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Financially motivated sextortion targeting teens increasing

Anna Collard.

The significant rise in financially motivated sextortion cases targeting children is cause for concern, especially as these types of scams can have devastating psychological and emotional effects on their young victims.

An increasing number of children and young people have been subjected to financial sextortion attempts over the past few years, and while criminals target all genders and age groups, boys between the ages of 14 and 18 are typically targeted for this type of crime.

Sextortion is a form of online blackmail where perpetrators threaten to release private and sensitive material unless their demands are met, which can include money, additional explicit content or other forms of exploitation. The rise in these crimes has been attributed to young people's increasing use of social media and online communication platforms, making them more accessible to cybercriminals.

While sextortion is by no means a new crime, financial sextortion is turning it into a massive, organised scam aimed at teenagers and executed at scale. Financial sextortion is a form of organised crime that targets teenagers around the globe.

“Criminals target minors because they are easier to manipulate and coerce than adults. Scammers will typically pose as attractive girls on social media and target a high school or sports club, specifically befriending prefects or sports captains – ‘good’ boys who have something to lose,” explains Anna Collard, SVP Content Strategy & Evangelist at KnowBe4 AFRICA.

“These organised criminal groups usually impersonate teenage girls, using fake accounts on Instagram and then move onto other chat platforms to trick victims into sharing explicit images or videos of themselves. Once the scammers receive an image, they will immediately extort the victim, typically demanding a few thousand rand.”

Don’t pay the ransom

However, Collard warns that victims should never pay, as this will only focus the criminals’ attention on them, and payment demands will simply escalate. When victims refuse to pay, the scammers often move on to another of the hundreds of fake social media accounts they operate simultaneously in search of a more malleable target.

“More often than not, these are empty threats that never materialise. These cybercriminals do not actually want to waste time and resources posting compromising content on social media; they simply want to find a victim who will pay up when threatened,” she says.

“Unfortunately,” says Collard, “sextortion is more than just a financial crime, it can have devastating consequences for victims and their families. It can lead to severe emotional and psychological distress, including anxiety, depression and, in extreme cases, suicidal thoughts.”

“This is a violent crime that has already led to about 40 teenage suicides so far. Raising awareness and educating young people about the dangers of sextortion is crucial. We must empower them with the knowledge and tools to protect themselves online,” says Collard.

Candice Toprek.

Know where to go

While the best way to avoid falling victim to sextortion scammers is not to share private content, Candice Toprek, Underwriting Lead: Personal Cyber at iTOO Special Risks, says children may still engage in this behaviour.

“The key is to recognise that many of these attempts are often empty threats. However, steps can be taken if private content is shared publicly. For instance, the takeitdown tool provided by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) (https://takeitdown.ncmec.org/) can be used to remove content from the internet. We all make mistakes, but it really is not something that should ruin a young person's life.”

Toprek adds that a comprehensive personal cyber insurance policy covers extortion, whether it has a sexual element or not. Such policies typically cover the ransom demand and offer victims support and guidance through the ordeal.

“Do not engage with the scammers, and do not try to resolve the situation yourself. Your special risks insurer has a team of highly experienced experts on standby to deal with such scenarios on your behalf,” she concludes.

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