According to the sheriff's office, in November, investigators with the Chatham County Sheriff's Office's Family Violence Unit received a report of a juvenile being asked by an adult man to send sexually explicit photos and videos while they were playing Fortnite together.
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Officials said the man then convinced the juvenile, along with another juvenile, to send sexually explicit videos and photos through the social media platforms Discord and Snapchat, and sent money to the juveniles in exchange.
Investigators later identified the man as 29-year-old Christopher Steven Foster, of Moscow, Pennsylvania. With evidence from the CCSO, authorities in PA obtained warrants to search Foster's home where officials found 165,000 files depicting child pornography on his electronic devices.
Foster was arrested and faces multiple charges including 500 counts of felony second-degree child pornography, 500 counts of felony third-degree child pornography, one count of felony dissemination of child pornography, one count of felony dissemination of photographs, videotapes, computer depictions and films, and two felony counts of photographing.
His bail was set at $200,000.
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Here are tips from the U.S. Department of Justice to help ensure your child's safety while online:
- Discuss internet safety and develop an online safety plan with children before they engage in online activity. Establish clear guidelines, teach children to spot red flags, and encourage children to have open communication with you.
- Supervise young children's use of the internet, including periodically checking their profiles and posts. Keep electronic devices in open, common areas of the home and consider setting time limits for their use.
- Adjust privacy settings and use parental controls for online games, apps, social media sites, and electronic devices.
- Tell children to avoid sharing personal information, photos, and videos online in public forums or with people they do not know in real life. Explain to your children that images posted online will be permanently on the internet.
- Encourage children to tell a parent, guardian, or other trusted adult if anyone asks them to engage in sexual activity or other inappropriate behavior.
- Immediately report suspected online enticement or sexual exploitation of a child by calling 911.