Police: Pa. Teen Posed As Female Online To Get Nude Photos
By Matt Rivers
TOBYHANNA TWP., Pa., (CBS) – An alleged Facebook extortion plot - foiled.
Police say a teenager is charged with tricking dozens of boys into sharing naked pictures of themselves.
Police say it was intricate scam that lasted for months, dozens of teenage boys victimized by someone nearly their same age, a 14-year-old middle schooler at the Mount Pocono West Junior High School.
"This is the first time I've ever encountered a child pretending to be a different child in order to access other children, so that was a little odd," said Det. Brian Webbe of the Monroe County District Attorney's Office.
A police affidavit says a tip from a parent at the school led investigators to discover at least 14 boys had been asked to send nude photos to this Facebook account.
Police say the suspect posed as a girl, and promised to send nude photos in return.
He even asked victims to send him gift cards in exchange for photos, according to police.
If a boy initially sent photos but refused to send more, a police affidavit says the suspect would threaten to post the originals online.
Detective Brian Webbe helped file subpoenas for the profile information.
"That was able to narrow it down to the actual individual responsible," said Det. Webbe.
News of the case spread quickly through the school district. Louis Acevedo's son is a student.
"It just makes you wonder what the other parents are doing in regards to monitoring their kids," said Acevedo.
And while his son is not a victim, police say there are plenty of others who are. Police say crimes like this are nearly always preventable if students and parents are aware of the threat.
"A little bit of street smarts and a little bit of internet safety knowledge, it's easy to avoid," said Webbe.
Police say the boy was allegedly using both his computer and his cell phone to lure victims. When he was arrested, police said he'd allegedly asked nearly 150 boys for nude photographs. Nearly 50 of those sent them along.
The suspect was charged with theft by extortion, transmission of sexually explicit images and solicitation.
