Citing an “explosion” of online sextortion cases involving children, federal authorities Monday issued a national public safety alert warning of online schemes that have been linked to more than a dozen suicides.
The FBI and Department of Homeland Security, along with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, warn of online predators coercing young people into sending sexually explicit images of themselves and then extorting money from them.
Over the past year, the FBI says over 7,000 cases have been reported, resulting in at least 3,000 victims, mostly boys. Authorities say they’ve traced a large percentage of the cases to points of origin outside of the United States, primarily in West African nations such as Nigeria and the Ivory Coast.
‘Horrific’ increase in sextortion cases
“The FBI has seen a horrific increase in reports of financial sextortion schemes targeting minor boys—and the fact is that the many victims who are afraid to come forward are not even included in those numbers,” says FBI Director Christopher Wray.
Financial sextortion schemes occur in online environments where young people feel most comfortable — using common social media sites, gaming sites, or video chat applications that feel familiar and safe. On these platforms, online predators often use fake female accounts and target minor males, between 14 to 17 years old. The FBI says agents have interviewed some victims as young as 10 years old. Girls are targeted too.
Through deception, predators convince the young person to produce an explicit video or photo. Once predators get the images, they threaten to release the compromising material unless the victim sends money or gift cards. Often the predators demand payment through a variety of peer-to-peer payment applications. In many cases, however, predators release the images even if payments are made.
The shame, fear, and confusion that victims feel when they are caught in this cycle often prevents them from asking for help or reporting the abuse. Some resort to suicide.
Talk with your kids about it
With students entering winter break, they’ll be spending more time online, increasing their potential exposure to predators. The FBI and its partners implore parents and caregivers to talk with their kids about sextortion.
“This is a growing crisis and we’ve seen sextortion completely devastate children and families,” says Michelle DeLaune, CEO of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. “The best defense against this crime is to talk to your children about what to do if they’re targeted online. We want everyone to know help is out there and they’re not alone.”
“Armed with the information in this alert message, parents, caregivers, and children themselves should feel empowered to detect fake identities, take steps to reject any attempt to obtain private material, and if targeted, have a plan to seek help from a trusted adult,” says U.S. Assistant Attorney General Kenneth Polite, Jr.
Federal investigators say they’ll continue to exhaust every resource available to identify, locate, and apprehend online predators.
“Criminals who lurk in platforms on the internet are not as anonymous as they think,” warns HSI Acting Executive Associate Director Steve Francis.
What if you or your child is a victim?
“Victims may feel like there is no way out — it is up to all of us to reassure them that they are not in trouble, there is hope, and they are not alone,” says Director Wray.
If young people are being exploited, they are victims of a crime and should report it. Contact your local FBI field office, call 1-800-CALL-FBI, or report it online at tips.fbi.gov.
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) has outlined steps parents and young people can take if they or their child is a victim of sextortion, including:
- Remember, the predator is to blame, not your child or you.
- Get help before deciding whether to pay money or otherwise comply with the predator. Cooperating or paying rarely stops the blackmail and continued harassment.
- REPORT the predator’s account via the platform’s safety feature.
- BLOCK the predator and DO NOT DELETE the profile or messages because that can be helpful to law enforcement in identifying and stopping them.
- Let NCMEC help get explicit images of you off the internet.
- Visit MissingKids.org/IsYourExplicitContentOutThere to learn how to notify companies yourself or visit cybertipline.org to report to us for help with the process.
- Ask for help. This can be a very complex problem and may require help from adults or law enforcement.
- If you don’t feel that you have adults in your corner, you can reach out to NCMEC for support at [email protected] or call NCMEC at 1-800-THE-LOST.
To learn how sextortion works and how to talk to your children about it, visit fbi.gov/StopSextortion.
