Received a call (didn't answer), voicemail and a text claiming that it was an agent from the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3). Message said
"This is Agent McKinney unit 768. I'm part of the Forensic Science Communication Department. your information from the www.IC3.gov online complaint center. I am told that an individual has been in contact with you through social media dating site. The father is concerned that his daughter has released a social security number and possibly a home address. If I don't receive contact from you in 24 hours, I'll be forced to order an investigation into the social media incident. Thank you and good luck." With a picture of the IC3 logo at the end.
Kinda startling at first, but I didn't have any of that information and actually refused to give my address. So I immediately call back wanting to clear things up and get sent to a voicemail. He calls back and confirms that I have texted the other number. Asks if I Mr. Smiths home address or social security number. I say no. He starts asking questions about our conversation, he ask if she sent pictures and she did.
He then says that Mr smiths daughter is underage and that Mr Smith is worried she is going to run away with me, or I'll come to his home and hurt his family. The daughter claimed to be 20 and in nursing school. Well I'm now freaking out... He says he charged the daughter and the family for neglect because she was underage and on a dating website you have to be 18 to join. Then he starts going into all this legal fluff how my argument won't hold up because the age on her profile is usable in court.... Then how I am in possession of child pornography so if they press charges I'll go to prison for minimum of 15 years. Again freaking out.
Now he goes into how the family cannot afford a lawyer and that they don't want pictures of their daughter up in a court room. He says that he will contact the family and let them know I didn't know she was underage and that it would be wise of me to try to contact Mr. Smith and work this out ourselves because he had more important things to work on. I ask how I can get into contact with him and he says that he doesn't want any more numbers to subpoena so Mr. Smith will contact me through his daughters phone and hangs up. I get a text within 30 sec from the other number which I will make a post for that number as well so you can search for 717-962-4861 on this website and read the rest if you want.
Looking back there were a lot of red flags that this was bogus but in the moment it was nerve wrecking. and sorry for rambling I just wanted to alert others to this going on. I started to worry that this was some family trying to scam me, but its a large scale scam.
P.S. pics were not of Mr. Smiths daughter. I did a reverse image search and found the pictures that were sent to me plus many more on many websites. They were of some cam girl..
This is a scam! Do not communicate with these criminals. Google "underage girl scam" to learn more. There are several number threads here where many many people have reported similar extortion attempts. If needed, consider making a police report.