Officials: Inmates ran $560K online dating extortion scheme

COLUMBIA, S.C. >> Five inmates in the Carolinas extorted more than half a million dollars from military personnel throughout the country, using illegal cellphones to pose as underage women on dating sites, authorities said Wednesday.

Standing in front of a state prison in Columbia, South Carolina, U.S. Attorney Sherri Lydon told reporters that five inmates had been indicted on federal charges including extortion and wire fraud. Ten others throughout the Carolinas have been charged with helping inmates collect extortion payments via services including Western Union or PayPal.

According to court documents, inmates used contraband phones to join dating websites, contacting and exchanging nude images with service members across the country.

Once the targets had been reeled in, Drew Goodridge of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service said, inmates then posed as an authority figure, like a father or police officer, claiming the girl with whom the victim had been communicating was underage and demanding money to keep the exchanges private.

Fearful they’d be accused of disseminating child pornography, possibly losing their military careers, more than 442 service members handed over more than $560,000 total, authorities said.

Lydon said the victims come from all branches and ranks of the military.