Authorities in Sioux County, Iowa, are alerting residents of a potential "catfish" scam happening in the area.

The Sioux County Sheriff's Office says they have received reports from people throughout the county that have encountered a catfish scam on Snapchat.

Dakota News Now is reporting that scammers hiding behind fake profiles on social media are attempting to solicit inappropriate photos from other users.

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According to the Dakota News Now story, once scammers obtain these nude photos, the predator will attempt to blackmail the Snapchat victim into sending them money. If the victim fails to comply with the request, scammers threaten to make their personal photos public.

What should users do to ensure they do not fall victim to a potential scam?

The Sioux County Sheriff's Office recommends that you only let people follow you that you actually know. What's even more important, parents need to warn their children of this possible threat.

If you have a child that uses the Snapchat platform, share this message with them immediately. They also highly recommend that parents get in the habit of having these types of conversations with their children regularly to help prevent them from falling victim to potential catfishing scams on social media platforms like Snapchat, Tik Tok, and others.

Social media platforms have proven to be fertile hunting grounds for catfish scammers to work their magic. Scammers create fake online identities to coax other people into some kind of online relationship. Upon doing so, scammers then trick their victims into sending them money, gift cards, photos, etc.

Here are (5) sure signs that someone could be attempting to catfish you:

• The scammer has a profile that was created very recently.
• They have very few users and followers.
• They avoid face-to-face meetings and video calls.
• They start asking for money.
• They ask for explicit images or videos.

Should you ever feel like you've become the victim of a possible online scam, you should reach out to your area law enforcement officials immediately with complete details.

Source: Dakota News Now