The Indiana University Police Department received reports of three cases of online extortion and one case of online fraud this month, according to a Monday IU Crime Notice.
All four reports were separate, according to the email. Two reports occurred Sept. 1 and were reported later that day. Another occurred Sept. 3 and was reported Sept. 10. The most recent occurred Monday and was reported later that day.
The fraud incident involved an email for a “fraudulent job offer.” The suspect then provided a fake check to the victim and requested the funds be sent back via CashApp, according to the crime notice.
The three extortion incidents reported that suspects threatened to distribute intimate images of the victims after they had met and talked on different social media platforms. It was unclear from the email the total number of suspects for the four crimes, and all of them are currently unknown.
Anyone with information can call IUPD at 812-855-4111 or Crime Stoppers at 1-317-262-8477.
The IUPD alert included several tips and reminders about fake job offers and sexual extortion scams.
In fake job scams, individuals never meet their employer but receive a small number of tasks to complete. The fake jobs are typically work-from-home. Scammers then provide an image of a fake check and ask for some portion of those funds to be sent to another person.
The sexual extortion incidents start when someone reaches out through social media or private messaging. The conversation eventually leads to a request for an exchange of sexual pictures or videos. The perpetrator then threatens to release the photos to friends and family if the victim does not pay them.
IUPD reminded people to avoid sending personal and sexual information to strangers online and to be wary of what pictures they share with the rise of artificial intelligence.
