York County Sheriff’s Office warns of Snapchat blackmail scam

ALFRED — The York County Sheriff’s Office is warning people of scammers trying to blackmail young people on the social media platform Snapchat.

A teen boy was recently added as a contact by someone who presented themself as a female on Snapchat, according to a Facebook post by the York County Sheriff’s Office.

The young man had posted a typical, appropriate profile photo of himself on his account. The new contact on Snapchat sent him a copy of his profile photo paired with a photo of unknown origin of male genitalia, according to the Sheriff’s Office. The person said people would think that both photos were of the young man, and they threated to post the pair of photos if the young man did not cooperate with them, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

The scammer was in real life a man, according to the York County Sheriff’s Office. He called the young victim on Snapchat and demanded to be sent money by Venmo or PayPal. He said if the young man did not send him money, the photos would be posted online and sent to his school, the FBI and to the BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation). The young man told his parents of the blackmail attempt, and they called the Sheriff’s Office.

Publisher Liz Gotthelf can be reached at newsdesk@sacobaynews.com.