Thousands of teens are falling prey to ‘sextortion’ scam. How to avoid becoming a victim

IDAHO FALLS — Predators are waiting to take your children captive on mobile devices and online. ‘Sextortion’ is an increasingly popular way to do that.

In a recent news release, the FBI’s Salt Lake City Field Office warned parents about an increase of “sextortion” of young children in Montana, Utah, Idaho and across the country. It receives dozens of reports every month.

Sextortion begins when an adult contacts a child through an online platform, such as an online game, app or social media account. The predator — usually posing as a young girl — manipulates teenage boys into sending them sexually explicit photos or video of explicit activity.

The predator secretly records these exchanges, then tries to extort the victim for money or more content in order to prevent the video or photos from being posted online.

In 2021, more than 18,000 sextortion-related complaints were reported to the Internet Crime Complaint Center. In total, the victims lost more than $13.6 million.

“That is only the tip of the iceberg because many of these kinds of cases don’t go reported,” the FBI said in the news release.

The emotional impact on a victim can be devastating. They may feel embarrassed, hopeless and isolated. Many feel they have nowhere to turn. Some even go so far as to take their own lives without knowing that help is available.

The U.S. Immigration and Custom Enforcement website calls the scam a “terrifying and dehumanizing violation” that feeds on victims’ shame.

In a video from the FBI, a Montana mother tells the story of her teenage son who fell victim to a sextortion scam. Identified only as “Michelle,” she speaks of her son becoming suicidal due to his shame and embarrassment. Luckily, they were able to report the incident and get help. Watch it in the video above.

It’s important for victims to realize that a single predator may have hundreds of victims around the world.

Sgt. Bryan Lovell with the Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office tells EastIdahoNews.com these kinds of scams are fairly common in eastern Idaho, and they get reports on a regular basis.

Coming forward may help law enforcement identify the offender and prevent countless other incidents of sexual exploitation.

“Parents should talk to their kids about staying clear of suspicious links, giving out personal information, and telling them when they (the children) see something suspicious online,” Lovell says.

Sextortion is a federal crime, and it carries heavy penalties — up to and including life in prison for offenders. But local law enforcement can still help victims and their parents by forwarding information to the FBI.

“We can help get the information where it needs to go and determine if there are leads or follow-up that is local that needs attention,” Lovell said, adding that parents should “absolutely” report instances of sextortion, even if their child didn’t send the scammer money.

If you or someone you know is a victim, the FBI offers this advice:

Contact your local FBI field office, the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center or the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Do not delete anything 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. The FBI also has staff dedicated to assisting victims of crime. Learn more about their Victim Services Division and know your rights if you are the victim of sextortion and your images have been posted online.

More information is available on the FBI’s website.