SAN DIEGO—The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in San Diego warned parents and caregivers on April 28 about an increase in “sextortion” incidents involving children, especially teenage boys.
According to the FBI, the agency has received more reports of adults posing as young girls coercing boys through social media to produce sexual images and videos, and then extorting money from them. Sextortion is a crime and involves an adult contacting a minor over online platforms such as an app, game, or social media account.
A predator will use deception and manipulation tactics to convince a young male, most between 14 to 17, “to engage in explicit activity over video, which is then secretly recorded by the predator,” according to the FBI.
“The predator then reveals that they have made the recordings and attempts to extort the victim for money to prevent them from being posted online,” FBI officials said in a statement.
The San Diego FBI office has seen an increase in complaints involving boys who were reported sextortion victims, mostly for money, a spokesman said, adding other victims were extorted for additional images.
An adult coercing a child to produce child sexual abuse material carries penalties that can include life in prison.
“To prevent continued victimization, it is imperative children come forward to someone—a parent, teacher, caregiver or law enforcement,” according to the FBI. “Children may feel a sense of embarrassment from such a traumatic experience.”
Stacey Moy, FBI special agent in charge, said children “must be mindful of who they are communicating with online, regardless of the game or social media platform.”
“Education and awareness are key to combating this evolving threat and we want families to take part in these important discussions regarding online safety,” Moy said. “Reporting these incidents to law enforcement will help to prevent it from happening to someone else.”
Last year, the FBI received more than 18,000 sextortion-related complaints of all types—not just the latest scheme involving children—with losses totaling more than $13.6 million.
- Be selective about what they share online, especially personal information and passwords, as open accounts may allow a predator to figure out a lot of information about parents and their children.
- Be wary of anyone they encounter for the first time online, and block or ignore messages from strangers.
- Be aware that people can pretend to be anything or anyone online, and videos and photos are not adequate verification.
- Be suspicious if someone on a game or app wants to talk on a different platform.
- Encourage their children to report suspicious behavior to a trusted adult.
- Contact their local FBI field office at www.fbi.gov, the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov, or the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 1-800-THE-LOST or Cybertipline.org.
- Do not delete anything before authorities review it.
- Tell law enforcement everything about online encounters, even if the details are embarrassing, as it will help locate the offender.
