On Your Side: FBI warns of 'sextortion' scams
The FBI has put out a warning about a scam that's on the rise, targeting victims with "sextortion." It's a warning that everyone needs to hear -- especially parents of teenagers.
"Sextortion" is when someone coerces victims into sharing intimate photos of themselves and then threatens to release those photos publicly or to family and friends unless they pay a ransom.
A cybersecurity expert we talked to said the most common group to be targeted are young boys, mostly teens, but some as young as 10 years old.
What usually happens is that these victims are contacted via social media by someone posing as a crush or love interest. They ask for intimate photos. And then once they have them, they threaten to release them unless they are paid hundreds, even thousands of dollars.
Nationwide we have seen about a dozen suicides linked to these scams.
Do these scammers typically make good on these threats?
"From what I have seen, no. In fact, I've heard anecdotally time and time again, that if you simply break off all contact with the scammer at the first moment that they try to extort money out of you, they go away," said Fortra Threat Research Senior Fellow John Wilson. "They don't contact you again. For them, it's a numbers game, and it's a business."
There are steps you can take to protect your children and yourself.
- Talk to your teens about this scam so they don't fall victim to it.
- Make them aware they need to come to you -- even if they are embarrassed.
- Run frequent online searches of your child so you can see what of their personal information is readily available. Scammers will use this personal info to gain trust.
- Add privacy settings to social media accounts.
- And don't respond directly to inbound messages or requests.
The rule is, if it's inbound, don't give out any personal information. Verify that person before engaging.
Another form of sextortion is when the scammer says they have hacked your computer or phone and have compromising photos of you, and say they will release them unless you pay up. Experts say they are usually bluffing. Ignore and report. Do not pay.
