BOISE, Idaho — A "sextortion scammer" recently impersonated a member of the Idaho Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, telling someone via email that they're accused of committing crimes, the Idaho Attorney General's Office warned Tuesday morning in a news release.
The email was an attempt to get the target of the email to give up personal identifiable information, and it is "highly likely" that additional victims have been contacted in Idaho and other states, the AG's office said.
In an instance reported to authorities, the scammer identified himself as ICAC Lt. Christopher Williams and accused the target of committing the crimes of solicitation of a minor and child pornography, then instructed the target to enroll in what he said was a court-issued Cyber Citation Second Chance Program.
The scammer threatened potential fines, prosecution, social media restrictions and other consequences if the target refused to comply with the provided instructions, which included sending photographs of the front and back of their ID card, along with their Social Security number and signature. To further intimidate the target, the AG's office said, the email claimed a judge had placed a "gag order of suppression" on the case, and that discussing it with anyone other than the judge and serving officer would result in the target's immediate arrest.
Anyone who receives an email like that is encouraged to call the Idaho Attorney General's ICAC Unit at 208-947-8700.
The ICAC Task Force is a coalition of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies to investigate and prosecute people who use the internet to criminally exploit children. Parents, educators and law enforcement officials can find more information and resources at the ICAC website.
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