Police in Northern Ireland are urging parents to check on their children’s online safety after a 12-year-old boy was threatened over Snapchat in relation to a popular video game.
A boy in Co. Antrim was recently added on Snapchat by a stranger who asked him for photos in exchange for Fortnite vouchers. When the boy stopped communicating, the person threatened to post the photos on Facebook.
The video game Fortnite is played by millions of people worldwide and has been increasingly popular among teenagers during the school holidays.
This incident was shared by the PSNI as a warning over internet safety.
PSNI Ballymena said: “We recently had a report of a 12yr old boy being added on Snapchat by a stranger. They spoke about the game Fortnite and after a while the kid was asked to send pictures of himself for which he would receive £500 in Fortnite vouchers. He was offered £100 for his face and more for more graphic images.”
The boy sent one photo, which was not of a graphic nature, but when more were requested he stopped messaging the person.
The person then threatened the boy that he would have his picture posted on Facebook if he did not continue communicating.
The PSNI are urging people to be careful online: “No one will give you money or vouchers if you send them pics. It simply will not happen. There is always an ulterior motive behind it and some creep on the other end looking to exploit you.”
“To paraphrase an old phrase if its too good to be true it usually is.
“Parents it’s worth while looking into safe online practices and monitoring your kids internet usage and time to ensure they are safe.”