FBI warns of “sextortion” cases rising online, targeting young boys

COLUMBIA, SC (WOLO) — The FBI is warning young teens and their parents about a dangerous and deceptive act happening online known as “sextortion.”

Offenders meet a minor online and coerce them to create and send sexually explicit images and videos — often times by pretending to be the victims’ same age.

Kevin Wheeler with the FBI Columbia Field Office says offenders will do all they can to build a connection with the minor.

“They want to express to them that they have the same interests, that they might be of the same age, that they have the same friends,” says Wheeler.

The offender then threatens to release the material unless the victim produces more explicit content or sends the offender payment — including gift cards or wire transfers —  in what the FBI calls “financial sextortion.”

The FBI finds that for financially motivated sextortion, offenders 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.

“All it takes is one image. Once they have one image of you that might be sexually explicit, they’re going to request more, even threaten you. They might threaten to send the photos to your family and friends . They might look at your social media accounts and see who you’re friends with and threaten to send it to them. So they’re really trying to get inside victims’ heads,” says Wheeler.

The FBI reports most victims are male between the ages of 14 and 17, and sometimes as young as 10.

“A lot of times when it comes to females being victims, they are trying to get photos for their own sexual gratification, but when it comes to males they’re doing it for financial reasons,” says Wheeler.

Between October 2021 and March 2023, the FBI reported sextortion cases of over 12,000 victims — mostly young boys — leading to at least 20 suicides.

“Really, we just want these victims to understand that they are not alone. We know that this can be very frightening, this can be embarrassing. And in some cases they think that they are going to get in trouble with law enforcement and we want them to know that that’s not the case,” says Wheeler.

Victims are encouraged to speak out and save any conversations between the victim and offender that is possible.

If you or someone you know is the victim of any form of sextortion, immediately report the activity to a trusted adult or law enforcement.

The FBI can also be reached directly at 1-800-CALL-FBI.