Snapchat “horrified” by catfish crimes

The tech giant said “it’s hearts go out” to the victims of Alexander McCartney, who last week pleaded guilty to over 180 charges.

The 26-year-old, from Newry, but whose address was given as Maghaberry Prison, appeared at Belfast Crown Court, where he was re-arraigned on a charge of manslaughter after a young blackmail victim took her own life.

The young girl, who is not from the UK, cannot be named for legal reasons.

He also admitted multiple offences of possessing indecent images of children.

A previous court heard that an investigation was launched in 2018 after police in Scotland received a complaint.

The investigation led to McCartney and, after his Lissummon Road home was searched, a computer and mobile phone were seized.

When these devices were examined, thousands of indecent images of young girls were uncovered, leading to him being charged.

McCartney has been on remand since July 2019 and was returned back to custody at the conclusion of Monday's hearing.

'Catfishing' is the creation of a fake identity online with the intent of deception, usually to mislead a victim into an online romantic relationship or to commit financial fraud.

In this case, there were over 60 victims from as far afield as America and New Zealand, many of whom were contacted via the the picture and messaging app Snapchat.

In a statement, the social media firm said it worked with police to unmask the perpetrator.

It also said it offered confidential in-app reporting tools to prevent this type of abuse from happening in the future.

A spokesperson continued: “We now have extra protections in place for under 18s, including a pop-up warning if they are contacted by someone they don't know, and our Family Centre which allows parents to see who their teens are talking to.”

McCartney's nearly 200 charges span a period from 2013 to 2019.