Deputies Warn Of 'Sextortion" Scam Targeting Online Daters
MIAMI (CBSMiami) -- Broward Sheriff's Deputies are warning of a scam targeting online daters by persuading them to take explicit photos then extorting cash from them.
According to the Sun- Sentinel, the scammers persuade the dater to send sexually explicit photos. Once they get the photos, the scammers identify themselves as law enforcement, telling the dater they sent the pictures to a minor.
They then tell the person to pay up in order to avoid arrest, according to BSO.
The scammers are not only identifying themselves as law enforcement, they are also using actual names of officers, like Detective Don Peterson.
"These people are being contacted by Detective Don Peterson and it isn't me," Peterson told the paper.
More than 100 people have paid between $500 to $1,500 to try to avoid arrest.
Peterson told the paper he's heard from about 10 victims. All of them are men from Florida, New York and Alabama.
Broward Sheriff's Office spokesperson Keyla Concepcion told the paper, the scammers frequent Mbuzzy.com, an online dating site.
The sheriff's office was notified of the scam in March and are investigating the matter along with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
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