A man who allegedly posed as a child online has been arrested.
Detective Sergeant Reece Munro said police arrested the 22-year-old Dunedin man following reports of someone posing as a young person online to deceive other young people into sending them sexualised content.
"Our initial inquiries suggest that there are a number of victims in New Zealand, and potentially other jurisdictions as well.
"It is important Kiwi parents know that, unfortunately, this offending does happen in New Zealand, and that they need to take steps to keep their kids safe online."
Det Sgt Munro said it was a reminder for parents to regularly have conversations with their children about keeping themselves safe online.
"It’s a good place to start.
"The advice to young people and parents is to remain vigilant online, and be 100% sure of who you are communicating with and befriending online.
"If you suspect your child is being contacted by or messaging with an adult posing as a child, report it via Netsafe or to police via 105," Det Sgt Munro said.
Children should ask a trusted adult for help as soon as they could if they thought this was happening to them, he said.
"This may be a parent or caregiver, a friend, police, teacher or school guidance counsellor."
He said support was being provided to those who had reported this alleged behaviour, and police encouraged anyone who had been a victim of this type of offending to contact police or other support services which could help.
The man appeared in the Dunedin District Court yesterday, charged with blackmail and accessing a computer system for a dishonest purpose. He was remanded to appear again on September 26.
