Prison Inmates Catfished $560,000 Out of Military Service Members in Sextortion Scam, NCIS Says (gizmodo.com)

Hundreds of military service members reportedly got caught up in a sextortion scam run by prison inmates using cellphones, according to a release issued by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS). From a report: Military agents from multiple criminal investigation groups have served summons and issued warrants for arrests related to the scheme. According to the NCIS, South Carolina and North Carolina prison inmates, assisted by outside accomplices, sought out service members through dating sites and social media, then took on false identities, feigned romantic interest, and exchanged photos.

Once the inmates had successfully catfished their targets, they would then pose as the father of the fake persona, insisting their child was underage and that the target had therefore committed a crime by exchanging photos. In some situations, the "father" claimed he wouldn't press charges if the target gave him money. Sometimes the catfisher would pose as law enforcement requesting money for the family.

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Re: This is why

[DNS-and-BIND]

When you prove you can't play with others, the adults come and take away your toys. A felony is a very serious crime and it is appropriate to lose some civil rights afterwards, like being able to own a gun. The only reason it's an issue is that people who commit serious crimes are overwhelmingly Democrats. Republicans practice what they preach about being law-abiding. Aside from a few outliers, you simply don't find Republicans committing felonies. However Democrats have a big problem on their side of the aisle with criminals.