April 30th 2024.
The National Crime Agency issued a warning on Monday to raise awareness about the dangers of sextortion scams, particularly among young people. The agency emphasized the devastating impact these scams can have on victims, urging teachers across the UK to be on high alert for any signs of this type of abuse among their students.
Sextortion is a form of blackmail where criminals use intimate photos or videos to threaten and coerce their victims into paying them. The number of global cases has more than doubled in recent years, with a large proportion of victims being boys between the ages of 14 and 18. The majority of cases reported in the UK also involved male victims.
These gangs, often based in West African countries and South East Asia, target young people in the Five Eyes countries (UK, US, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada). They typically pose as another young person on social media and then move the conversation to encrypted messaging apps, where they persuade the victim to share intimate images.
The consequences of falling prey to sextortion can be devastating, with at least three children having taken their own lives as a result. One such victim was Murray Dowey, a 16-year-old from Dunblane, Perthshire, who tragically ended his life after being targeted in a sextortion plot with possible links to Nigeria. His parents, Mark and Ros Dowey, have since issued a desperate plea to other young victims, urging them to seek help and not to make the same mistake their son did.
The NCA stressed that these criminals are primarily motivated by money rather than sexual gratification. As such, they have issued guidance to teachers on how to spot the signs of this type of abuse and support young people who may have become victims. They have also provided guidance for parents and carers on how to talk to their children about sextortion and how to support them if they have been targeted.
The agency also highlighted the importance of not deleting any evidence and reporting incidents to the police or CEOP (Child Exploitation and Online Protection). They emphasized that swift action is necessary, as some blackmail demands have been made within an hour of the initial contact with the victim.
Susie Hargreaves, chief executive of the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF), described sextortion as a major threat online, with the potential to ruin young lives. She urged children not to suffer in silence and to take advantage of resources such as the Report Remove tool run by the IWF and Childline, which allows them to stop sexual images from being shared or going viral online.
Security minister Tom Tugendhat also emphasized the responsibility of technology companies to implement stronger safeguards on their platforms and urged parents to talk to their children about their use of social media. Richard Collard, associate head of child safety online policy at the NSPCC, echoed this sentiment and called for tech companies to take active steps to identify and prevent dangerous behavior on their platforms.
The NCA also provided information on where to find help for those affected by sextortion. They encouraged anyone in need of emotional support to reach out to organizations such as the Samaritans or PAPYRUS Prevention of Young Suicide UK. They also provided links for reporting incidents and getting images removed from the internet.
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