High school newspaper sparks police investigation into Instagram sextortion scheme targeting students

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AURORA, Colo. - A Colorado high school newspaper's article has prompted a police investigation into a sextoration scheme that targeted students.

The Rangeview Raider Review, part of Rangeview High School in Aurora, ran the story on January 17.

The article detailed a criminal revenge porn scheme in which multiple Instagram accounts obtained illicit photos of students and asked for money for the posts to be removed. The price range was between $5 and $25, according to the student newspaper.

The student paper said the scheme involved nearly 100 students as victims from multiple schools and districts.

The paper said Instagram has not taken any action. FOX Television Stations has reached out to Meta, Instagram's parent company, for comment.

Aurora Police confirmed to FOX Television Stations its investigating the case.

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Authorities define sextortation as "a form of exploitation where children are blackmailed most often through the threat of publishing an explicit image. A scammer could threaten to post explicit material on the internet or social media unless they receive money from their targeted victim."

"Sextortion could also involve sharing sexually explicit images with others in exchange for money," they added.

Aurora Police said one of its school resource officer was first alerted about the complaint on January 16, one day before the student newspaper published its article.

They said they have received other complaints from several other schools as well.

Police said in six cases, students reported being contacted and targeted by the suspect or suspects through Instagram. In other cases, students were invited to pay to join an Instagram user's "Close Friends List" to see sexually explicit material.

Detectives are working to identify additional victims.

Instagram, and other social media apps, have come under fire over the years for its failure to protect children against harm.

Facebook accused of harming kids' mental health

Dozens of US states, including California and New York, are suing Meta Platforms Inc. for harming young people and contributing to the youth mental health crisis by knowingly and deliberately designing features on Instagram and Facebook that addict children to its platforms.

Last year, Instagram and Facebook's parent company Meta added some new parental supervision tools and privacy features to its platforms. The new measures allow parents to view how much time their teen is spending on the Messenger app, or giving parents updates about who is on their child's Messenger contact list.

In May 2023, U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy warned that there is not enough evidence to show that social media is safe for children and teens and called on tech companies to take "immediate action to protect kids now."

So, what can you do to protect your kids? Experts say open lines of communication, age limits and if necessary, activity monitoring are some of the steps parents can take to help kids navigate the dangers of social media while still allowing them to chat with peers on their own terms.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. This story was reported from Los Angeles.