Area families are being warned about an Internet ransom scam targeting teens in Allegan County and in surrounding districts.

Dr. Christina Hinds, superintendent of the Wayland Union Schools, said in a letter to parents and students, “The scam involves an unidentified person sending unmarked Google Meet invitations to students in West Michigan. There seems to be a focus on male students; however, it is important to be vigilant for all students.

“We are told that students who click on the unmarked Google Meets are being exposed to someone posing to be a younger person who will use nudity to try and solicit an exchange of sexual texts or photographs from the student. If the student follows through and exposes themselves, the virtual meeting is recorded and then used to attempt blackmail.

“It is extremely worrisome to hear that this is happening locally. It is critical that students and parents are aware of this so we can help protect our students from this awful scam. The Wayland City Police Department and Allegan County Sheriff Department are aware of this situation and are partnering with us.

“This is sophisticated criminal behavior and families and teens should not send money nor should they be ashamed if they are victims. If your student(s) are victims of this scam, please report any incident immediately to the Allegan County Sheriff’s Department at (269) 673-3899 and/or the Wayland City Police Department at (269) 792-9366.”

Parents are encouraged to discuss this situation with their children reminding them of the following points:

• Never enter an unidentified virtual meeting (Google Meet or Zoom);
• Students should never, for any reason, expose themselves on camera or in-person;
• If a student receives a suspicious email or invite, please report it to parents/guardians and to the school;
• When using their WUS student email accounts, students should only attend Google Meets sent out by their teacher or staff member (who is using their WUS account) either through Google Classroom or Google Calendar;
• Students should not use their Wayland Union email accounts for any non-academic purposes (especially to sign into accounts for entertainment purposes);
• Students need to report suspicious internet activity to you.
• Never share passwords to their Wayland Union email or any social media accounts. As a school district, we continue to take steps to protect our students’ online presence at Wayland Union Schools.

Below is a list of ways we are working to keep our students safe:

• Only individuals with a Wayland Union Schools email account are able to access Wayland Union Schools Google Meet.
• If a person does not have a Wayland Union Schools email account, the host of the meeting must allow entrance to the meeting. This enables us to know who is in each virtual meeting.
• Internet filters alert administration to potentially dangerous activity associated with WUS accounts. Thank you for collaborating with us by having these critical conversations with your student(s). These online predators are skilled at engaging children and teenagers.