The Atlanta Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation is warning parents, caregivers, and teens about an increase in sextortion crimes across the country.
The FBI is receiving an increasing number of reports of adults posing as young girls coercing teenage boys through social media to produce sexual images and videos, then extorting money from the minor victims.
FBI Atlanta received 21 reports of sextortion victims in Georgia in 2021. So far in 2022, there have been 50 reports of sextortion victims throughout the state.
Sextortion begins when an adult contacts a minor over an online platform used to meet and communicate, such as a game, app, or social media account. In a scheme that has recently become more prevalent, the predator — posing as a young girl — uses deception and manipulation to convince a young boy, usually 14 to 17 years old, to engage in explicit activity over video, which is then secretly recorded by the scammer. The scammer then reveals that they have made the recordings and attempts to extort the victim for money, threatening the victim to pay or have the explicit photos or videos posted online.
The coercion of a child by an adult to produce what is considered Child Sexual Abuse Material carries heavy penalties, which can include up to a life sentence for the offender.
To make the victimization stop, children should tell someone, typically a parent, teacher, caregiver, or law enforcement. While it can be embarrassing for the child, coming forward to help law enforcement identify the offender may prevent countless other incidents of sexual exploitation to that victim and others.
The FBI provides the following tips to protect you and your children online:
- Be selective about what you share online, especially your personal information and
passwords. If your social media accounts are open to everyone, a predator may be able to
figure out a lot of information about you or your children.
- Be wary of anyone you encounter for the first time online. Block or ignore messages from strangers.
- Be aware that people can pretend to be anything or anyone online. Videos and photos are
not proof that a person is who they claim to be. - Be suspicious if you meet someone on a game or app and they ask you to start talking to
them on a different platform. - Encourage children to report suspicious behavior to a trusted adult.
If you believe you or someone you know is the victim of sextortion:
- Contact local law enforcement or the FBI at tips.fbi.gov or the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) at www.ic3.gov.
- Do not delete anything on your device before law enforcement is able to review it.
- Tell law enforcement everything about the encounters you had online; it may be
embarrassing, but it is necessary to find the offender and can protect other children.
In 2021, IC3 received more than 18,000 sextortion-related complaints, with losses of more than $13.6 million. More information about sextortion can be found at www.fbi.gov/StopSextortion.
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