‘Sextortion:’ More teens tricked, blackmailed with sexually explicit pictures
More teenage boys are being targeted to share explicit pictures and are then blackmailed for money, according to law enforcement agencies.
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Federal law enforcement agencies tracked an increase in teenage boys being targeted to share explicit pictures of themselves, News Center 7 Anchor Gabrielle Enright reported.
Unidentified suspects utilized fake accounts to pretend to be young girls and trick victims into sending sexually explicit photos, investigators said.
Suspects will then threaten to release the compromising pictures unless the victims send money, Enright explained.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) called the latest threat “sextortion,” according to their website.
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The FBI believes most of these schemes are coming from outside the United States, Enright said.
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children tries to help teens and their families in these cases, a spokesperson for the organization stated.
“Start asking about what would you do if this occurred in your online? How would you help navigate your way out of it? Would you come talk to me? What would you say?” Lauren Coffren from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children questioned.
The FBI encourages victims to contact your local FBI field office, call 1-800-CALL-FBI, or report it online at tips.fbi.gov.
