Internet scam from PH snares Pennsylvania teen
Bentworth High School in Washington County, Pennsylvania. BENTWORTH.ORG
SAN FRANCISCO — A teenage high school student in Pennsylvania got into trouble when he responded to a scam apparently originating from the Philippines.
Pennsylvania State Police reported that a 15-year-old Bentworth High School student in Washington County, Pennsylvania, using the popular Kik messenger app, responded to a text from someone in the Philippines posing as a girl, who sent him a semi-nude photo.
The “girl” and asked the teenager to send a nude picture of himself. The teenager sent a photo of himself. After the photo was sent, the “girl” told him that if he didn’t send money to an account in the Philippines his picture was going to be shared, according to a report by CBS News affiliate KDKA.
The teenager reportedly tried to send money to the Philippines through Western Union but was unsuccessful.
A State police spokesman urged young people not to put anything on social media that they wouldn’t want anyone else to see.
The Kik messenger app has been criticized as unsafe for minors. It does not require users to give phone numbers and does not verify birth dates. It has also been criticized for having inadequate parental controls.
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