GREENUP COUNTY, Ky. (WSAZ) – A Greenup County student interacted on social media with an unknown scammer who threatened to take advantage of the student after simply asking for a photo of his face.
Jason Smith, director of district-wide programs in Greenup County, said although the scam took place outside of school, it was an opportunity to teach parents about online safety.
“It has given us an opportunity to educate our parents, our community and even ourselves about how our students can handle these things a little better,” Smith said.
The school superintendent said the FBI is investigating the case, and Smith said they would meet next month to discuss a public cybersecurity training for parents sometime in October.
“We’ll probably have a keynote speaker and some breakout sessions. As I said, we’ll bring in outside agencies that are experts in the field and have them speak directly to our parents,” he said.
Smith plans to seek assistance from the Greenup County School Police Department during the training.
Police Chief Philip Kearns said the situation could help make staff and students aware of the dangers at a young age.
“We can use this as an example. It’s not just something you hear about. You know this student personally and can relate to it. I think we can use this as a positive,” said Chief Kearns.
Smith and Kearns agree that there is a discrepancy between staff and students when it comes to smartphone and social media usage.
“They understand at such a young age, you have to reach them then and then talk to them throughout their school years,” said Chief Kearns.
Smith said: “Sometimes they know better than adults how to deal with these things. So yes, we will learn and as I said, hopefully in collaboration with our community and parents, and it will be an educational learning experience for everyone.”
To previous reporting >>> FBI: Fraudster threatens to create fake nude photos of a student
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