October 3, 2018
(Fishers, Indiana) – This week the Fishers Police Department was notified of some suspicious activity occurring on the social media platform Instagram. Several parents reported a person, identifying himself as Tyler Schultz, was contacting their junior-high aged sons asking to be friends and to send pictures of their hands.
The Fishers Police Department Intelligence Unit and Investigators assigned to the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force were immediately notified. During the investigation it was determined that the person using the name Tyler Schultz has more than 20 social media accounts using several variations of his name. At this time there is no evidence that a crime has been committed. However, this activity is very suspicious, and the police department would like to remind families of some safety tips and resources when using social media:
- Make certain your social media platforms are set to the highest security settings. We encourage you to check these settings on a regular basis. These settings can be changed by the owners of the individual platforms and they are not required to notify the user.
- Please be aware of your children’s activity on social media. Check their devices often and talk with them about the dangers of social media.
- Do not engage in conversations with strangers. Any information you divulge could potentially be used for criminal activity.
- Immediately report suspicious activity to your local police department. This applies to all types of suspicious activity. Immediate notification allows officers to quickly address and resolve the situation.
Social media can be a fun and useful tool to connect and communicate with friends and family, but it also provides an unlimited resource for those seeking to take advantage of the unsuspecting. The Fishers Police Department will use every resource in our commitment to keep Fishers a safe place to live, work, and play.
Additional resources at the following: https://www.commonsensemedia.org/
https://smartsocial.com/app-guide-parents-teachers/ http://origin.www.netsmartz.org/home