Philadelphia mother accused of 'catfishing' underage boys

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Friday, January 25, 2019
Philly mom accused of 'catfishing' boys
Philly mom accused of 'catfishing' boys. Matt O'Donnell reports during Action News Mornings on January 25, 2019.

PHILADELPHIA -- A Northeast Philadelphia mother is accused of posing as a teenage girl online to "catfish" underage boys.

Federal agents arrested 43-year-old Linda Paolini on Tuesday.

She is accused of using photos of a girl to lure boys into sending her sexually explicit videos of themselves.

Paolini faces charges including manufacturing and attempted manufacturing of child pornography, and online enticement of a minor.

Muhlenberg College professor Dr. Kathleen Conn, an expert in cyber security, commented on the case.

"Why do kids do sex acts with somebody they don't know? Or for someone they don't know? What are they promised? What are they lacking? And what are we lacking in schools when we don't teach these kids about the dangers of technology?" Conn said.

Conn recommends implementing cybersecurity courses in grade schools where the students are provided with computers.

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