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Internet safety

Police & Fire
Sex Extortion Scam Circulating Through Emails In Region, Sheriff Says Sex Extortion Scam Circulating Through Emails In Region, Sheriff Says
Sex Extortion Scam Circulating Through Emails In Region, Sheriff Says Police in the region are warning of an automated sex extortion scam that is targeting residents through emails. Undersheriff Eric Chaboy of the Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office said that scammers are acquiring emails and personal information on the so-called “Dark Web” and feeding it into what appears to be an artificial intelligence (AI) program that automatically contacts potential victims. Earlier report - Warning Issued For Nationwide Automated 'Sextortion' Scam: Here's What To Know According to Chaboty, the program claims in an email that the victim has been looking at pornogra…

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by Kathy Reakes
News
Westchester Man Sexually Abused, Groomed Young Victim From Age 10 To 18: Here's His Sentence Westchester Man Sexually Abused, Groomed Young Victim From Age 10 To 18: Here's His Sentence
Westchester Man Sexually Abused, Groomed Young Victim From Age 10 To 18: Here's His Sentence A 53-year-old man from Westchester will spend decades in prison for sexually abusing a victim throughout their teenage years as well as amassing a large collection of child pornography, officials announced.  Fred Mastroianni, a resident of White Plains, has been sentenced to 35 years in prison for grooming a young victim over the course of several years.  Additionally, he was convicted of receiving and distributing child pornography.  The announcement was made by the US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York on Thursday, August 15th. According to federal of…

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by Ben Crnic
Police & Fire
State Police Warn Parents Amid Investigation Of Teens Being Sexually Targeted Online State Police Warn Parents Amid Investigation Of Teens Being Sexually Targeted Online
State Police Warn Parents Amid Investigation Of Teens Being Sexually Targeted Online Predators in New York have been utilizing social media to bilk teen victims into sending sexually explicit photos that are then used to blackmail parents, police are cautioning. An alert was issued by New York State Police following multiple cases of teens being targeted by criminals while online, including one incident that led to a teenager committing suicide. Police said that the suspects have been locating teen victims on social media, where they befriend them and gain their trust. Once trust is established, investigators said that the suspects ask for photos or video of the teen, “usua…

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by Zak Failla
News
COVID-19: FBI Issues Alert For Fake Hiring Scams Targeting Individuals, Businesses COVID-19: FBI Issues Alert For Fake Hiring Scams Targeting Individuals, Businesses
Covid-19: FBI Issues Alert For Fake Hiring Scams Targeting Individuals, Businesses With millions of Americans looking for work or working from home due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis, the FBI has seen an uptick in fake job and hiring scams from opportunistic cybercriminals. Fraudsters have been leveraging their purported positions as faux “employers” to persuade victims into believing they had a new job in an effort to steal their personal information or to get them to send money. According to the FBI, “fake job scams have existed for a long time but technology has made this scam easier and more lucrative. Cybercriminals now pose as legitimate employers by spo…

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by Zak Failla
News
COVID-19: School Closings Lead To Increased Risk Of Child Exploitation, FBI Warns COVID-19: School Closings Lead To Increased Risk Of Child Exploitation, FBI Warns
Covid-19: School Closings Lead To Increased Risk Of Child Exploitation, FBI Warns Due to school closings as a result of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), children will most likely be spending more time online, which could put them at an increased position for exploitation, the FBI warns. Online sexual exploitation comes in many forms. Individuals may coerce victims into providing sexually explicit images or videos of themselves, often in compliance with offenders’ threats to post the images publicly or send the images to victims’ friends and family, the FBI said. Other offenders may make casual contact with children online, gain their trust, and introduce sexual conversa…

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by Kathy Reakes
News
NY, CT Residents Among Hundreds Charged In Takedown Of Largest Darknet Child Porn Website NY, CT Residents Among Hundreds Charged In Takedown Of Largest Darknet Child Porn Website
NY, CT Residents Among Hundreds Charged In Takedown Of Largest Darknet Child Porn Website Men from Connecticut and New York are among those charged in the takedown of the largest Darknet child pornography website. Jong Woo Son, 23, a South Korean national, was indicted this week for his operation of Welcome To Video, the largest child exploitation market by volume of content, officials said. Son has also been charged and convicted in South Korea and is currently in custody serving his sentence in South Korea.   An additional 337 site users residing in Alabama, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nebraska, New Jers…

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by Zak Failla
News
Security Stepped Up After Shooting Threat At High School In Westchester Deemed Not Credible Security Stepped Up After Shooting Threat At High School In Westchester Deemed Not Credible
Security Stepped Up After Shooting Threat At High School In Westchester Deemed Not Credible A shooting threat at a high school in Westchester was deemed not credible by police, who stepped up patrols out of an abundance of a caution. Late on Thursday, Oct. 10, parents in the Harrison School District received a message warning that “there was an Internet posting this evening by a Harrison student voicing concerns about a threatened school shooting at Harrison High School.” Police in Harrison investigated the claims, but the threat was unfounded, though there was an increase in patrols around the high school and other buildings in the district on Friday, Oct. 11. “You may be aware …

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by Zak Failla
News
FBI Reports Rise In Sextortion Of Children FBI Reports Rise In Sextortion Of Children
FBI Reports Rise In Sextortion Of Children Sextortion is defined as a criminal act that occurs when someone demands something of value, usually money, images of a sexual nature or sexual favors, from another person. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, there has been a rapid increase in the solicitation of these incidents from minors over the internet. The FBI reports that children ages 10 through 17 have been increasingly sexually exploited and ‘sextorted’ by internet predators. Fortunately, there are several steps parents can take to ensure the safety of their children when browsing the Internet and engaging in activit…

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by Valerie Musson
Lifestyle
These Are Most Hacked Passwords According To Brand-New Report These Are Most Hacked Passwords According To Brand-New Report
These Are Most Hacked Passwords According To Brand-New Report Despite the prevalence of online hackers and the concerns of cybersecurity breaches, many continue to use simple and easy to guess passwords that have led to data breaches, according to a new report. The UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) first “cyber survey” determined the most commonly used passwords that were received in data breaches. According to the report, the most commonly used passwords that have been hacked are: 123456 (23.2 million); 123456789 (7.7 million); qwerty (3.8 million); password (3.6 million); 111111 (3.1 million); 12345678; abc123; 1234567;  password1, a…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
'Operation Home Alone' Sting: Rockland, Westchester Men Accused Of Trying To Meet Kids For Sex 'Operation Home Alone' Sting: Rockland, Westchester Men Accused Of Trying To Meet Kids For Sex
'Operation Home Alone' Sting: Rockland, Westchester Men Accused Of Trying To Meet Kids For Sex Five men from Rockland and one from Westchester – including a high school teacher and a bank manager – were among 16 defendants busted in New Jersey after they’d arranged meetings for sex with what they thought were underage boys and girls, authorities announced Wednesday. New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal identified the six as: Kevin Roth, 26, Nanuet, who teaches at the High School of Computers and Technology in the Bronx and thought was meeting a 14-year-old boy, Grewal said; Shaheen Lariff, 49, a bank branch officer manager from New City who the attorney general said thought …

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by Jerry DeMarco
Lifestyle
YouTube Bans Videos Of Dangerous Pranks, Stunts YouTube Bans Videos Of Dangerous Pranks, Stunts
YouTube Bans Videos Of Dangerous Pranks, Stunts Google-owned video hosting website YouTube is cracking down on users who upload videos involving dangerous stunts or pranks. While not all stunts and pranks are dangerous, those that are will no longer be permitted for YouTube hosting, as per the site’s updated community guidelines. Now, users who upload videos involving this type of content have two months before YouTube will issue a “strike” against the offending account. Of course, content that violated these new guidelines will be removed even before the grace period ends. From eating tide pods to playing with fire or putting someone i…

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by Valerie Musson
News
Disturbing 'Suicide Challenge' App Aimed At Teens Sparks Warning Disturbing 'Suicide Challenge' App Aimed At Teens Sparks Warning
Disturbing 'Suicide Challenge' App Aimed At Teens Sparks Warning A suicide “game” involving a person dubbed “Momo" targeting teens on a prominent messaging app is sparking concern. “Momo” has become a viral challenge that asks people to add a contact on the WhatsApp app, and they are then encouraged to commit self-harm or suicide. The “game” has spread nationwide. According to Fox News, police in Mexico say that “Momo” started in a Facebook group, where people are encouraged to make contact with an unknown telephone number.  “Computer Crime Investigators from the Mexican State of Tabasco warn that the game is a ‘new challenge’ aimed at children and…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Village Board Of Ethics Chair In Westchester Faces Child Porn Charge Village Board Of Ethics Chair In Westchester Faces Child Porn Charge
Village Board Of Ethics Chair In Westchester Faces Child Porn Charge The chairman of the Village of Mamaroneck Board of Ethics has been busted with alleged child pornography. Mamaroneck Charles Mitchell, 51, has been arrested on charges related to child pornography, Westchester County District Attorney Anthony Scarpino, Jr., announced on Friday afternoon, following a months-long investigation. According to the felony complaint, on July 2, Mitchell was in possession of a video on his computer of a girl between the ages of 10 and 12 masturbating. Mitchell went on to make the video available to share with others on a computer network. The arrest comes followin…

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by Zak Failla
News
Two Hudson Valley Men Charged In National Crackdown On Online Child Porn Two Hudson Valley Men Charged In National Crackdown On Online Child Porn
Two Hudson Valley Men Charged In National Crackdown On Online Child Porn Two Hudson Valley men were among nearly 2,500 charged throughout the country as part of Operation “Broken Heart,” which targeted online child sex offenders. The Department of Justice announced the arrest of more than 2,300 suspected online child sex offenders during a three-month, nationwide, operation conducted by Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) task forces. The task forces identified 195 offenders who either produced child pornography or committed child sexual abuse, and 383 children who suffered recent, ongoing, or historical sexual abuse or production of child pornography. Among…

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by Zak Failla