PORTLAND, Ore. ( KOIN ) – Have you heard of sextortion? The cyber crime isn’t very well known, but the FBI says it is on the rise and claiming young lives in Oregon.
The crime involves predators who use the internet to disguise themselves as peers to manipulate teens into sharing sexual photos. The scammers will then threaten to expose the images if they don’t get money.
Christina Bauman, an FBI victim specialist, said “they’re building rapport, gaining trust, and then using that against the victim.”
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These threats from social media, chat rooms, and gaming apps force children to seek desperate solutions like stealing their parents’ credit cards. Others may self-harm or even commit suicide.
Yet most parents don’t know what sextortion is, and therefore can’t spot the warning signs or prevent it until it’s too late. In fact, Supervisory Special Agent Travis Ostrem says “it can be as easy as 30 seconds, and a child can be sextorted.”