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Friday, nov 8
Tag:
Online Safety
News
Warning Issued For Nationwide Automated 'Sextortion' Scam: Here's What To Know
Authorities are warning the public of a nationwide automated scam in which scammers use people’s email addresses to coerce payments by intimidating them with threats of embarrassment. Victims of the "sextortion" scheme, usually children and teens, are manipulated to photograph or video material for extortionists. "After receiving the sexually explicit content from the child, the offender threatens to release that compromising material unless the victim produces additional explicit material," said the FBI in issuing the warning to parents, educators, caregivers, and children. In a sepa…
Police & Fire
Western Mass Man Admits To Sending Nudes To Agent Posing As 14-Year-Old Online: Feds
A 37-year-old Berkshire County didn't realize the 14-year-old girl he was sending nude photos to and begging her to reciprocate was a federal agent until he was arrested, authorities said. Paul J. Bruzzi, of Lenox, pleaded guilty on Tuesday, July 16, to one count of attempt to transfer obscene material to a minor, the US Attorney for Massachusetts said. Bruzzi began a conversation online with someone he believed to be a 14-year-old girl in September 2022. During their talks, he sent nine photos and videos of his genitals to the girl in an attempt to have her send him simila…
Police & Fire
'Just Send Me Something Sexy': CT Man Inappropriately Messaged 13-Year-Old, Police Say
A Connecticut man has been arrested after he allegedly sent inappropriate messages to a 13-year-old boy for months over Instagram. The New Haven County man, 27-year-old Michael Bernaud of Astonia, was arrested on Wednesday, April 17, according to Connecticut State Police. Bernaud met his victim at a grand re-opening event at a restaurant (which the boy’s parents took him to) in December 2023, police said. The young teen then joined an Instagram group for fans of said restaurant, the name of which was not released by police to protect the victim’s identity. It was then that the vi…
Police & Fire
'Pig Butchering' Scams: Police In CT Warn Of Fraudulent Investment Schemes
Authorities are warning Connecticut residents to be wary of complex investment scams targeting victims through online platforms such as dating apps and social media. In an announcement on Tuesday, March 26, Connecticut State Police warned that there has been an increase in "pig butchering" scams involving scammers convincing victims to invest money into a fake trading platform. According to state police, the scammer will first contact the victim through dating apps, social media, or professional networking platforms. They will then build trust with the victim over several weeks …
News
Westchester Man Sexually Assaults Boy Outside His Home: Here's His Sentence
A 35-year-old man from New York will spend decades in prison for enticing a teenage boy to engage in sexual activity with him at his Connecticut home, officials announced. Westchester County resident Leland Robinson, of Mount Vernon, was sentenced to 50 years in prison for enticing a 14-year-old boy to engage in sexual activity with him, the US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York announced on Friday, March 8. According to federal officials, in February 2019, when Robinson was 31 years old, he posed as a high school student on a social media application a…
News
Man, Age 21, Charged With Sexually Assaulting CT Girl, Police Say
A Western Massachusetts man has been nabbed for allegedly sexually assaulting a 14-year-old Connecticut girl for several months. Hampden County resident Michael Luciano, age 20, of Springfield was arrested on a warrant on Friday, Dec. 2. South Windsor Police arrested Luciano following an investigation that determined that starting in October 2021 he met the girl online and had a physical relationship with the girl over the course of several months, said Sgt. Mark Cleverdon, of the South Windsor Police. Luciano turned himself in at South Windsor Police headquarters and was charged…
News
'Please Call The Police': Westchester Woman Held Hostage Uses Grubhub To Get Help
A New York woman being held hostage and sexually assaulted was finally rescued after using a food delivery app to call for help. Westchester County restaurant The Chipper Truck Cafe, located in Yonkers, said it received the desperate plea for help Sunday, June 19, via a customer order on Grubhub. Written in the app’s “additional instructions” box was the message: “please call the police his going to call me when u delivered come with the cones please don’t make it obvious.” In a Facebook post, the restaurant’s owner said staff immediately called 911 and reported the message to police. …
News
Don't Let Them Break Your Heart: FBI Issues Alert For Romance Scams
While Valentine's Day is a time for romantic gestures, the FBI has issued an alert to the public about romance scams. The agency said in an alert on Monday, Feb. 14, that the scams take place when a criminal adopts a fake identity online to get the victim's trust and uses the close relationship to manipulate and/or steal from the victim. "The criminals who carry out romance scams are experts at what they do and will seem genuine, caring, and believable," the FBI said. "Con artists are present on most dating and social media sites." The FBI said eventually the scammer will ask the vic…
Police & Fire
Suspect Nabbed In Sex Assault Case, CT State Police Say
A 22-year-old man in Connecticut is facing charges for allegedly sexually assaulting a teen, State Police announced. Torrington resident Jacob Joseph Haag, of Litchfield County, was arrested by Connecticut State Police investigators following an investigation into alleged sexual assault. The investigation into Haag was launched in late March, police said, when troopers received a report of a possible sexual assault involving a 15-year-old that happened in the Town of Goshen. According to police, investigators spoke to the teen, who said that a man she met online had picked her up near her …
Police & Fire
Man Arranged To Have Sex With 13-Year-Old From Fairfield County, Police Say
A man has been apprehended after arriving in Connecticut believing he was going to be having sex with a child, police announced. Detectives in Fairfield County from the Greenwich Police Department’s Special Victims Section had been engaged for several weeks in an internet undercover sexual predator investigation. The suspect believed one of the detectives was a 13-year old girl and began extensive conversations which included him sending explicit text messages indicating specific sex acts he wanted to engage with what he believed was a juvenile child, said police.&n…
News
Covid-
19: Alert Issued For Child Tax Credit Payment Scams
Opportunistic fraudsters have taken advantage of some consumers during the COVID-19 pandemic, this time targeting child tax credit payments that have been sent out to assist families. The IRS recently issued an alert after it began sending tens of millions of dollars to families, though scammers have been attempting to pull a fast one over on some to steal thousands of dollars in federal benefits. According to the IRS, scammers have been reaching out to families using emails, text messages, and through social media, asking to verify personal information to receive the child tax credit payme…
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