Teachers are being urged to warn children about the risk of being targeted by “callous” organised criminals through sextortion scams.
Criminals using sextortion threaten to release nude or semi-nude photos of someone - either real or fake - unless the victim pays them.
The National Crime Agency’s (NCA) Child Exploitation and Online Protection education team has today issued guidance to teachers about spotting the signs of this type of abuse, supporting young people and encouraging them to seek help.
It has also provided guidance for parents and carers on how to talk to children about sextortion and how to support them if they become a victim, with the aim of taking away the stigma.
Supporting child victims of sextortion
Last year nine out of 10 of the UK sextortion cases dealt with by the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF), a charity that helps child victims of online sexual abuse, involved male victims, the NCA said.
James Babbage, the NCA’s director general for threats, said: “Sextortion causes immeasurable stress and anguish, and we know there are adults and young people who have devastatingly taken their own lives as a result.
“A lot of victims feel responsible but we need them to know this is absolutely not the case; you are not to blame and help and support is available.”
The NCA said organised crime groups overseas, predominantly in countries in West Africa and also in South-East Asia, are responsible for some of the offences that are motivated by trying to make money rather than for sexual gratification.
The NCA’s advice to victims includes not to pay, to stop communication and to block the offender, but to avoid deleting anything that could be used as evidence. Incidents should be reported to the police or Child Exploitation and Online Protection.
Susie Hargreaves, chief executive of the IWF, said: “Sextortion has become a major threat online in the last few years.
“This alert to schools is an absolutely crucial intervention in stemming this epidemic, which has already ruined so many young lives.
“These criminals are cold-blooded and do not even care when the shame and fear they inflict drives some children to take their own lives.
“We want children to know, however, they are not alone, no matter how lonely it feels; that there is a remedy and a way to take control and fight back.
“The Report Remove tool we run with Childline is revolutionary and allows you to stop sexual imagery being shared or from going viral online.
“Please, if you are being targeted this way, reach out. It is not a hopeless situation, and we are here to help you.”
The number of global cases of sextortion reported to the US National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children more than doubled from 10,731 in 2022 to 26,718 in 2023, with a large proportion of victims being boys aged between 14 and 18.
Tech companies ‘must step up’
Security minister Tom Tugendhat said sextortion “destroys lives”.
“It is often driven by highly sophisticated organised crime groups who exploit vulnerable people for profit,” he said.
“It’s vital that technology companies take responsibility for the safety of their users by implementing stronger safeguards on their platforms.
“I would urge parents to talk to their children about their use of social media. Even sites that many assume to be safe may pose a risk.”
Richard Collard, associate head of child safety online policy at children’s charity the NSPCC, said: “Children must be supported to spot signs of abuse, but the burden should not be on them to protect themselves from harm online.
“Tech companies must step up and actively tackle the threat of sexual extortion on their platforms by putting safeguards in place and identifying dangerous behaviour.”
The NCA’s guidance for teachers can be found here.
Help to get images removed if they have been posted online can be found here.
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