The National Crime Agency alerts the public to the increasing threat of sextortion, specifically aimed at teenage boys, urging victims to resist paying ransoms and to report incidents to authorities.
The National Crime Agency (NCA) in the UK has issued an alert on the rising incidents of “sextortion,” a form of blackmail where scammers threaten to share explicit images of victims unless a ransom is paid. Reports indicate that this type of cybercrime has seen a significant increase, especially targeting teenage boys aged 14 to 18. The majority of these cases have involved male victims, with organized crime groups, primarily based overseas, identified as the perpetrators.
In 2023, the Internet Watch Foundation recorded a sharp rise in sextortion cases, most notably among young males, with nine out of ten victims being male. The NCA has emphasized the immediacy of these scams, noting that blackmail can escalate within an hour of first contact. It recommends that families should not meet the blackmailer’s demands, should cease all communication with the perpetrators, and report the incidents to the authorities.
Further addressing the issue, technology companies like Meta have implemented new safety features to combat the exploitation of young users. New tools include image blurring on platforms such as Facebook and Instagram for users under 18 to help prevent intimate images from being misused.
Advice from experts like Susie Hargreaves from the Internet Watch Foundation, and Sophie Mortimer from the Revenge Porn Helpline, stresses the importance of not succumbing to extortion demands and reporting the matter. They highlight support mechanisms like the “Report Remove” tool which aids in stopping the online spread of sexual content. Security minister Tom Tugendhat has also called for a collective effort from technology companies to increase safety on their platforms and encourages parents to discuss the hazards of social media with their children.
