GILBERT, AZ — Gilbert police are looking for other possible victims of a man accused of receiving inappropriate photos of underaged victims on social media and then using them against them.
Jordan Zambrano, 18, was arrested Thursday by Gilbert police on charges related to a sexual exploitation investigation.
Sgt. Scott Gallas with Gilbert police said Zambrano, of San Tan Valley, pretended to be a woman on Snapchat. He then used nude stock photos to lure in male juveniles to exchange more sexually explicit photos.
Police say Zambrano would then exploit the minors for more pics.
“He threatens to out them at their school. A lot of these juvenile victims told him what school they go to. additionally, to send the photos and videos to social media friends and things like that,” said Sgt. Gallas.
Zambrano was arrested and booked into the Maricopa County Jail on multiple charges that include, sexual extortion, sexual exploitation of a minor, and sexual assault.
Ken Colburn with Data Doctors said what the San Tan teen is accused of is known as “sextortion.”
He sent a short list of software that allows parents to remotely access their child’s phone to monitor activity.
Colburn says most web watching software isn’t free and there are more options for android users. He said a key to knowing your child is safe online is keeping open communication.
"The monitoring tools are only useful if you have a good relationship with a child because if there is a bad relationship, they can just keep resetting the phone,” said Colburn.
Two ways to identify if the person you’re communicating with online is actually who they say they are is to look closely at the profile. If it’s new or there’s minimal interaction, they may be posing as someone else. Colburn says users can also run a photo through Google images to see if the profile pic is a stock photo.
Evidence in this specific case suggests there may be additional victims that have not yet been identified.
Anyone who may have additional information regarding the case or who believes they or a family member was similarly victimized should contact the Gilbert Police Department at 480-503-6500.
