Dear Editor: This is in response to a report in the police blotter last month, about a 15-year-old who was a victim of internet fraud. It involved the teen being contacted through TikTok by “Sara” who sent him photos and talked the teen into sending her photos of himself. Things escalated to threats about sending his photos to his family and friends, and the teen ended up paying $450 to have the photos taken down.
Readers should know that this is a common tactic used for extortion and that there is a free service that will help take the images down – The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s (ncmec.org) Take It Down.
In their own words, “Take It Down is for people who have images or videos of themselves nude, partially nude, or in sexually explicit situations taken when they were under the age of 18 that they believe have been or will be shared online. For example, maybe you sent a picture to someone, but now they’re threatening you or have posted it somewhere. Even if you’re unsure whether the image has been shared but want some help to try to remove it from places it may appear online, this service is for you.”
You can learn more about this service at ncmec.org and scrolling down to “Take It Down.”
Susan Jensen, Sitka
