ECTOR COUNTY, Texas — Ector County ISD is seeing a rise in cases of blackmail among students. This kind of blackmail is called “Sextortion”. Superintendent Dr. Scott Muri explains more about what it is and how students are targeted.
“This summer, we were visited by the Department of Homeland Security, and that raised the alarm. Children specifically in our area [are] being targeted by adults, not only in the United States but adults from around the world, accessing our kids through many times, their cell phones. They are convincing our children to take inappropriate images of themselves and then to share those images. And then these adults really extort or in this case, sextort those kids and make them send money or intimidate them in some way to get a service from those particular students,” said Muri.
As scary as this situation sounds, there are ways to prevent students from falling victim.
The district is hosting a workshop session for both students and parents to learn more about how sextortion cases can be identified in the school district. They are also teaching what steps can be taken if you or someone you know has fallen victim to a crime.
“we’ll not only help parents with what to do when you find out, but what are the signs to look for, specifically with student behaviors, you know, what behaviors might your child be exhibiting if they have indeed been victimized by a sextortion ring or an individual? And so, we'll help a parent know and understand what to look for and then also how to monitor your child and their social media usage to kind of identify things like this should that be occurring,” said Muri.
The first workshop session is set for Thursday, April 25th at Odessa New Tech High School, starting at 6 p.m. There will be presentations from the non-profit, Harmony Home Children’s Advocacy Center and the Odessa Police Department.
Then on Tuesday, May 2, EISD is hosting a virtual option for parents.
You can find more information on the school district website.