January 16, 2024 – The FBI is warning parents, educators, caregivers, and children about the dangers of online activity that may lead to the solicitation and enticement of a minor to engage in sexual acts.
Sextortion involves an offender coercing a minor to create and send sexually explicit images or videos. An offender gets sexually explicit material from the child and then threatens to release that compromising material unless the victim produces more.
Financially motivated sextortion is a criminal act that involves an offender coercing a minor to create and send sexually explicit material. Offenders threaten to release that compromising material unless they receive payment, which is often requested in gift cards, mobile payment services, wire transfers, or cryptocurrency. These offenders are motivated by financial gain, not necessarily just sexual gratification.
Sextortion victims are typically females between the ages of 10 to 17, while financially motivated sextortion victims are typically males between the ages of 14 to 17, but any child can become a victim. Offenders in financially motivated sextortion schemes are usually located outside the United States and primarily in west African countries such as Nigeria and Ivory Coast, or Southeast Asian countries such as the Philippines.
These crimes can lead victims to self-harm and has led to suicide. From October 2021 to March 2023, the FBI and Homeland Security Investigations received over 13,000 reports of online financial sextortion of minors. The sextortion involved at least 12,600 victims—primarily boys—and led to at least 20 suicides.
In the six-month period from October 2022 to March 2023, the FBI observed at least a 20% increase in reporting of financially motivated sextortion incidents involving minor victims compared to the same time period the previous year. FBI Springfield noticed a significant increase in the incidence of financially motivated sextortion in 2023.
“Online gaming, gaming consoles, livestreaming and video platforms, communications and instant message apps, and social media are all opportunities for offenders to gain access to children,” said Special Agent in Charge David Nanz of the FBI’s Springfield Field office. “The perpetrators will often pose as peers or appear to be from the same geographic location, quickly asking the child to switch to a second platform capable of video calling or chatting. Monitoring your child’s online activity is key to avoiding victimization.”
If you or someone you know believes that they are a victim of sextortion or financially motivated sextortion, immediately report the activity to law enforcement. You can report it to FBI Springfield at 217-522-9675 or by calling 1-800-CALL-FBI or visiting tips.fbi.gov.
