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RSM police outline growing online sextortion risks for students and urge parental action
Summary
Rancho Santa Margarita Police Services presented a child-safety update focused on online risks to students, including sextortion schemes that move victims across apps; the department urged parents to use parental controls, preserve evidence and report incidents to law enforcement or national resources.
Rancho Santa Margarita Police Services on April 9 gave a child-safety presentation for the City Council, highlighting digital-footprint risks, sextortion trends and local prevention resources.
Police Chief Duane Chapel introduced Deputy Jesse Dornbusch as the city's child-safety officer and school resource officer. Dornbusch told the council the city's school population is roughly 9,262 students for the 2024 school year and described how predators exploit social apps and gaming platforms to manipulate students into sending explicit photos and then demand money.
"Keep it real on social," Dornbusch said, urging students and parents to limit contacts to people they know in real life and to avoid sending explicit photos. He recommended that families apply parental controls, keep accounts private and preserve screenshots and phone data as evidence rather than deleting them.
Dornbusch cited examples of the apps investigators see most often — Instagram, WhatsApp, Discord, Snapchat, TikTok and Roblox — and described challenges investigators face as offenders move victims across platforms and sometimes operate from other countries. He also referenced a news segment that cited the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and reported a large increase in sextortion complaints in recent years.
Deputy Dornbusch recommended resources for families, including educational videos and programs for children and parents, and noted that the sheriff's department's special victims detail and national organizations can assist with image takedown requests and investigative leads. "If you keep it real, we can keep you safe," he said.
The mayor and council thanked the police for the report and emphasized the city's support for school safety work.
