ECTOR COUNTY, Texas — There is one local school district that is seeing a rise in the form of blackmail cases among students called, "sextortion."
Ector County ISD is shedding light on the crime, with the district and Odessa Police, along with other local agencies, giving presentations on what sextortion is and how it's not only affecting young students but also taking a toll on their mental health.
"We're seeing a lot of younger people and younger adults who are becoming victims of this and feel trapped and will often send money or other explicit images in hopes of stopping the extortion happening, but it’s often something that continues and we've seen a lot of fallout with mental health ideas of self-harm, feeling despaired and even thoughts of suicide," said Taylor Roy, Director of Guidance Counselor Wellness.
One piece of advice Roy gave to parents of extorted children is to be open minded when having a conversation about it.
"If their child feels like they are more open and accepting of them when they've made mistakes, it’s more likely that they will come and share any type of extortion or sextortion that they're experiencing online," said Roy.
ECISD will be holding another virtual presentation on Thursday, May 2.
More information can be found at this link.