Q: A 17 year old female sent me inappropriate pictures that I did not ask for, I deleted them of course. Am I liable?
We met on a dating site where her profile said she was 18. We took our conversations off the dating site and exchanged phone numbers instead. I stayed away from anything sexual since we just met. A little later she sends 2 twerking videos where she is wearing clothes. After I seen the pictures she then mentions she is 17. I tell her to not send anything else since she is underage. I delete the photos and we continue talking. Later she sends pictures of herself nude and in the shower. I delete the photos and tell her to stop saying that "they are illegal for me to have". She apologized and we continued talking. However her mother finds out she sent the pictures, the daughter freaked out and attacked her. The mother was taken to the hospital and daughter taken in hand cuffs. The father said he doesn't blame me and is not pressing charges, but instead wants me to pay for some of the damage during their fight. Which I can't afford to pay, and I'm looking for advice.
A:
I would not recommend paying anything or having further contact. Here are a few key points:
- You acted appropriately by deleting the photos immediately and telling her not to send anything else. You did not solicit or keep the inappropriate photos.
- However, you continued contact after learning she was a minor. Best practice is to cease contact immediately in such situations. Any further communication could be perceived as inappropriate.
- As an adult, you bear some responsibility for allowing the communication to continue with a minor, even if you believed she was 18 initially.
- Legally, you should be in the clear since you did not possess or distribute child pornography. But continuing communication was ill-advised.
- I would politely but firmly decline any request for payment from the father. Redirect blame back on his daughter's actions as the cause.
- Consult a lawyer if the father threatens legal action. But if handled correctly, you should not be liable for events between the daughter and mother.
In summary, immediately cease all contact, do not pay anything, consult a lawyer if threatened, and learn from this experience. You should not incur liability if you cut contact and avoid anything that could be perceived as responsible for what transpired.
A:
UNDERGE GIRL SCAM
You can Google it.
You can cease all communications.
You can report it to the police.
You can pay an attorney to evaluate your situation for a legal opinion.
You can get a second job to keep your blackmailer silent.
Or a combination thereof.
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