Washington CNN —
At least 3,000 minors, mostly boys, have been the target of financial “sextortion” programs this year, a dramatic increase from previous years, the Justice Department said in a public safety alert Monday.
It is through social media platforms that, in some cases, predators begin communicating with the affected minor before moving the conversation to another platform, which the department says primarily uses direct messaging. Victims are tricked into providing explicit footage, and then the perpetrators demand money — sometimes thousands of dollars — and threaten to release the images to the victim’s family members and friends, the department says.
“The FBI has seen a staggering increase in reports of financial sextortion programs targeting underage boys — and the fact is, the many victims who are afraid to come forward aren’t even included in those numbers,” said the FBI Director Christopher Wray in a statement.
According to the department, at least a dozen victims have died by suicide as a result of these crimes.
The programmes, which were mainly aimed at boys aged 14 to 17 – although some were as young as 10 – mostly came from West African countries, including Nigeria and Ivory Coast, according to the ministry. It is unclear whether these perpetrator cells are interconnected.
Wray said the FBI needs “parents and caregivers to work with us to stop this crime before it happens and help kids come forward when it happens.”
“Victims may feel like there is no way out – it’s up to all of us to reassure them that they are not in trouble, that there is hope and that they are not alone,” the director said.