A Bowmanville man is facing charges after police said someone used a fake Facebook profile to lure a child over social media.
York Regional Police said the mother of a 12-year-old boy reported in November that she had found inappropriate chats on her son's Facebook account.
Officers investigated, and said they found that the 12-year-old had been contacted on Facebook by a person who appeared to be a 25-year-old woman named Jennifer Jackson.
The chat history showed that their conversation began when Jackson complimented the boy on his appearance, and then asked him to upload a photo of himself. Police said the "grooming activity" continued, and the conversations became sexual.
Officers said that they discovered that the Jackson profile was fake, and was being operated by a man.
As a result of the investigation, 40-year-old Donald Richards was arrested and charged with two counts of luring a person under the age of 16.
Police said they believe the suspect found the boy's name through his part-time job at various hockey arenas in the Oshawa area.
Investigators ask anyone who was contacted through the profile to call police at 1-866-876-5423, ext. 7078. Tips can also be left anonymously through Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS).
