April 12, 2023 at 9:41 am
Chatham-Kent County police are warning local residents to be careful about what they share online after a child in Chatham-Kent County was allegedly lured online by an 18-year-old man from Portland, Oregon.
CK police said the FBI began investigating the man in January 2022 for allegedly luring children online.
In March 2023, investigators from the Chatham-Kent Police Department’s Internet Child Exploitation Unit (ICE) assisted the FBI in the case after a child victim was identified as a Chatham-Kent resident.
CK police said investigations revealed the man allegedly used Instagram to convince multiple child victims across North America to create and send him sexually explicit photos of themselves.
The man was charged with sexual exploitation of a child, receiving child pornography and possessing child pornography.
Police said a safety plan and support measures were also in place for victims.
Following the investigation, the police also provide some safety tips to prevent you from becoming a victim of a similar crime.
These techniques include:
– Do not talk to strangers.
– Never share intimate pictures online.
– Don’t do anything in front of the camera that makes your friends or family uncomfortable seeing it.
If you come across any suspicious Internet activity related to child exploitation, you should contact the Chatham-Kent Police Department, or you can file a report online at www.cybertip.ca.
You can also find some internet safety tips for parents, kids and other internet users on the CK Police website here.