New ‘sextortion’ scheme targets 14- to 17-year-old boys

What’s starting off as online flirting between two teens is ending in child-pornography extortion and suicide.  

Boys between the ages of 14 and 17 are being targeted in money-motivated “sextortion” scams by digital predators posing as teenage girls on gaming platforms, trendy apps and social media, authorities caution.

“These predators are preying on kids’ worst fears,” Lauren Coffren, an executive director in the Exploited Children Division of National Center of Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC), told The Post. “They’re tricking these boys into sharing pictures of themselves on what they thought was a safe space, then threatening to leak the images unless the kid pays up.”

And Coffren says that in recent months, the ruse has, unfortunately, become a “lucrative” ploy for virtual vultures.

Setting the trap, the internet-savvy perpetrator, typically disguised as a young girl, sends the teen male a romantically suggestive message. 

After reeling him in, the con then convinces the minor to engage in sexually explicit activity, such as sending nude photos or videos of themselves via the web. 

Once the unsuspecting innocent complies, the imposter threatens to distribute the racy shots to their friends and family unless the victim agrees to send large sums of money.   

“The exploiter will use every fear tactic in efforts to scare the kid into handing over them money — even a relatively small amount like $200,” said Coffren. “Before the [bad guys] even contact the kid they’ve often done a little research on them, learning about their family, where they live, what school they attend, their local community groups, all as a from of blackmail.”

Tragically, however, even after a teen pays the money-hungry hustler, the humiliation of getting swindled proves to be too much for the youngster to bare. 

“The manipulation of these exploiters can be so scary and so severe that the kid often feels incredibly guilty, ashamed and hopeless,” Coffren added. “And some victims have unfortunately taken their own lives.”

In March, a 17-year-old from Michigan died by suicide after being tricked into paying a sextortion scammer $300 out of fear his indecent images would be widely disseminated, per the AER. 

When the crook demanded more money, which the kid did not have, he killed himself. 

Following his death, the fraudster shared the private photos with the boy’s friends, and ultimately attempted to extort one of them for cash. 

A 17-year-old from Mississippi met a tragically similar fate in October 2021, when a predator pressured the boy to fork over $800 by threatening to distribute his uncensored snaps to loved ones. The juvenile died by suicide the same day that he received the manipulative messages. 

And in March 2021, an evil-doer attempted to manipulate a 17-year-old Montana youth into sending banknotes under the threat of leaking his X-rated snaps. The teen committed suicide shortly after being duped. 

Following his demise, the criminal shared the illicit shots with the boy’s sister, and vowed to circulate the stills to a wider audience if the grieving family refused to provide payment. 

In other instances, when victims were unable to forward the extortion funds, the cyber bandits forced them to follow a phony social media profile, hoping to gain the teen as a follower in an effort to legitimize the account.

“An account with no or few friends or followers would appear more suspicious than an account with more friends or followers, which would have a greater appearance of being a legitimate account of a real individual,” explains the AER.

“This could also be a way to widen the pool of potential targets for predator accounts by giving them visibility and access to the victim’s circle of friends and followers, increasing victimization of other minors.”

Owing to the repeated offenses as well as the subsequent suicides and manipulations, the FBI and NCMEC encourage parents and teachers to take proactive, preventative measures.

“The best thing a parent can do is start talking to your kid about having a cell phone and [the dangers of] growing up in an era when kids are sharing nudes over the phone and online,” Coffren advised.

“You can let them know that you don’t necessarily endorse that behavior, but that they can come to you if something gets out of hand,” she continued. “We want kids to feel like they have a trusted entity that they can go to if they get in a little bit over their heads.”

Adults should also beware of behavioral changes in potentially victimized teens such as a sudden withdrawal from family and friends, a drop in grades or disinterest in typical activities, elevated expressions of anxiety or unexplained anger, self-harming ideations or an urgency  to “escape” to a different location to meet a predators demands. 

And for teens who’ve survived falling prey to the digital deviants, the FBI and NCMEC urge parents and community leaders to remind the young victims that they are not alone and they are not at fault nor will they face legal trouble. Those who have been targeted should report the crime to authorities.

“Being [brave enough} to come forward and talk about this helps to shine a light on a growing issue that a lot of kids are encountering,” Coffren said.