Stranger asks child to send pictures on Snapchat

Police are advising parents to be vigilant after a boy was asked to send photos of himself to a stranger via social media.

Urging parents to highlight this issue with their children, a Mid and East Antrim police spokesperson said: “We recently had a report of a 12-year-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.

“One picture was sent, thankfully not of a graphic nature and when more requested he knew something wasn’t right and he stopped communicating.”

The spokesperson added: “The young boy has since been threatened that he would have his picture posted on Facebook if he did not continue.

“Folks, please be careful online. No one will give you money or vouchers if you send them pictures. 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 it’s too good to be true, it usually is.

Parents, it’s worthwhile looking into safe online practices and monitoring your kid’s internet usage and time to ensure they are safe.”