MidHudson News is reporting the Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office is looking into several cases of local young people being blackmailed via social media in the past week. A perpetrator befriends a youth on social media, pretending to be someone their age. At some point, the child is asked to share explicit photos of themselves. Once the photos are shared they blackmail the child by telling them the photos will be posted and shared with others unless money is paid. In some cases, the perpetrator asks for money in the form of gift cards. So far the sheriff’s office has one case in which the perpetrator did post the photos after not receiving the money demanded. Law enforcement is asking that anyone with information about these cases, who thinks they may be a victim or knows someone who was a victim, are asked to contact Detective Cohen at 845-486-3820 or via email at jcohen [at] dutchessny [dot] gov. The sheriff’s office can also be reached via the tipline at 845-605-CLUE (2583) or dcsotips [at] gmail [dot] com. All information will be kept confidential. Read the full story at MidHudsonNews [dot] com.