“Sextortion” crimes are increasing against adolescents, according to authorities

Lina Portman4 weeks ago

0 3 minutes read

The FBI is investigating an increase in “sextortion” crimes against teenagers in North Carolina.

Sextortion occurs when adults pose as adolescents and manipulate or trick their victims into producing and sharing sexually explicit images, then extort the victims for additional photos or money.

According to a representative from the FBI's North Carolina field office, there is an increase in the number of teenagers among crime victims.

Gavin Portnoy, vice president of communications for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, said predators often pose as an “extremely attractive woman” to lure boys.

“They appear — whether it's a gaming platform or some other social media conversation — they appear to be other kids,” he said. “Predators are looking for financial gain. They say 'unless you give me a certain number of dollars, credit card information, or gift card information, I will spread your photos all over the internet to your friends .'”

According to the FBI, the shame, fear and confusion children feel when caught in this cycle often prevent them from seeking help or reporting abuse.

South Carolina Rep. Brandon Guffey said his son, 17-year-old Gavin Guffey, committed suicide after being a victim of sextortion.

“People think, 'This won't happen to my child,'” Guffey said. “I’m convinced this has been going on for a while.”

In North Carolina, the FBI said it saw a 600% increase in sextortion cases between 2021 and 2022. The State Bureau of Investigation reported nearly 19,000 sextortion cyber tips in North Carolina in 2022, up from 2,500 six years ago. Federal authorities say the number of actual crimes is likely higher.

According to Portney, the NCMEC CyberTipline received 80,000 reports of sextortion in 2022, and more than 180,000 the following year.

“We have seen a huge increase in the number of reports,” Portnoy said. “There are more kids using devices today than there were a month ago. The reality is kids will be online.”

The FBI said many victims don't report the crime out of guilt or embarrassment. They said victims should talk to a trusted adult about what happened.

“Coming forward to help law enforcement identify the offender can prevent countless other incidents of sexual exploitation of this victim and others,” the FBI said.

North Carolina lawmakers are also cracking down on sexual exploitation through sextortion.

The bill, a new version of House Bill 591, would also make it illegal to do this not only with real nude photos, but also with any AI-generated images.

In South Carolina, Guffy and other state lawmakers passed “Gavin's Law,” which makes sextortion and revenge porn a crime if the victim dies. The law provides for a five-year prison sentence for first-time offenders, increasing to 20 years if the targeted child or adult at risk dies.

“We need to have these laws in place and educate law enforcement,” he said. “I spoke to a legislator from Chapel Hill. [I’m] happy to meet any legislator.

The FBI has provided several tips for protecting 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 find a lot of information about you or your children.
Be wary of anyone you meet for the first time online. Block or ignore messages from strangers.
Be aware that people can pretend to be anyone online. Videos and photos do not prove that a person is who they say they are.
Be wary if you meet someone on one game or app and they ask you to start talking to them on another platform.
Encourage children to report any suspicious behavior to a trusted adult.

“The most important thing we tell parents is [to] talk with your kids about what they’re doing on these devices,” Portnoy said.

If you think you or someone you know is a victim of sextortion, contact law enforcement or the FBI at tips.fbi.gov, 1-800-CALL-FBI. or the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center. Don't delete anything on your device before law enforcement can examine it, and tell law enforcement everything about any encounters you've had online.