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Friday, nov 22
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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
New York Man Busted Driving To See Western Mass Child He Met Online: DA
A 62-year-old New York man was arrested on Thursday, May 30, in Berkshire County as he was on his way to meet a teenager he was speaking with online, authorities said. David Stypa was charged with two counts of disseminating obscene material to a minor and attempting to commit a crime, the Berkshire County District Attorney's Office said. He was ordered held on a $100,000 bond. Investigators said Stypa was speaking with the Pittsfield teen — who was younger than 16 — on multiple platforms. Police are still investigating. The district attorney's office did not release any …
Police & Fire
'Ted Bundy' Busted Sending Nudes, Sexual Videos To 13-Year-Old Central Mass Teen: Police
A Worcester County mom took away their 13-year-old's cell phone so they would focus more on their school work, but a glance through the teen's messages sent her running to the authorities. The mom met with Sutton Police on March 20 after she said she found several messages from an adult man that featured photos and videos of him naked, in sexually suggestive poses, and sometimes dressed as a woman, officials said. The child had saved the man's name in their phone as "Ted Bundy," Sutton police said. Along with the obscene photos and videos, "Bundy" repeatedly asked the tee…
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…
Police & Fire
Missing Southern MA Girl Possibly Went To Meet Man Posing As Teenage Boy Online
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has joined in the search for a 16-year-old girl reported missing from Raynham last week who could be in danger. Colleen Weaver was last seen in the area of Orchard and King Streets around 1 a.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 18, Raynham Police Chief James Donovan reports. Heather McNally, who is a family friend, said Colleen possibly went to be go meet a man posing as a teenage boy who she met online in a GoFundMe organized on Colleen's behalf. "Colleen is a beautiful soul. She is a spitfire who stands up for the little guy in any given situation," McNally …
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…
Police & Fire
Man Charged With Kidnapping After Missing NY 15-Year-Old Found In Virginia
A man is facing kidnapping charges after allegedly taking a 15-year-old Long Island boy he met online out of state. Suffolk County Police Fifth Squad detectives are investigating the circumstances during which the missing special needs boy was found in Virginia early on Wednesday, June 30. The boy was reported missing by his family on Tuesday, June 29 at approximately 1:30 p.m., after he was last seen leaving his home at 11:30 a.m., police said. Following an investigation, detectives determined the boy had been communicating with a 20-year-old man residing in Tennessee through an ins…
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