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On an online forum Reddit ‘r/Sextortion’ Messages are pouring in in English, ranging from panicked calls for help to encouraging testimonies. Under each message there is a warning
On an online forum Reddit ‘r/Sextortion’ Messages are pouring in in English, ranging from panicked calls for help to encouraging testimonies. Under each message there is a warning from the platform: “If you’re reading this, you’ve probably recently been the victim of sexual extortion and are scared. “First of all, take a deep breath.”
A group that brings together victims of this blackmail method of threatening someone post intimate photos or videos If he doesn’t pay the attacker, he will have 23 thousand members. Everyone speaking has aliases and some claim to be underage. Messages usually start like this: “They just deceived me.”
Otherwise, the stories are not much different. “I was chatting on instagram when I received a message from a very realistic account,” says one victim. “I started talking to the “girl” and we quickly moved on Snapchat. “We started exchanging photos and everything.” Here the conversation changes tone:
I will ruin your life! I’m going to ruin your life.
The text is accompanied by intimate photographs of him. “So,” he continues, “ “‘She’ started a group with my sisters and a lot of friends and threatened to leak everything if I didn’t pay her $5,000.”. He eventually blocked his sextorter, but not before sending him about $250. Nothing since then.
But while for some the trouble is over, the cloud of threat continues to hang over others. They feel caught in a vicious circle.
The number of such online attacks has increased sharply in recent months. According to a study published in early 2024 Network Contagion Research Institute (NCRI), which specializes in social media threats, “Fastest-growing juvenile crime in US, Canada and Australia.”
Last October FBI reports 1000% increase in financial sextortion cases in the United States over the past 18 months, according to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC).
Canada considers it a threat “public safety emergency”. Canada’s National Child Sexual Exploitation Reporting Service reports 10 complaints a day, an “unprecedented volume.”
Australian Federal Police registers 300 complaints per month. Guilt, shame… Authorities believe few victims report such abuse, so they fear these numbers are just the tip of the iceberg.
France did not stand aside. “Of the complaints received in 2023, more than 12,000 related to acts of sexual extortion, compared with approximately 1,100 in 2022,” says a spokesman for the French police’s Office of Minors (Ofmin). And only a few hundred gave rise to a complaint.
In France, this new bureau specializing in crimes against minors is the “gateway” complaints about child pornography content from platforms such as Google, Meta and Microsoft.
Ofmin distinguishes two types of sextortion: one is aimed at extortion with a lot of sexual contentand which is addressed primarily girls. Another, “for economic purposes”. It is this type of cybercrime that is growing rapidly. And this time the first victims were boys.
Typical scenario: “In general,” describes an Ofmin spokesman, “teenagers are contacted on social networks like instagram or on a gaming platform by a profile, usually of the opposite sex, who poses as a teenager of his own age. They communicate and a trusting relationship is established,” he said and added.
Then the relationship breaks down and the interlocutor asks for intimate content: videos, photos. This is where the blackmail begins when the caller says: “Either you give me money, or I will get a list of all your contacts.” instagramand I will send them your images.”
The amounts requested are around one hundred euros, which are usually paid with prepaid cards so as not to leave traces. “We must take into account that from the moment the conversation starts until the money is sent, about 45 minutes pass. “It’s happening very quickly.”– warns a representative of the Department of Juvenile Affairs.
This pressure can have disastrous consequences for teenagers. “There is nothing more intimate than the naked body, nothing we would like to protect more.”, notes Samuel Combles of 3018. This is why these attacks are especially destabilizing. In the United States, about twenty minors committed suicide after attempted sex extortionaccording to the FBI.
How do you explain the exponential growth in these attacks? Behind this wave of sextortion are “organized networks of cybercriminals based in West Africa”, explains Ofmin: “The Ivory Coast belongs mainly to France because of the language. In English-speaking countries, NCRI is very clear about the Yahoo Boys from Nigeria, named after the messaging app that was so popular in the early 2000s. Their methods are very similar.”
Little is known about these cybercriminals. What is your profile? “Usually these are young people from 16 to 30 years old”says Usman Ojedokun, a sociology professor at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria, who worked on the Yahoo Boys case.
“Many of them These are high school students, students or young graduates who secretly engage in cybercrime.. What is your only motivation? Earning money is encouraged by widespread unemployment, widespread corruption and even a sense of revenge against the colonizing West,” explains a researcher who spoke with some of them.
“Yahoo Boys” on social networks. | Photo: Network Contagion Research Institute.
These are the same people who, in the early days of the Internet, became famous for running “phishing” scams, sometimes called “419 scams.”
This is a scam in which the recipient of an email is tricked into believing that they have won a lucrative and easily accessible prize. Except that to receive it, the victim must make a small deposit or provide his bank details.
In reality, of course, there is no jackpot. Dating scams have become all the rage in recent years, with mature men being the main victims. Thus, Nigeria has become a central point on the international cybercrime map. “Even before the advent of the Internet, Nigerians used the mail for large-scale fraud. The Internet was just an opportunity to become more efficient,” says Ousmane Ojedokun.
Now the Yahoo Boys, who flaunt luxury cars, have become a success story. “Yahoo Boys are very smart. As soon as their criminal activities become known, they change their strategy,” explains the sociology professor. As tools evolve, so do methods.
Today they are enjoying the success of social networks. According to NCRI, they instagram, Snapchat And Wizztype Tinder for teenagers – the three favorite platforms of Nigerian cyber bullies. Without going into details, the first contacts usually take place in instagram. The social network does not allow you to make the connection private. “Almost all“Financial extortion against minors involves taking screenshots of the victim’s Instagram follower lists.”– the message says.
When the victim trusts, the exchange usually continues. Snapchat– explains NCRI.
Its design features give the victim a false sense of security, who believes that their photos will disappear and will not be captured on the screen.
Relatively Wizzdeveloped by a French publisher but more popular on the other side of the Atlantic after warnings from Canada and the US that the app would encourage sexual extortion, it was removed from the Apple Store and Google Play at the end of January.
The rise in sexual extortion cases can also be attributed to the fact that these cybercriminals have started sharing their techniques and knowledge online. And they even encourage others to follow in their footsteps.
In its report, NCRI shows screenshots of sextortion scripts and tutorial videos found on Tik Tok, YouTube And Scribd, a document sharing site. Viewed hundreds of thousands of times, they detail step-by-step how to create a trustworthy online profile or how to bombard schools with fake accounts, for example, to have as many friends as possible among your future goals and gain trust more easily. .of their prey.
NCRI reporting documents show screenshots of victims comparing messages sent by their cyber bullies that are almost word for word identical. | Photo: Network Contagion Research Institute.
AND Advances in artificial intelligence are raising concerns about even more sophisticated attacks. There is no longer a need to obtain actual nude images of the victim. All the attacker needs to do is get a regular photo of the victim. Application in a few clicks AI can “undress” the victim. In Spain, this type of incident caused unrest in a small town in Extremadura last September. Several teenagers appeared artificially naked in photomontages posted on the Internet. Some were subjected to financial blackmail.
Regarding Yahoo Boysp, the NCRI report notes that in August 2023. Two Nigerians have been extradited to the US for sexually assaulting multiple young men. Americans and reason death of Jordan DeMay17 years.
In November 2023, Olamide Shan and unidentified accomplices were charged with the crime. get over 2.5 million dollars in bitcoins as part large-scale sextortion operation.
Protect your accounts by not sending nude or sexy photos., especially to strangers, and don’t show yourself. If you are the victim of an attempted sexual extortion: stop contacting the abuser, don’t pay and don’t talk about it.
An Ofmin spokesman clarifies that, as a rule, if you do not pay, the image will not be distributed.
They have so many potential victims at their disposal that they are not going to take the time to spread this information when there are other people willing to pay.
Samuel Combles of 3018 also assures that “if the photos have been circulated, we have the ability because we work with all social networks and some pornographic sites to remove this content within a few hours.”
Target collaborated in the creation Take it off, a tool that allows teens to “regain control over their intimate images.” There are other platforms, for example StopNCII.
But in this sensitive topic, you need to be careful about scams and false promises.
RFI
Source: Aristegui Noticias
As an experienced journalist and author, Mary has been reporting on the latest news and trends for over 5 years. With a passion for uncovering the stories behind the headlines, Mary has earned a reputation as a trusted voice in the world of journalism. Her writing style is insightful, engaging and thought-provoking, as she takes a deep dive into the most pressing issues of our time.
