Reality TV sisters Kourtney and Kim Kardashian are at the center of a scandal, over explicit pictures of them when they were allegedly underage.

The pair, poised to star in new show Keeping Up With The Kardashians later this year, have been positively identified in the images - which sources claim were taken 11 years ago when they were 16 and 17 respectively.

In the snaps, the pair pose naked and in sexual positions with a naked man.

California photographer Eric Ford offered the pictures to a number of media outlets, who alerted authorities. It is unclear if Ford was aware of the girls' ages.

A representative for the New York Daily News says, "Any publication that would print these pictures, which are considered child pornography, will be subject to the same criminal investigation as the agency who is attempting to sell them."

It's not the first time Kim Kardashian has been involved in a sex scandal - last year she was captured on film having sex with singer Ray J, a tape that was subsequently leaked onto the internet.

- Kim Kardashian Gallery

(This news article provided by World Entertainment News Network)