On Jan. 24 at 10:54 a.m., Emory Police Department (EPD) received a harassing communications report via telephone. The complainant, the Emory Orthopedics office manager, said two of her secretaries received phone calls with recorded messages, warning them of their student loan debt from Emory University, four times a day for the past four days. The calls were from an unknown Emory phone number and directed both secretaries to return the call. The case has been assigned to an investigator.
On Jan. 24 at 4:04 p.m., EPD spoke with an Emory student who reported being threatened and blackmailed. The complainant said he received a Facebook friend request from an unknown woman. Although the complainant didn’t know the individual, he accepted the request because they shared a mutual friend. The subject then began messaging the complainant via Facebook Messenger and later asked to speak with him via WeChat instead of Facebook Messenger. The complainant agreed, and the two began performing sexual acts on camera. The complainant reported that the call then disconnected and he received a text message asking for money. The subject then sent the names of three of the complainant’s friends, threatening to share the sexually explicit video with his friends if he did not pay $1,000 via Western Union. The case has been assigned to an investigator.
On Jan. 24 at 5:34 p.m., EPD responded to a call regarding a car break-in. The complainant, who is unaffiliated with Emory, said he gave his 2003 Kia Sorento to a Winship Cancer Institute valet attendant at about 10:15 a.m. When the valet service returned the vehicle at about 11 a.m., the complainant noticed that someone had gone through his car. The complainant’s backpack and glove compartment were open, and papers were strewn about the vehicle. He also discovered that a $100 money order was stolen from his vehicle. Later, he received an email from his bank stating that someone attempted to use his Capital One Journey card to make a $23.61 purchase. The case has been assigned to an investigator.
On Jan. 25 at 3:30 a.m., EPD responded to a person down due to alcohol in Harris Hall. An Emory student directed the officer to the subject’s room. One officer knocked but did not receive an answer. Because the subject was believed to be intoxicated and had a head injury, based on another report, the officers unlocked the door and entered the room. The subject was asleep in her bed and awoke when the officers entered. The subject had a laceration on the left side of her head near her eyebrow and was bleeding. She said she was riding a Lime electric scooter earlier and fell off the scooter on the Cox Hall bridge. American Medical Response responded to the scene and evaluated the subject, but the subject refused to be transported to the hospital. While the officers were in the room, they noticed a six-pack of Miller High Life on the floor. Because the subject was under 21 years old, the officers confiscated the beer and poured it down an exterior storm drain. Campus Life was notified about the incident.
On Jan. 30 at 10:38 a.m., EPD met with an Emory student who reported that he was being extorted for money. The complainant said he was video chatting with a woman via Facebook at about midnight in his apartment. The complainant had never met the woman before, and she said she was from the Philippines. During the video chat, he and the subject were both naked and touching themselves. The video chat with the woman abruptly ended, and a video of the complainant touching himself began to play back to him. Three unidentified male subjects began speaking and the complainant immediately ended the video chat. The complainant began receiving Facebook messages from the subjects threatening to release the video footage if he did not accept their chat request. The subjects sent names of the complainant’s friends and implied that the video would be sent to them if he did not pay. The complainant accepted the chat request and the subjects said they wanted $2,500 wired directly to their bank account in exchange for the video to remain private. The complainant told the subjects that he only had $200 in his account, and the subjects agreed to accept that amount. The complainant visited the bank website that the subjects provided and attempted to deposit the money but was unsuccessful. The subjects then instructed him to send the money via Western Union, and the complainant complied. Less than two hours later, the complainant received another Facebook message from the subjects requesting another $1,000. The complainant told the subject he did not have the money and would need to speak with his parents in order to obtain it. This was the last time he spoke with the subjects before contacting EPD. The case has been assigned to an investigator.
valerie.sandoval@emory.edu | Valerie Sandoval (20C) is from Greenville, S.C., and is majoring in economics and political science. In addition to the Wheel, Valerie is on the women’s ultimate frisbee team.
