Sexual Predators Have Already Victimized Local Teens Online, Livingston Police Warn

LIVINGSTON, NJ — The Livingston police warned parents earlier this month that local children have fallen victim to online scams in which the perpetrator tricks them into exchanging compromising photos.

"Good afternoon, parents," the local police wrote on social media earlier this month. "We would like to once again make you aware of a scam that local teenagers have fallen victim to. Please read this and speak to your children so they do not become victims as well."

According to police, the scam goes like this:

• A perpetrator (who may present as either male or female) asks to follow the child on social media, particularly Instagram or Snapchat.
• The person has a photo and seemingly lots of followers, so the victim thinks it's legitimate.
• The person takes photos of the victims' followers' usernames.
• They start a seemingly normal conversation.
• "Eventually they turn the conversation sexual in nature. The scammer will then send sexually explicit pictures of what they convince you are of themselves. They then try and convince you to send sexually explicit photos of yourself back," police said.
• The scammer will threaten to share the photos with followers and family if the teen doesn't send money.

Police said, "We have had both male and females fall victim to this scam. Please talk to your children and advise them that if they do not know the person requesting to follow them personally do not accept them."

'Sextortion Scams'

This kind of scam has turned tragic of other areas of the country, with the scammers beginning a seemingly innocent friendship to lure the victim in, causing the child much emotional distress and a fear of telling their parents.

The FBI calls these crimes 'sextortion scams' and says they have increased recently.

Besides warning kids about scammers, parents can also make it clear that kids shouldn't blame themselves if they're already fallen victim to the scam.

The Livingston police said, "If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to call and speak with either of our juvenile detectives." Find out more here.

The Livingston Police can be reached at (973) 992-3000. In an emergency call 911.

Senior Scams

Seniors in Essex County have been bilked out of thousands of dollars in various other kinds of online scams, from people saying they have a relative in police custody who needs bail, to asking for money to be sent to fix a computer problem. Livingston Police Officer Joy Klapal, a 22-year veteran of the force, recently conducted a presentation for Livingston seniors about common frauds and scams. Find out about that here.