A 12-year-old boy was asked to send graphic pictures of himself to a stranger on Snapchat in return for ‘£500 in Fortnite vouchers’ for the online game.
That’s according to police in Ballymena. And now the report has prompted them to issue online safety advice for children and their parents.
The boy stopped the communication when he realised something was untoward and as a result, was threatened that his picture would be posted on Facebook if he did not continue.
“Parents if you could take note and talk to your kids about this please. We recently had a report of a 12yr old boy being added on Snapchat by a stranger. They spoke about the game Fortnite and after a while the kid was asked to send pictures of himself for which he would receive £500 in Fortnite vouchers,” explained a police spokesperson.
“He was offered £100 for his face and more for more graphic images. One picture was sent, thankfully not of a graphic nature and when mor ewere requested he knew something wasn’t right and he stopped communicating.
“The young boy has since been threatened that he would be have his picture posted on Facebook if he did not continue….” added the spokesperson.
Police are keen to point out to parents and children that no one will give you money or vouchers if you send phorographs.
“It simply will not happen. There is always an ulterior motive behind it and some creep on the other end will be looking to exploit you. To paraphrase an old phrase if it’s too good to be true it usually is.
“Parents, it’s worth while looking into safe online practices and monitoring your kids internet usage and time to ensure they are safe,” added the spokesperson.
