The FBI has made a public appeal to help identify over 240 victims of a man who used the internet to extort pornographic images from teenage girls.
United States (US) agency says Lucas Michael Chansler, a 31-year-old man, had posed as a teenager to get girls to expose themselves via a webcam and blackmailed them into sending him more explicit images.
Last year, he was sentenced to 105 years in jail after pleading guilty to producing child pornography.
According to reports, so far 109 girls have been identified.
FBI’s Assistant Director, Joseph S. Campbell said, “Sextortion is a growing threat both domestically and internationally.
“The devastating impact of these crimes on the victims, their families, and friends cannot be ignored,” he added.
Chansler had targeted teenage girls in 26 US states, three Canadian provinces and the United Kingdom (UK).
He had admitted he used social sites to chat with girls who ranged in age from 13 to 18, saying that adults were “too smart” to fall for his scheme.