Joelle Jones and Aimee Plante
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Have you heard of sextortion? The cyber crime isn’t very well known, but the FBI says it is on the rise and claiming young lives in Oregon.
The crime involves predators who use the internet to disguise themselves as peers to manipulate teens into sharing sexual photos. The scammers will then threaten to expose the images if they don’t get money.
Christina Bauman, an FBI victim specialist, said “they’re building rapport, gaining trust, and then using that against the victim.”
These threats from social media, chat rooms, and gaming apps force children to seek desperate solutions like stealing their parents’ credit cards. Others may self-harm or even commit suicide.
Yet most parents don’t know what sextortion is, and therefore can’t spot the warning signs or prevent it until it’s too late. In fact, Supervisory Special Agent Travis Ostrem says “it can be as easy as 30 seconds, and a child can be sextorted.”
According to the FBI, offenders are usually located outside the United States, primarily in west African countries such as Nigeria and Ivory Coast, or Southeast Asian countries such as the Philippines. Victims are typically males between the ages of 14 to 17.
Investigators within the FBI and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security received more than 13,000 reports of financial child sextortion between October 2021 and March 2023. Of these cases, 12,600 victims were identified – resulting in at least 20 suicides.
“Sadly, last year, 20 kids committed suicide because of sextortion,” Ostrem said. “It is so important for us to get out to every household, every parent, every child, every educator and caregiver needs to know what sextortion is. If we can educate the community, we can stop this from happening.”
Nationally, investigators say they’ve seen a 20% increase in cases within the past year. But numbers are on the rise on a state level, too.
“Here alone in Oregon, we’ve seen about 10 cases or leads a week,” Ostrem said.
Typically, predators will pretend to be a friend or a romantic interest and send an image before asking for one in return. Ostrem explains that the predator will then “take it to the next level” by asking, “Here is a nude photo of myself, do you have something similar?”
After receiving a photo in return, the predator will find personal information to blackmail the child by demanding a large sum, such as $500, or they’ll share the images with friends online.
“They’ll bleed the children dry of everything,” Ostrem said. “From asking for the parents credit cards, from gift cards, from different pay apps – anyway to get money.”
Bauman said she has even seen predators use Photoshop to turn innocent images into sexually explicit content.
“I had a case like that, where the kiddo didn’t send anything that was sexually explicit,” she said. “The perpetrator used Photoshop, and changed it, sent it back to them and said, ‘This is you.’”
Due to shame and stigma, the FBI says sextortion cases are widely underreported. To combat the crime, they suggest speaking with kids about online safety and watching out for teens withdrawing or spending large amounts of money.
Bauman also wants victims to know they’re not alone – or even at fault.
“Although a picture was sent, or video, these people that targeted them, they’re the ones at fault. It’s their fault to do this,” she said. “They’re grown up, they’re the ones that are responsible for this. It’s not the kiddo.”
Sextortion victims can seek help by contacting their local FBI field office, calling 1-800-CALL-FBI, or reporting their situation online.
Stay with KOIN 6 as we continue to cover this story.