Justice Department warns of dramatic increase in 'sextortion' schemes targeting boys - CNN

Washington CNN  — 

At slightest 3,000 minors, mostly boys, person been targeted by fiscal “sextortion” schemes this year, a melodramatic summation from erstwhile years, the Justice Department announced successful a nationalist information alert connected Monday.

Using societal media platforms, predators will, successful immoderate cases, commencement communicating with the targeted insignificant earlier moving the speech to a antithetic level that chiefly uses nonstop messaging, according to the department. Victims are tricked into providing explicit material, and past the perpetrators volition request wealth – sometimes thousands of dollars – threatening to merchandise the images to household members and friends of the victim, the section says.

“The FBI has seen a horrific summation successful reports of fiscal sextortion schemes targeting insignificant boys — and the information is that the galore victims who are acrophobic to travel guardant are not adjacent included successful those numbers,” FBI Director Christopher Wray said successful a statement.

At slightest a twelve victims person died by suicide arsenic a effect of these crimes, according to the department.

The schemes, which person chiefly targeted boys ages 14 to 17 – though immoderate arsenic young arsenic 10 – mostly originated from West African countries, including Nigeria and the Ivory Coast, according to the department. It’s unclear if these cells of perpetrators are connected.

Wray said that the FBI needs “parents and caregivers to enactment with america to forestall this transgression earlier it happens and assistance children travel guardant if it does.”

“Victims whitethorn consciousness similar determination is nary mode retired – it is up to each of america to reassure them that they are not successful trouble, determination is hope, and they are not alone,” the manager said.