Hunter Police Issue Warning About Facebook Creep

Central Hunter police have issued a warning to young people following a disturbing incident last week on Facebook, involving a suspected case of child grooming.

A 13-year-old girl attended Maitland Police Station with her mother last Friday night to report an incident that occurred on the social media network.

The girl says she received, and accepted, a friend request from a man calling himself ‘Jack’. He requested she send him pictures of herself, which she did.

She became concerned when ‘Jack’ started to threaten her when she stopped sending images. She reported the matter to her mother who in turn contacted police.

Officers are investigating this incident and are keen to speak with anyone that may have encountered this man on Facebook or any other social media forum.

It’s not known if the name ‘Jack’ is an alias, and if he has approached other young people.

Police would like to remind young people of the following tips when using social media or the internet:

• Do not send a picture of yourself to anyone you don't know and never place a full profile and picture anywhere on the internet.
• Never give out your personal information, including full name, home address, phone number or school, over the internet.
• Never arrange a face-to-face meeting with someone that you have only ever chatted with on the internet.
• Tell your parents or another adult you know of any contact that makes you feel uncomfortable.
• Think carefully before uploading or sending images or videos to people over the internet. Once you press ‘send’ it’s definite and final – you can’t get it back or take it down.