National Crime Agency issues warning amid ‘epidemic’ of sextortion cases targeting children

Law enforcement agencies have issued warnings after a significant rise in so-called ‘sextortion’ – when people are forced into paying money after an offender has threatened to release nude photos of them.

The National Crime Agency has this week circulated an alert to hundreds of thousands of UK teachers following a considerable increase in global cases of financially motivated sexual extortion.

The images used as online blackmail could be real photos or videos taken by the victim, or a fake image created of them by the offender.

It gives advice about spotting the signs, supporting young people, and encouraging them to seek help.

It includes guidance for parents and carers on how to talk to their child about sextortion, and how to support them if they become a victim – to take away the stigma surrounding the topic and in turn take power away from perpetrators.

The number of global sextortion cases reported to the US National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) more than doubled in 2023, to 26,718.

Male victims

All age groups and genders are targeted, but a large proportion of cases have involved male victims aged 14 to 18.

Nine in 10 victims in UK sextortion cases dealt with by the Internet Watch Foundation in 2023 were male.

The NSPCC’s Richard Collard said: “Children who contact Childline because they are victims of ‘sextortion’ are often extremely distressed and don’t see a way out of their situation.

“When they experience this crime, they can often feel too scared or ashamed to make a report. It is important children know what has happened is never their fault, and we’d encourage any young person to speak to a trusted adult so they can get help and support.”

Organised crime groups based overseas, who typically perpetrate sextortion scams, are motivated by making money quickly, rather than by sexual gratification. In some cases they have gone from initial contact to blackmailing their victim in under an hour.

Child victims have reported being:

• • Contacted by an online account they don’t know, but which appears to be another child or young person. They may also be contacted by a hacked account of a child or young person they do know, but the communication feels unfamiliar.
  • Quickly engaged in sexually explicit communications, which may include the offender sharing an indecent image first.
  • Manipulated or pressured into taking nude or semi-nude photos or videos;
    told they have been hacked and the offender has access to their images, personal information and contacts, whether this is true or not.
  • Blackmailed into sending money or meeting another financial demand (such as purchasing a pre-paid gift card) after sharing an image or video, or the offender sharing hacked or digitally manipulated/AI-generated images of their victim and making the threat of sharing them wider.

Awareness

The National Crime Agency’s James Babbage said: “Perpetrators have no concern for victims or the lives that might be destroyed in the process. Their sole motivation is financial gain.

“We are asking education professionals to help us raise awareness about this crime type, which is sadly increasing across the world. This alert is designed to guide them in supporting young people who may be targeted.

“Sextortion causes immeasurable stress and anguish, and we know there are adults and young people who have devastatingly taken their own lives as a result.

“A lot of victims feel responsible, but we need them to know this is absolutely not the case; you are not to blame, and help and support is available. As well as raising awareness with this alert, we want to encourage young people to report incidents to an adult they trust, the police or to the CEOP Safety Centre.”

Tom Tugendhat, UK Government Security Minister, added: “I would urge parents to talk to their children about their use of social media. Even sites that many assume to be safe may pose a risk.”