Sagadahoc County Sheriff's Office warns of 'sextortion' scams

BATH, Maine — Investigators with the Sagadahoc County Sheriff's Office are issuing a warning to teens and their parents about “sextortion scams.”

In many cases, this happens when an individual shares explicit photos with someone they think they can trust online, and that person then uses those photos as a form of blackmail.

“I would say, roughly, we've seen five to 10 cases in the last couple of years and not just juveniles,” said Sagadahoc County Sheriff's Office Detective Brian Carlton.

Police are also seeing more and more cases where real photos are never shared, but instead artificial intelligence is used to create a realistic nude photo which is then used for blackmail.

Detective Carlton tuned into NBC's Nightly News when a story aired about explicit AI-generated photos of teenagers. The next day he received a phone call.

“I received a phone call from a parent reporting that their child had been involved in one of these scams, and the investigation into this matter continues,” Carlton said.

As more children and teens use social media, Carlton wants to make sure the dangers are known.

“Part of the reason we're so focused on this topic right now is that we're seeing, nationally, an increase in the suicide rate of young people caught up in a sextortion scam, and that's our big effort to get us involved at the local level in schools for this,” Carlton said. “It really highlights the need for this information and sharing of resources available to adolescents and young people who are caught in this trap.”

Carlton also says an open line of communication is important.

“It's really important that if someone is caught in a scam or in a bad situation, they're not afraid to tell a parent,” Carlton said. “If it’s a parent they’re not comfortable with, it’s a school resource officer, guidance counselor or teacher.”

If you're chatting with someone online, there are a few things you should keep in mind.

“Whoever you talk to, try to confirm as much as possible,” Carlton said. “Don't give out your home address, meet in public places where you know other people, they will be there if you meet in person, and definitely don't share anything on the internet that you would share. I don't want to not be shared further.”

While the use of social media and AI continues to grow in popularity, the future remains uncertain.

“I think one of the most important things is to make sure that the laws that we are able to enforce keep up with the evolution of technology and it will probably be a constant game to achieve that” , Carlton said.

Sextortion not only happens to teenagers, but also to adults.

If you think you may have been the victim of a sextortion scam, Detective Carlton advises you to block the person from social media, not deactivate your account, keep screenshots and contact local law enforcement .

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