Nude photo ‘sextortion’ scam targeted women from at least 2 NC universities, cops say
The scam involved posing as a modeling agent to get women to send topless or nude photos and then threatening to send the pictures to family and friends, police say, according to WXII.
Now the suspect faces new charges in Wilmington after his arrest in Greensboro, WFMY reports.
Police at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro first accused Kevin Allen Kerney, 32, of targeting students there, but said the “sextortion” scam could have hit more than 40 women in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia, according to WFMY.
A woman at UNCG was the first to report the scam, which police called “sextortion” because of the sexual nature of the extortion, WXII reports.
A three-month investigation led police and state investigators to Kerney, of Denton, North Carolina, and they arrested him Jan. 9, WECT said. Denton is a rural communitiy between Greensboro and Charlotte.
“The whole case started with the bravery of these five girls who came forward and started this case off. Them being able to do that really helped us out and I understand people might be skeptical and hesitant about doing that, which I’m sure maybe they were at the time but to be able to show how we saw this case through, I think that speaks volumes,” UNCG Police Detective Jaime Young said in January, WXII reports.
At least 40 women contacted UNCG police saying they could be victims, WGHP reports. “He was proud of himself. He bragged about having 200 victims over the past 10 years,” Young said, according to the station.
Now Kerney is in the New Hanover County jail facing new charges for cyberstalking and felony extortion, WWAY reports.
Police in High Point charged Kerney in connection with six more victims in January, according to the Winston-Salem Journal.
Of the new charges in Wilmington, police investigated one case and there were two more cases at UNCW, according to WECT.
“These brave young women ages 19 and 21 came forward to report this to our department. Unfortunately, there are people on the internet with sinister goals. They may mimic good intentions, but that’s not the outcome,” UNCW Police Chief David Donaldson said, according to WECT.
The way the scam worked, police say, is that Kerney would pose as a modeling agent named “Kayla” and ask women if they would be interested in modeling, the Journal reports. After scheduling a fake shoot, “Kayla” would ask the women their height and other measurements, and ask for photographs, including topless and nude, according to the newspaper.
“Once a victim sends the photographs, the scammer reveals that the modeling opportunity is a scam and ‘Kayla’ is a male who is going to send the photos to everyone the victim knows unless she gives him her Instagram information, including the password,” the Journal reports.
Detectives said Kerney wanted access to the social media accounts to scam more woman, WXII reports.
This story was originally published April 9, 2019 at 11:00 AM.
