The FBI, in partnership with Homeland Security Investigations and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, is issuing a national public safety alert regarding an explosion in incidents of children and teens being coerced into sending explicit images online and extorted for money—a crime known as financial sextortion.
Over the past year, law enforcement has received over 7,000 reports related to the online financial sextortion of minors, resulting in at least 3,000 victims, primarily boys, and more than a dozen suicides. A large percentage of these sextortion schemes originate outside of the United States, and primarily in West African countries such as Nigeria and Ivory Coast. As many children enter winter break this holiday season, the FBI and our partners implore parents and caregivers to engage with their kids about financial sextortion schemes so we can prevent them in the first place.
“What is your child doing on-line during the holidays,” asked U.S. Attorney Brit Featherston. “Unbeknownst to many parents, kids get caught on-line, tricked by adult predators into revealing something private or personal, even exposing themselves. Then the predator threatens to go public or send the information to the child’s parents unless the child sends money or provides other improper photos to the predator. This is electronic extortion and it’s a crime that happens frequently, so know what your child is doing on-line this holiday season.”
