(COLORADO SPRINGS) — The Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD) is warning the community about “Sextortion” scammers impersonating law enforcement working for the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Unit.
CSPD said Sextortion is a form of child exploitation where children are threatened or blackmailed most often associated with producing an explicit image. The victim is informed that to remove themselves from the situation, they must send money, a money order, or a gift card to the address of the scammer. Police will never ask for any type of payment.
A common sextortion target is boys between 14 and 17 years old. CSPD said adult predators pretending to be young girls fake romantic interest in the victims through gaming platforms, apps, and social media sites. Predators use the following tactics to entice victims:
Developing a false rapport with the victim.
Secretly recording explicit videos and messages during chats.
Using multiple identities to contact the child.
Pretending to be younger or a member of the opposite sex.
Hacking accounts to steal sexual images.
Threatening to commit suicide if the victim refuses to send images.
Visiting public social media profiles to find out more about the victim, including accessing the victim’s friend list and searching for other personal information that may harm the victim’s reputation.
The names of local law enforcement officers including ICAC detectives have been used in these scams said CSPD. Scammers will also claim to work locally or from various agencies nationwide.
CSPD said if you or someone you know is a victim, help is available. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) CyberTipline gives the public and electronic service providers the ability to report suspected child sexual exploitation, including sextortion and online enticement.
NCMEC also helps remove nude, partially nude or sexually explicit photos and videos of underage people by assigning a unique digital fingerprint which online platforms can use to detect these images and take action to remove them.
More information about sextortion can be found online at:
Department of Homeland Security
Federal Bureau of Investigation
Report a crime in the Colorado Springs area by calling:
CSPD at (719) 444-7000
El Paso County Sheriff’s Office at (719) 390-5555
Army Criminal Investigation Division (Fort Carson) at (263) 691-4001
