request (for money), those pictures were sent to his mom, his grandma, his sister and some of the friends,” Harris said.
To avoid this crime, Harris suggests talking to kids openly and honestly about not taking or sending pictures of this kind to anyone, no matter what.
Harris said parents should also be mindful of what their kids are doing on their phones and tablets at night while alone in their rooms. He suggests putting parental controls in place and for younger kids, consider keeping their phones and tablets in a parent’s room at night.