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Internet safety

Sibling Sextortion: NY Child Abuser Had Help From Sister In Cyberstalking Scheme, Feds Say Sibling Sextortion: NY Child Abuser Had Help From Sister In Cyberstalking Scheme, Feds Say
Sibling Sextortion: NY Child Abuser Had Help From Sister In Cyberstalking Scheme, Feds Say A New York brother currently serving time in federal prison and sister are facing federal charges for an elaborate cyberstalking and extortion scheme involving explicit images and a fraudulent life insurance plot, federal authorities announced. Fred Mastroianni, of White Plains, and Doreen Mastroianni, of Yorktown Heights, have been charged with cyberstalking, extortion, and conspiracy to commit extortion, according to an indictment unsealed by federal officials. The pair allegedly targeted "Victim-1" by threatening to release sexually explicit photos and videos unless the victim complied w…
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…
Ex-School Counselor In Capital Region Filmed Sexually Explicit Content Of Child For Years Ex-School Counselor In Capital Region Filmed Sexually Explicit Content Of Child For Years
Ex-School Counselor In Capital Region Filmed Sexually Explicit Content Of Child For Years A former middle school guidance counselor in the region confessed to repeatedly taking sexually explicit photos of a child beginning when the victim was just 9 years old. Albany County resident Kristy Koldis, age 46, of Latham, pleaded guilty to sexual exploitation of a child in Albany federal court on Monday, June 3. Koldis, a former counselor at Stephen and Harriet Myers Middle School in Albany and professor at Russell Sage College in Troy, admitted that she repeatedly took sexually explicit content depicting the victim’s genitals. The abuse continued until the child was 13. Earli…
19-Year-Old Charged In Hudson Valley Sex Crimes Case 19-Year-Old Charged In Hudson Valley Sex Crimes Case
19-Year-Old Charged In Hudson Valley Sex Crimes Case A 19-year-old man has been charged with allegedly inducing a child under 17 to perform sexual acts in the Hudson Valley. Daniel N. Montesdeoca, age 19, of New York City, was arrested on Thursday, April 11, in connection with a recent investigation into the sexual performance of a child. Montesdeoca was taken into custody after a month-long investigation by the Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office Detective Bureau.  At this time, he is accused of inducing a child less than 17 years old to perform sexual acts over the Internet, said Capt. John Watterson of the Dutchess County Sheriff's Offi…
NY Man, 33, Paid For Sex With 12-Year-Old In New Jersey: Police NY Man, 33, Paid For Sex With 12-Year-Old In New Jersey: Police
NY Man, 33, Paid For Sex With 12-Year-Old In New Jersey: Police A 33-year-old New York man was arrested by New Jersey State Police after paying a woman to have sex with her 12-year-old daughter, authorities said. New Jersey State Police began investigating Ulster County resident Alexander Boyd in January after he was soliciting children for sex on the internet, New Paltz Police, where Boyd lives, said. Boyd made plans with a woman to purchase her 12-year-old daughter for sex, police said. Once they settled on a price, Boyd traveled to New Jersey, booked a hotel room, and waited for the woman and her daughter, police said. He was located and taken i…
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…
Person Posing As Student Posts Lewd Photos At Area School's Zoom Meeting Person Posing As Student Posts Lewd Photos At Area School's Zoom Meeting
Person Posing As Student Posts Lewd Photos At Area School's Zoom Meeting A teacher in the Hudson Valley received an unexpected and unwanted visitor when a “Zoom-bomber” crashed her virtual class and displayed inappropriate images with students. The Highland Central School District in Ulster County issued a report following the incident involving the middle school, where someone logged into a Zoom class posing as a student and displayed lewd images on their computer screen. Highland Schools Superintendent Thomas Bongiovi said that once the teacher was made aware of the mischief, the person was removed from the Zoom immediately.  It is believed the person - …
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…
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…
Hudson Valley Man Admits To Possessing, Trading Hundreds Of Child Porn Images Hudson Valley Man Admits To Possessing, Trading Hundreds Of Child Porn Images
Hudson Valley Man Admits To Possessing, Trading Hundreds Of Child Porn Images A 24-year-old Hudson Valley man will face up to 20 years in prison after admitting to trading hundreds of videos and photos that included child pornography. Clintondale resident Corey Baker pleaded guilty this week to distributing and receiving child pornography over the course of more than a year. As part of his guilty plea, Baker admitted that between June 2017 and August 2018, he traded child pornography with others using a phone and laptop computer equipped with Internet-based instant messaging and file-sharing applications. Baker also admitted to using a peer-to-peer file-sharing app…
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…
Former Area Teacher Pleads Guilty To Evidence Tampering In Sex Case Former Area Teacher Pleads Guilty To Evidence Tampering In Sex Case
Former Area Teacher Pleads Guilty To Evidence Tampering In Sex Case A school teacher in the area pleaded guilty to tampering with evidence in connection with a case in which he allegedly arranged a meeting with a person posing as a 15-year-old girl to have sex.  Jonathan D. Castell, 46, of Wallkill, pleaded guilty on Thursday, Sept. 5, for deleting electronic communications between himself and a person posing as a 15-year-old girl who he arranged to meet in Queens for sex, said the Orange County District Attorney's Office. At the time that Castell pleaded guilty, he admitted having deleted the messages so that they could not be used as evidence ag…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…