New York Catholic schools warns of online trade for schoolgirls' nude photos

Nude photos of schoolgirls in Long Island, New York, are being posted on an illicit website and then traded like "baseball cards", according to the Diocese of Rockville Centre. The diocese sent letters to principals of Catholic schools in the area, instructing them to warn parents that their daughters were submitting pictures on request "unknowingly, participating in their own victimisation".

Anonymous users of the site were requesting photos of specific students by name – adding that they were being traded "like baseball cards", reported PIX 11 on 19 May.

Cliff Pfleger told the TV station an anonymous user posted an image of his daughter in a swimming costume. He said: "The whole method of this site is to encourage people to put up pornographic pictures."

"They are keeping score that someone uploads more of these photos with an anonymous name. They're getting wins or points so it becomes a game," he stated.

Pfleger was able to remove the photo of his daughter from the site. He has since set up a Facebook page called No Nude Selfies to warn parents about the dangers.

He told concerned parents: "Contact the admin. Get the file number of the picture in question and state this is the photo of a minor."

Local police were reportedly investigating the website.