GLOUCESTER COUNTY, Va. — The Gloucester County Sheriff's Office has recently investigated several internet crimes, including one instance where a young teen was video chatting another alleged teen who showed what appeared to be a gun.
Sheriff Darrell Warren said to investigate crimes like the one mentioned above takes a lot of time, money and resources.
“It’s a challenge, it’s a real challenge for all agencies," said Warren.
Investigations
Foreign criminals infiltrating the internet to prey on victims
He said the three types of internet crimes they most often investigate include online scams, like getting called in for jury duty, or being notified that you've won prize money.
The sheriff said in addition to those, they've seen an uptick lately of people sending explicit pictures, then getting blackmailed into sending money so the photo is not released. He also said crimes against children are always top of mind.
“It’s scary because there’s a lot of predators out there online who target children as victims, and they try to portray themselves to be someone that they’re not,” said Warren.
To investigate internet crimes takes a lot of man power, from a patrol officer taking the initial report, to a detective looking into the situation further, and then a digital forensic specialist being called in.
Watch related coverage: Foreign criminals infiltrating the internet to prey on victims to try and steal money
“You’re trying to identify someone who is unknown to you, which could be another state and often times another country,” said Warren.
For a small sheriff's office in a rural county that's a big task.
“It’s super challenging, we have one part time forensic investigator all he does is dump cell phones, and electronic devices, and it’s really not enough,” said Warren.
Warren said what he wants parents to take away is to pay attention to what your children are doing online. He recommends using parental controls for your child's devices, and above all else be nosy.
