Teenager extorted money in Snapchat cat-catching scheme using candid photos, family says

It all started with a contact via Snapchat. A 14-year-old boy from Dutchess County told the I-Team what happened after the “girl” befriended him.

“We started talking and she sent me pictures and asked me to send some back,” he said.

Unfortunately, these candid photos fell right into the trap of an extortionist posing as a girl. “She” demanded $800 or threatened to send photos on social media to the boy’s family, friends, and school.

The victim told his mother about this, who received a candid photo in her social network account.

“He was scared. He didn’t know where else those photos might end up,” the mother, who did not wish to be named, told I-Team.

Then, according to my mother, threats rained down. The boy said that someone called him through Snaphat and demanded money.

The family went to the Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office. It turns out that there could be as many as five additional victims.

“The scenarios are the same. They ask for money or threaten to share incriminating photos,” said Detective Jeffrey Cohen.

He said he did not know if the photographs were actually widely distributed or if other victims paid money. The 14-year-old was told that his image had been posted on a social network.

“The message is to never post explicit photos to any of the social networks. They don’t disappear even if it’s a promise,” Sheriff Kirk Imperati said.

Is the clock ticking on TikTok in America? Already blocked on many government devices, some federal officials, politicians and law enforcement want to ban the popular app for everyone. Do they have cause for concern, and could TikTok’s days be numbered?

The Dutchess County District Attorney said he expedited the subpoena on both Snapchat and Instagram.

The I-Team did not receive a response from Instagram, but a Snapchat spokesperson issued a lengthy statement stating, in part, “Sexual exploitation and extortion of any kind is unacceptable on our platform and violates our policies. We regularly work with security experts and law enforcement to help combat this. We’ve also implemented new app security tools called Family Center to give parents more information about who their teens are talking to on Snapchat.”

The mother of a 14-year-old teenager still does not understand how candid photos of her son could be distributed without permission. She’s just glad her son trusted her enough to expose the blackmail.

“It’s scary to think that someone uses it. And what can happen if a teenager does not have parents with whom he can talk? the mother asked.

The I-Team became aware of a similar scheme in Fishkill East, where the arrest took place. If you have information about such cases, please email [email protected].