Police: West Bloomfield Man Nearly Falls for Webcam Extortion Scam

A resident in the 4000 block of Laurel Club Circle called police on March 4 to report an extortion attempt by someone he thought was a woman during an online chat, reports said.

The 18-year-old man told police he was on the Chatroulette.com website interacting with someone that had an attractive, blonde woman photo for a 'cyberhandle' when they agreed to show videos of their bodies shortly after midnight. The man went first and sent the image over, but did not get one of the 'woman' in return, said Lt. Tim Diamond of the West Bloomfield Police Department.

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Of Interest: Police — Intimate Webcam Shots Lead to Extortion; More Identity Thefts Reported

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When he asked for the woman's picture, the person he was interacting with demanded that he send $450 to them immediately, or they would send the video to all his friends and family, reports said. The man said he was a college student and could not afford to do that, and negotiated the demand down to $350. However, before wiring the money, the man explained the situation to his father, who encouraged him to call police, Diamond said.

Police are investigating and warn residents not to participate in this type of activity, as it is generally a scam.

Identity Thefts

The following incidents occurred within the past week, according to West Bloomfield Township Police Department reports.

• A resident in the 6300 block of Buxton reported that their debit card was used to make unauthorized purchases totalling $190.71.
• A resident reported that someone used their personal information to create a fraudulent check for $30 to Fastloanfast.com.
• A resident reported an unknown suspect used their his credit card information to make multiple online purchases without authorization.