Crime & Safety
Nutley Resident Victim Of Extortion, Theft Over Internet Photos: PD
A Nutley resident ignored a scammer's attempts to extort money. But then they got a message from a "friend," police said.
NUTLEY, NJ — A Nutley resident was recently victimized by separate-but-related extortion and theft attempts, authorities said.
The Nutley Police Department released the following details about the scam, which was reported on April 29:
“The victim reported to police that while conversing with a party through an app, they were taken photos of without their knowledge, and the party, ‘Maribel’ told the victim that they needed to pay her money so the video would not be posted to their family and friends on the internet. The victim ignored the attempts for money until they were contacted by someone using a photo of their friend as an identifier. The ‘friend’ stated they saw the video and that the victim should contact the Metro Police and gave them a phone number to call. The agent suggested arranging a payment with “Maribel” and the police would respond and arrest her. An agreement was made to send $600 the deposit was made electronically.”
After the payment was made, the victim realized the party that contacted him was part of the scam, Nutley police said.
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