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Sextortion

Sextortion is blackmail. It’s when someone online threatens to send a sexual image or video of you to other people if you don’t pay them or provide more sexual content. Sextorters convince their victims to exchange sexual content and often start the trade by sharing a sexual photo first. The targeted youth then sends a sexual photo or video or are tricked into exposing themselves or engaging in a sexual act. Boys are usually sextorted for money and girls for more sexual pictures and videos.

Why teens are vulnerable

Teens’ brains are wired for social interaction and bonding with others. Their need for acceptance and belonging strongly drives their decisions. Puberty increases experimentation, sexual curiosity, and sexual arousal. These hallmarks of adolescence increase the vulnerability of teens towards sexual exploitation.

How does the sextortion occur?

  • Youth (young men in particular) are often tricked into believing they are talking to a young girl. They chat over a short period of time, usually several hours, but in some cases as little as 20 minutes.
  • Sextorters convince their victims to exchange sexual content and often start the trade by sharing a sexual photo first. The targeted youth then sends a sexual photo or video, or are tricked into exposing themselves or engaging in a sexual act over a livestream and being unknowingly recorded.
  • Immediately after receiving the sexual content, the sextorter makes their demands. If a young girl is victimized, the sextorter typically demands additional sexual photos and videos. If the sextorter targets a boy, they almost always demand money instead.
  • The sextorter will try to intimidate their victim by threatening to leak the content online or share it directly with the youth’s friends andfamily if they don’t comply. It‘s common for the offender to share screenshots of the youth’s contacts or other identifying information (school, home address) to terrify the youth into sending sexual photos or money.
  • If the youth gives in, the sextorter will demand more sexual photos or money. Sextorters will sometimes barter and accept a lower amount if the youth says they cannot pay.
  • Amounts of money demanded range from as little as $9 (the amount a youth had in their bank account) to $7,500.
  • If the sextorter demands money, payment forms vary from online payment providers like PayPal, Western Union, MoneyGram, etc.; through online gift cards for Amazon, Google Play, Steam, VISA, etc.; or through e-transfer direct from bank accounts.

Risks to teens

Online conversations that may initially appear as friendly banter can easily progress to sexual conversations. Understandably, teens may feel intrigued and flattered by these conversations and continue to engage, thinking it’s harmless. In other instances, the young person may really believe that they are in a relationship with the person they are communicating with online. Messaging and livestreaming services are commonly introduced for the purpose of receiving non-sexual pictures but can progress to sending nude or partially nude pictures, and possibly sexually explicit content. This content may later be used to blackmail or extort the teen.

What you can do

Have conversations with teens about the risks associated with using technology to experiment sexually and the potential risk of sextortion. Conversations with teens are necessary as:

  • Teens will often comply with threats received online in an effort to try to manage the situation on their own.
  • Situations can escalate quickly, and teens may find themselves in over their heads.
  • It is often very difficult for them to seek adult assistance as they are embarrassed and terrified that the sexual images/videos will be distributed to people they know.
  • Teens require supportive responses from adults to help them manage serious situations they encounter online.
  • Teens need practical steps for how to get out of harmful situations and to understand that they can come to adults for help.
  • Adults have an obligation to be responsive and supportive when teens make mistakes.
  • For more information, visit Cybertip.ca/sextortion.

How to speak to teens about this issue

For example:

I was just reading about a 15-year-old being threatened online to send money and if he didn’t, sexual pictures of him would be sent to all of his friends. I guess he thought he was talking to a 15-year-old girl and, in fun, exposed himself to her on video chat. A couple days later, the boy got a message from a man who had been pretending to be the 15-year-old girl. The man threatened the boy, telling him he had to pay $250 within the next two days or the man would send the sexual pictures of the boy to all his friends on Facebook and Instagram. The police got involved and discovered that the man was also blackmailing 20 other youth, some of whom had sent money to this guy.

Talk about options for getting out of difficult situations such as not responding and blocking all contact.

Acknowledge that while this may be a difficult step to take, their safety is your number one priority.  Emphasize that it’s never too late to come to you for help.

Extortion is when someone intends to get something by using threats or violence (e.g., pushing, shoving, yelling) to make, or try to make, a person do something. This could look like:

  • threatening another person (through words or actions);
  • accusing another person of something; or
  • being violent or scaring another person through words or actions (such as pushing, yelling, throwing things, breaking things).

Reinforce that:

  • What happens while livestreaming can be easily recorded – don’t be fooled by thinking it is live and therefore “no big deal.” The same risks exist for livestreaming as sending pictures or videos
  • Unless the other person is known offline, there is no way of verifying who is on the other end.
  • Pre-recorded content can be livestreamed. For example, an adult could stream a video of a teenage girl, so the teen thinks they are talking to a teenage girl in real-time when that’s not actually the case.
  • They should trust their instincts, be skeptical and cautious. If the person your teen is communicating with on cam is not visible (e.g. “I am having problems with my webcam today - that is why you aren’t seeing me”), that person may be trying to hide their identity.

The tips and other information provided herein is intended as general information only, not as advice. Readers should assess all information in light of their own circumstances, the age and maturity level of the child they wish to protect and any other relevant factors.

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