Perpetrator used fake social media account
A scammer tried to extort money by threatening to release a nude image of a local teenager.
According to a Gilmer County Sheriff’s Office (GCSO) incident report, the scammer first contacted the boy through TikTok and had been talking with him for about three days before exchanging phone numbers Sunday, July 19.
The boy believed at the time that he was texting a teenage girl, and the pair agreed to send each other nudes.
But after sending the girl a nude image late Sunday evening, he received a message back telling him to send the account $50 or they would send the image to all his friends.
At this point, the boy called 911.
GCSO Deputy Dustin Cooper responded to the call and learned from the boy that the actual sender of the message was “some Indian guy from Orlando, Florida,” the incident report stated.
After Cooper arrived, the extorter sent the image to one of the boy’s friends.
The boy then told the deputy that the image he had sent wasn’t actually an image of himself, but a picture from the internet, the incident report said.
The extortioner then sent another message to the boy, reading, “Give me the money now or I'm going to ruin your life.”
After informing the boy’s family of the situation, Cooper said he would file a Juvenile Complaint form because of the circumstances.
Under Georgia law, extortion is a felony.
But sending nude images to a minor or sending nude images as a minor is also illegal under laws against childhood pornography.
However, if the images were sent consensually by minors between 14 and 18 and not shared with others, it’s a misdemeanor rather than a felony.
According to the Georgia Campaign for Adolescent Power and Potential (GCAPP), nearly 25 percent of teens say they have sent sexually graphic texts to friends or dating partners.
Sending explicit photographs or videos is extremely dangerous.
Once an image is sent, there’s no way to get it back.
Blackmail is just one possibility. Your image could be shared to other people without your knowledge or consent.
“Parents, this is your reminder to have an honest conversation with your children before it happens,” the GCSO wrote in its weekly wrap-up. “Teach them never to send explicit photographs or videos of themselves to anyone — no matter how much they believe they know or trust the person on the other end of the screen.”