MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WGNS News) – The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is renewing a warning that parents, teachers, coaches and caregivers in Rutherford County should take seriously: online predators are increasingly targeting children and teens through financially motivated sextortion schemes. Scroll down for a closer look at an actual message sent to one person in the Middle Tennessee area.
The warning follows newly released data from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, which shows a continued and growing threat involving children being coerced, threatened or blackmailed after being tricked into sharing explicit images or videos.
In 2025 alone, NCMEC received more than 50,000 reports of financially motivated sextortion. That averages out to about 137 reports every day. The number also marks a sharp increase from 2024, when the center received more than 36,000 reports…