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(This story has been updated to add new information.)
Three Hortonville-area agencies, including Hortonville Area School District, are investigating a possible sextortion case, Hortonville Police Department chief Brian Bahr confirmed to the Appleton Post-Crescent.
The investigation is ongoing and involves the Outagamie County Sheriff’s Office, Hortonville Area School District and the Hortonville Police Department, Bahr said.
The news first broke from media reports on WBAY and WFRV. The suspects used fake accounts on social media platforms like Discord or Snapchat; those accounts may have been created outside of the country, according to a letter these outlets obtained from Hortonville district administrator Todd Timm.
Sextortion happens when a predator threatens or blackmails a child using sexual images or content of the child — and the images can either be real or artificially generated. The predator may threaten to share the images unless their financial demands are met. The most common victims are boys aged 14 to 17. In extreme cases, this exploitation has led to suicides.
What to do if you think you or your child is a victim of sextortion and how to get help
According to a news release from the Wisconsin Department of Justice, the agency’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force has received 103 sextortion-related cybertips in 2025 and 237 in 2024.
The Wisconsin DOJ also sent out the following tips to students who think they might be victims of sextortion: Tell a parent or trusted adult right away. Don’t pay the suspected scammer money or comply with their demands. Report the account on the social media platform you’re using. Block the suspect, but keep the messages for law enforcement.
And above all, they remind teens that being victims of this crime is not their fault.
For parents, the DOJ says the best way to help protect kids’ safety is to maintain open communication. More specifically, they say parents should have conversations about what they’re sharing online and why, as well as any situations that might make them scared, confused or confused.
They also emphasize teaching children about healthy relationships, as well as consent, sexting and bullying as a way to help them to help them better identify unsafe situations and get help — whether online or offline.
Besides local law enforcement, here’s where else you can get help if you think you or your child might be a victim of sextortion:
Rebecca Loroff is an education reporter for the USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin. She welcomes story tips and feedback. Contact her at rloroff@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: Hortonville students may have been victims of sextortion, reports say
Reporting by Rebecca Loroff, Appleton Post-Crescent / Appleton Post-Crescent
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
