A Bowmanville man is facing charges after he allegedly lured a child over social media using a fake Facebook profile.

Investigators with York Regional Police began an investigation in November last year after a 12-year-old boy’s mother found inappropriate chats on his Facebook account.

The boy, who lives in York region, was communicating with a person claiming to be a 25-year-old woman named Jennifer Jackson.

According to police, the chats began when Jackson complimented the boy on his appearance and asked him to upload pictures of himself. As time went on, the conversation became sexual in nature.

Eventually, investigators say they discovered Jackson’s profile was a fake and that it was being operated by a 40-year-old man.

Donald Richards was arrested last week and charged with two counts of luring a person under 16 by means of telecommunication.

Police believe that Richards obtained the child’s name through his employment at snack shops in various hockey arenas in the Oshawa area. Investigators are concerned that there may be other victims.

Anyone with any information is asked to call police at 1-866-876-5423, ext. 7078 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS).