The Federal Bureau of Investigations issued a national public safety alert to be aware of “financial sextortion” schemes.
Financial sextortion is when adults lure children or teenagers into sending sexually explicit images online then using these images to get money through black male.
“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,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray.
According to federal statistics, over 7,000 police reports were filed in 2022 for financial sextortion of minors with more than 3,000 victims, majority of them teenage boys. Over a dozen reported suicides were related to financial sextortion.
As many children enter winter break this holiday season, the FBI and partners are asking parents and caregivers to engage with their children about online safety to prevent these crimes.
Financial sextortion schemes start 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. Once online, predators create fake female accounts and target underage males. between 14 to 17 years old but the FBI has interviewed victims as young as 10 years old.
Through deception, predators convince the young person to produce an explicit video or photo. Once predators acquire 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.
Shame these victims feel is often what keeps them from asking for help or reporting the crime.
Michelle DeLaune, CEO of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, said these incidents have completely destroyed children and family.
“As the leading nonprofit focused on child protection, we’ve seen first-hand the rise in these cases worldwide. 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.” she said.
What if you or your child is a victim?
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 are 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 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 gethelp@ncmec.org or call NCMEC at 1-800-THE-LOST.
Take a moment to learn how sextortion works and how to talk to your children about it. Information, resources, and conversation guides are available at fbi.gov/StopSextortion.
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