LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The internet has made information accessible to people at their fingertips, and with that comes the possibility of dangerous consequences, like predators having easier access to children. 

What You Need To Know

  • Financial sextortion is a scheme that targets children, primarily teenage boys, to trick them into sending explicit photos of themselves 

  • Money is then demanded in exchange for photos not to be posted 

  • The issue is on the rise, and financial sextortion has been linked to more than two dozen cases of suicide in the U.S. and Canada

  • A national organization has websites to report these cases and to try and take down explicit content

Thousands of children are falling victim to financial sextortion, an online scheme that started gaining traction in 2022.

“It’s led to suicides, it’s led to depression, it’s led to mental-health issues and it’s an ongoing problem,” said Lt. Mike Bowling, commander of the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force for Kentucky.

Teenage boys are predominantly being targeted in financial sextortion cases. Oftentimes, a perpetrator poses as a woman and convinces their victim to send nude photos of themselves. Once photos are sent, the predator threatens to post them online.

“Young boys are being duped into taking these photographs, they’re sharing it and, oftentimes, they’re asking for exorbitant amounts of money,” said John Shehan, vice president of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children’s (NCMEC) Exploited Children Division.

NCMEC is aware of more than two dozen suicide cases across the U.S. and Canada that have been linked to financial sextortion.

“Within just a matter of hours from when the situation occurred, they have taken their lives,” Shehan said.

According to data recently released by NCMEC, the organization received more than 26,000 reports in 2023 compared to almost 11,000 in 2022.

“Every year, every month, it seems like we’re getting more, and more, and more of these complaints,” Bowling said.

Sometimes, perpetrators only ask for a photo of someone’s face, then use AI to add nudity, or “nudify," an image. This practice is illegal in Kentucky and recently happened to a minor in Greenup County. 

“They take a known image, and they put it through an AI generator and they’re making an image nude or they already have a nude image and they combine the two,” Bowling said.

Experts encouraged parents to talk with their children about internet safety. 

“We launched a program about two years ago called 'Take It Down;' you can find it online,” Shehan said. “It actually helps to remove this type of material from the internet.”

Falling victim to this is scary, but it’s not the end of the world, which is why awareness about financial sextortion is imperative and could save lives.

To report suspected child sexual exploitation, NCMEC has a CyberTipline.

The organization also has a few recommendations if a child falls victim to this scheme. It said to not continue engaging with the predator, since cooperating with them will normally not help. It is also recommended victims block the blackmailer but don’t delete their profile or messages.

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