The FBI has seen a large increase in sextortion cases involving children and teens. In this article, I’ll explain sextortion scams targeting teens, how to protect your child, and what to do if your child is being blackmailed online.
Sextortion is when a perpetrator extorts money, explicit pictures or videos, or sexual favors from a victim using coercion and threats. They often threaten to disseminate explicit content featuring the victim and, in many cases, do so even if their demands are met. The perpetrator is often an adult posing as a teen, a method known as catfishing.
Sextortion scams targeting teens can occur on any platform where users communicate.
Snapchat, Instagram, and Facebook are the most likely platforms where perpetrators make initial contact with their victims.
Sextortionists often try to shift to another platform that’s harder to trace, like Snapchat or WhatsApp.
Gaming platforms with chat features frequently draw sextortionists because of the large volume of underage players.
Discord is attractive to sextortionists because of its private communication channels and anonymous accounts. While the platform does have age restrictions, it’s possible for younger users to bypass them.
These are some common methods used to target teens:
Teen victims frequently think they’re communicating with someone their own age who’s interested in a relationship. After building trust, the perpetrator requests explicit photos and videos.
Another method is to make a false offer in exchange for sending images. For example:
Some sextortionists threaten to harm the child or people they care about if they don’t send explicit pictures.
With the rise of AI, sextortionists are able to use generative AI to alter images or videos of the victim to make them appear explicit — and then threaten to distribute them.
Young victims of sextortion often suffer significant emotional repercussions, even if no explicit images are ever disseminated and no money is extorted.
There are a number of reasons why victims of sextortion underreport their experiences.
You play a pivotal role in protecting your child online. Here are my top tips for preventing them from falling victim to sextortion:
I used to work in sex offender treatment programs, and my key takeaway was how skilled predators are at spotting and exploiting weak boundaries. As a parent, I actively teach my children healthy boundaries (and respect the ones they set) because I know it’s one of the best ways to protect them.
Open communication is protective. Here’s how to talk to your child about sextortion:
Spotting signs of sextortion early is key. Here’s how:
These resources can help you support your child if they’re a victim of sextortion.
FBI
National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) CyberTipline
Department of Homeland Security Know2Protect Tipline
National Crisis Hotline
Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network (RAINN) Sexual Assault Hotline
Sextortion scams targeting teens are on the rise. If you want to protect your child from being blackmailed online, teach them strong boundaries, educate them about sextortion, and monitor them online.
BrightCanary helps you monitor your child’s online activity so you can spot signs of sextortion and get them help. Download today to get started for free.
