LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Police said more than two dozen boys under the age of 18 in the Louisville area have been targeted by a sex extortion scheme that publicly humiliates them by sharing explicit images of them with their friends and family online.

In an online video posted by the Louisville Metro Police Department, Officer Beth Ruoff said the scam is being investigated by the Louisville Metro Police Internet Crimes Against Children Unit.

"It involves someone representing themselves as a teenage girl reaching out to boys under 18," she said. "It coerces them into sending explicit images of themselves, and once those images are sent, it extorts them and tells them to please send money to a Cash App. If they don’t send money to the Cash App, there's the threat that this person will release those images to their friends, family and schoolmates."

Ruoff said the scheme typically begins on Instagram, and the scammer will move the conversation to Snapchat.

Stacy Sanders, a victim specialist for the Federal Bureau of Investigation, also appeared in the video. She said the online conversations begin on Instagram before transitioning to Snapchat. 

"The people behind the scheme screenshot victims' Instagram account and their followers," she said. "Once they receive payment, they ask for more money."

Sanders says when it's over, the perpetrator sends the explicit images to the victims' friends and family members, whether the victim sends money or not. They use the screenshots of the Instagram followers to do this.

"Once the images are sent, these images can never be removed -- and these people are not afraid to publish those images," Ruoff said. "And we don't want your kids to be a victim -- we don't want any kids to be a victim of this."

It's a similar message Amy Leenerts, executive director and founder of Free 2 Hope, often shares with parents too. She said not only monitoring, but limiting children's social media usage is best practice.

Free 2 Hope provides education and spreads awareness related to human trafficking and sexual based crimes in Kentucky and beyond.

"We've got to somehow get control, you know, as parents on what our kids up to and what they're doing," said Leenerts. "They don't realize what's going on and they don't know the ramifications for the rest of their life." 

Authorities believe the schemes originate overseas, making them much more difficult to investigate and prosecute.

"As we strive to contain these incidents, the Louisville Metro Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigations urges parents to monitor their children's social media, along with having conversations that these incidents are occurring," Ruff said.

Ruoff told WDRB that more than two dozen Louisville area boys have been targeted by these scams and LMPD is investigating. She added that there's no particular area or school the scammers are targeting.

"There's not really a pattern of victimization of who they're picking," Ruoff said. "I think it's just kids that are willing to communicate freely with them and they take advantage of that, and then have those kids send explicit images."

She says many of the victims' parents get caught off-guard.

"So many parents say, 'My child would never engage in that. I know my kid wouldn't be doing that.' Well, we have over 25 victims here locally which speak differently about that."

Sanders added that, while these scams target young boys, there are similar social media scams that target young girls. 

"Please be vigilant and monitor your children's social media accounts," she said. "If you feel like your child may be a victim of such a scam, please reach out to the FBI utilizing the tipline at 1-800-CALL-FBI, or report it online."

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