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The Federal Bureau of Investigation has issued a public safety alert over an “explosion” of financial “sextortion” schemes aimed at children and teenagers.

The FBI has received more than 7,000 reports of financial sextortion against minors over the past year and has recorded at least 3,000 victims of the crime, the agency said.

The “sextortion” schemes involve victims being coerced online into sending explicit images and then extorted for money or gift cards by the scammer threatening to release the images. In many cases, the predator releases the images even if the victim makes the requested payments.

The alert noted taht the “same, fear, and confusion that victims feel when they are caught in this cycle often prevents them from asking for help or reporting the abuse.” 

The victims are primarily boys, the agency noted. More than a dozen suicides have been linked to the schemes.

The agency noted that “a large percentage” of such schemes originate outside of the U.S., primarily in West African countries.

“The FBI has seen a horrific increase in reports of financial sextortion schemes targeting minor boys—and the fact is that the many victims who are afraid to come forward are not even included in those numbers,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray.

“The FBI is here for victims, but we also need parents and caregivers to work with us to prevent this crime before it happens and help children come forward if it does. Victims may feel like there is no way out—it is up to all of us to reassure them that they are not in trouble, there is hope, and they are not alone,” Wray said.

Online predators typically use fake female accounts to target minor males between 14 and 17 years old, but the FBI has interviewed victims as young as 10.

“This is a growing crisis and we’ve seen sextortion completely devastate children and families,” said Michelle DeLaune, CEO of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

“As the leading nonprofit focused on child protection, we’ve seen first-hand the rise in these cases worldwide. The best defense against this crime is to talk to your children about what to do if they’re targeted online. We want everyone to know help is out there and they’re not alone.”

Source: Axios | FBI.gov